Southborough, MA

Southborough's noise bylaw prohibits operating a motor vehicle in the Town in violation of MGL c. 90, § 16, the state provision on harsh, objectionable, or unreasonable noises. The…

Southborough prohibits yelling, shouting, whistling, singing, playing music or making loud noises that annoy or disturb the reasonable quiet, comfort or repose of identified persons…

Any Southborough establishment licensed for entertainment amplified by microphone, amplifier or the like is subject to the noise bylaw, and that entertainment should not be distinctly…

Southborough treats a noisy animal as a bylaw violation when its unreasonably loud and disruptive sound lasts more than 20 minutes intermittently, defined as an average of two…

Southborough's noise bylaw allows contracted work noise from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on weekdays and 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturdays, and not on Sundays or Holidays. Homeowner work…

Massachusetts regulates aircraft noise statewide through 740 CMR 24.00, the Logan Airport Noise Abatement rule enforced by the Massachusetts Port Authority. It bars new, noisier…

In Southborough, a curb marking is official only when the Select Board has authorized the painting and the state Department of Public Works has approved it in writing. Displaying an…

In Southborough, no vehicle may be parked on any street for longer than one hour between 1:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. of any day. The Select Board regulation applies to the registered…

Southborough's Select Board regulations bar parking on sidewalks and crosswalks, within 10 feet of a fire hydrant, in front of any private road or driveway, and within 20 feet of an…

Southborough handles on-street loading through service zones. Under § 207-14 no one can park in a service zone longer than 30 minutes, and not at all except while actually engaged in…

In Southborough, the Superintendent of Streets can remove any vehicle that interferes with snow plowing or ice removal on a way, and the owner is liable for the removal and storage…

Southborough bars anyone from abandoning a vehicle or leaving one where it reasonably appears abandoned. No partially dismantled, inoperative, wrecked, junked or discarded vehicle can…

In Southborough's Residence A and Residence B Districts, accessory private garage or parking for not more than three vehicles is permitted, and one of those vehicles can be a truck or…

Southborough requires required parking and vehicular use areas to be paved with bituminous concrete, with one exemption: areas serving a single-family dwelling. Under § 174-12(B) the…

Massachusetts adopts statewide EV-readiness requirements under the State Building Code (780 CMR) and Stretch Energy Code, mandating that new construction include EV-ready parking…

Massachusetts caps what a tow company can charge you after a nonconsensual tow. Under 220 CMR 272.03(1) the maximum charge for towing a passenger automobile up to five miles is $132.00…

In Southborough, a dog is a public nuisance when it is found off its owner's premises, attacks persons or domestic animals, chases moving vehicles, or is on a public school ground when…

In Southborough no one can keep a horse anywhere in Town except in a stable licensed by the Board of Health. Stables must sit at least 150 feet from a neighbor's dwelling and 100 feet…

In Southborough, a veterinarian, animal hospital or dog kennel needs a special permit in the Residence A district, and Residence B takes the same list. The Industrial District allows…

Massachusetts authorizes its chief apiary inspector to require registration of every bee colony kept in the commonwealth, with a fee capped at five dollars per registrant regardless of…

Massachusetts state law expressly preempts municipalities from regulating dogs based on breed. Local breed-specific bans are void under state statute.

Massachusetts prohibits private possession of most exotic and wild animals statewide. MassWildlife regulates permits, and the list of prohibited species is uniform across the…

Animal cruelty including hoarding is criminalized statewide under M.G.L. Chapter 272 Section 77. Hoarding triggers welfare investigations and felony charges in severe cases.

In Southborough, the tree bylaw on removal covers public trees: § 153-3 makes the Tree Warden, or that official's designee, responsible for removing trees from streets, parks and other…

In Southborough, the Select Board can establish a water emergency to conserve supply and protect the water system. During one, outside use of Town water to irrigate lawns, gardens…

Southborough treats rainwater capture as a design technique, not a separate permit. The Lower Impact Development bylaw lists rain barrels and other cisterns among the stormwater…

Southborough encourages native species in all landscaping plans and prohibits planting a printed list of invasive species. Section 174-13(B)(10) names plants such as Norway maple…

Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 87 establishes statewide rules governing the trimming, pruning, and care of public shade trees, requiring a tree warden's authorization for cutting…

In Southborough, § 155-1 prohibits constructing, installing, enlarging or altering any swimming pool or appurtenance to it until a permit has been obtained from the Building…

In Southborough, every outdoor wading or swimming pool must be enclosed by a fence, wall or other suitable barrier at least four feet high that meets the approval of the Building…

Southborough allows a customary home occupation in a one-family home when it uses not more than 25% of the home, has no exterior display or storage, shows one sign not over four square…

Massachusetts has no cottage food statute and no state cottage food licence. A home kitchen selling food is treated as a food establishment, and the permit comes from the local board…

Massachusetts preempts local zoning of family child care for up to six children under MGL c.28A and c.40A §3, requiring state EEC licensing and treating licensed homes as residential…

Massachusetts has no microenterprise home kitchen permit and no home restaurant category. The one route to serving cooked meals out of a private kitchen is the bed-and-breakfast branch…

Southborough regulates paid lodging in homes through its bed and breakfast definition and a room-renting use. A bed and breakfast must sit on owner-occupied property, with not more…

Massachusetts law requires short-term rental operators to maintain at least $1,000,000 in liability insurance covering each rental, unless intermediary provides equal coverage.

Massachusetts imposes a statewide 5.7% room occupancy excise on short-term rentals, plus optional local and community impact fees collected uniformly through DOR.

In Southborough, a shed is a structure under Chapter 174, and an accessory building in Residence A must sit 10 feet from the rear and side lot lines and stay within 17 feet and one…

Southborough allows an accessory dwelling unit by right in the Residence A district when it is no larger in gross floor area than half the principal dwelling or 900 square feet…

Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 49 establishes a statewide spite fence statute treating fences over six feet erected maliciously to annoy a neighbor as a private nuisance subject to…

Massachusetts prohibits the sale, possession, and use of all consumer fireworks by private individuals, including sparklers, with no municipal opt-out permitted.

Massachusetts restricts open burning to January 15 through May 1 annually with a permit issued by the local fire chief under uniform state regulations.

Massachusetts requires a state fire marshal license and local fire chief permit to store flammable gases including propane above specified threshold quantities.

Massachusetts bans any open-air fire statewide unless the local forest warden or fire chief issues a permit good for no more than two days. Violators face a fine up to $500 plus the…

Southborough prohibits noise audible beyond the property line while trucks are loaded or unloaded between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., unless otherwise permitted. The rule is § 130-4(D) of…

In Southborough, no establishment holding a liquor license can let noise be distinctly audible beyond its premises between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Section 130-4(G) of the noise bylaw…

Southborough's Noise bylaw exempts the use of generators during emergency activities such as storm cleanup and power outages, on one condition: to the extent practical or feasible, the…

In Southborough, no person can run the engine of a standing vehicle over 10,000 pounds GVW for more than 10 minutes while it is parked on residential property or on a street or way…

In Southborough, base flood elevation is the reference point for building in the Wetland and Floodplain District. Where FEMA has published no elevation or floodway data for an A Zone…

In Southborough, construction that disturbs one acre or more of land needs a stormwater and erosion control permit from the Conservation Commission. Section 154-9 requires temporary…

In Southborough, a permitted project cannot be approved by the Conservation Commission unless it produces no net increase in the rate of stormwater runoff, no net increase in volume…

In Southborough, the Wetland and Floodplain District is an overlay on every other district and covers the FEMA special flood hazard areas in Zones A, AE, AH, AO and A99 on the…

Massachusetts regulates all tidelands and coastal development statewide under Chapter 91 (MGL c.91) and 310 CMR 9.00, requiring state licenses for structures and fill in tidelands…

Southborough requires a written permit from the Select Board or its designee before anyone digs up a public sidewalk or places staging or another temporary structure on one. The holder…

Southborough requires a written permit before anyone digs up a public sidewalk, street or highway or places staging or any other temporary structure on one. The Select Board or its…

In Southborough's MBTA Communities Overlay District, dumpsters must be screened by a combination of fencing and plantings, and where possible dumpsters or other trash and recycling…

Southborough bars trash collection and dumpster collection in any area designated as, or directly abutting, a residential zone between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. The rule is § 130-4(E) of…

In Southborough, § 152-8 bars anyone from throwing or placing, or causing to be thrown or placed, nails, spikes, screws, glass, tin cans or refuse of any kind on a public street or…

In Southborough, a child care center is a permitted use in the Downtown District under § 174-8.12(A)(6), and subsection E prohibits every use that section does not list. The Zoning…

In Southborough, it is unlawful to construct, alter, remove, demolish or change the class of occupancy of any building or structure without first filing a written application with the…

In Southborough, the Inspector of Buildings inspects all building operations and all buildings under construction, has a right of entry at reasonable hours, and can order work…

Southborough limits how much house fits on a lot through a maximum floor area ratio: 0.18 in the Residence A district and .30 in Residence B. The ratio compares the gross floor area of…

Southborough's bylaws print no block party permit by name. Section 207-3 authorizes the Chief of Police to close any street or highway temporarily for an emergency or any lawful…

In Southborough, no person can form or conduct a parade in any public street, public sidewalk or public way, or any procession other than a military or funeral procession, without…

Southborough's loitering bylaw, § 117-1, bars loitering or continuing to stand on any sidewalk or public place so as to obstruct the passage of, impede or annoy other persons. It also…

In Southborough, it is unlawful to create or allow loud noise on property you own, lease, occupy or control when it causes an unreasonable disturbance beyond the property line…

In Southborough, Chapter 50 of the Town's bylaws bars drinking alcohol on any public way, on any place the public can reach without the owner's permission or a Select Board license…

In Southborough, Chapter 51 bans smoking, ingesting or otherwise using marijuana or THC on streets, sidewalks, parks, playgrounds, school grounds, parking lots, Town property…

Southborough's bylaws do not use the words panhandling, begging or aggressive solicitation. The closest rule is § 195-7, which bars standing in a roadway to solicit a ride, employment…

In Southborough, a pedestrian within 300 feet of a marked crosswalk, traffic control signal or officer directing traffic must cross within the marked crosswalk. A pedestrian crossing…

In Southborough, the Tree Warden decides what gets planted on public ground. Section 153-4 sets a policy of encouraging conservation of public shade trees and running a planned…

Massachusetts Scenic Roads Act protects trees and stone walls along designated scenic roads, requiring public hearing before any removal or alteration.

In Southborough, no individual, group or organization can solicit door-to-door on the private property of another between 1/2 hour after sunset and 7:00 a.m. Section 133-1 sets the…

Massachusetts requires hawkers and peddlers selling goods door-to-door to obtain a state license from the Division of Standards in addition to local permits.

Southborough requires dealers in junk, old metals and secondhand articles, junk collectors and pawnbrokers to hold a Select Board license under MGL c. 140, §§ 54 and 202, at $50 per…

Southborough bars a person from letting more than one unregistered motor vehicle or trailer, or major parts of one, remain ungaraged on his premises. Farm vehicles, holders of a Class…

In Southborough, an adult bookstore, adult video store, adult paraphernalia store or adult motion-picture theater needs a special permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals under §…

Massachusetts heavily restricts vape retail under M.G.L. c. 270 § 28, banning flavored vape products statewide and limiting flavored nicotine vape sales to licensed adult-only smoking…

Southborough prohibits the operation of any marijuana establishment in all zoning districts under § 53-1, with an exception for medical marijuana licensed under Chapter 369 of the Acts…

Massachusetts preempts local bans on personal cannabis cultivation under MGL c.94G §7, allowing adults 21+ to grow up to six plants per person and twelve per household statewide.

In Southborough, the sign bylaw at § 174-11 names temporary political signs once: banners or similar devices, otherwise barred as signs, can be used for them. Temporary signs are…

In Southborough, a window sign is a sign of individual letters or graphics painted or affixed to, or hanging behind, the glass of a window or door and visible from outside. A business…

Southborough bans billboards and similar signs outright. Section 174-11(C)(2)(b) prohibits them, and (C)(2)(c) prohibits flashing, moving, changing message and animated signs, which is…

Southborough's sign bylaw names garage and yard sales as temporary signs. Temporary signs need no permit under § 174-11(C)(1)(i), must come down promptly after the sale ends, and…

Southborough exempts temporary decorative or holiday lighting from its Outdoor Illumination bylaw. Section 174-12.1(B)(1)(c) lists it among the exceptions to the lumen-based rules, and…

Southborough lists agriculture, horticulture, floriculture and viticulture as permitted uses in the C Conservation District, and the Residence A District carries over every…

Massachusetts protects farms from nuisance lawsuits under M.G.L. c. 243 § 6: a farm operating more than one year using generally accepted agricultural practices cannot be found a…

In Southborough's Downtown District, § 174-10.2 authorizes the Planning Board to adopt design guidelines and apply them to major site plan approval applications, whether or not a…

In Southborough, a major residential development must set aside a minimum of 12.5% of its dwelling units as affordable housing. In return, the minimum lot area per dwelling unit is…

Southborough's outdoor illumination bylaw, § 174-12.1, aims to curtail light pollution and reduce skyglow. It prohibits non-shielded wall-packs, barn lights and floodlights not aimed…

Southborough prohibits light trespass: § 174-12.1(R) says there shall be no light trespass by a luminaire beyond the property boundaries of the lot on which it is located, except…

Southborough's zoning bylaw bars the planting of a named list of invasive species, including Japanese barberry, Norway maple, burning bush, multiflora rose, autumn olive and privet, in…

Southborough's zoning bylaw sets a permit process for commercial large-scale ground-mounted solar of 250 kW or larger. Under § 174-13.7 the system undergoes Planning Board site plan…

M.G.L. c. 184, § 23C makes void any provision in an instrument relative to the ownership or use of real property that purports to forbid or unreasonably restrict the installation or…

Southborough's Residence A district requires 35 feet in front, 50 feet at the rear, 25 feet at the side and 35 feet from another street. Residence B requires 30, 35, 15 and 30 feet…

Southborough's Residence A and Residence B districts cap building height at 35 feet and 2 1/2 stories, and accessory buildings at 17 feet and one story. Chimneys, antennas, tanks and…

Southborough requires a special permit from the Board of Appeals before anyone renders impervious more than 75% of lot area, under § 174-13.4(B)(1)(c). The Residence A and Residence B…

Massachusetts has no statewide omnibus drone statute, so recreational flying follows federal FAA rules. But across the roughly 450,000 acres the Department of Conservation and…

Massachusetts sets a statewide minimum wage of $15.00 per hour under MGL Chapter 151, and generally preempts cities from adopting higher local minimum wages.

Massachusetts provides paid family and medical leave through the PFML program under MGL Chapter 175M, plus paid sick time under the Earned Sick Time Law for most employees.

Massachusetts requires a License to Carry under MGL Chapter 140 Section 131 to carry concealed handguns, with applications processed by local police chiefs subject to suitability…

Massachusetts requires a valid License to Carry under MGL Chapter 140 Section 131 to transport loaded handguns in a vehicle, with strict storage rules applying to long guns and…

Beyond frost depth and snow load, the Massachusetts design criteria table sets weathering, termite risk, ice barrier, flood and air freezing index values that apply to every home built…

Massachusetts sets one frost line depth for the whole state: 48 inches. Footings must bear below that depth anywhere in the Commonwealth, and cities and towns do not set their own…

Massachusetts publishes a ground snow load for every one of its 351 cities and towns in a single state table, ranging from 25 psf on the Cape and Islands to 60 psf in the hill towns.

Massachusetts lists a minimum flat roof snow load for every city and town, and requires designers to use whichever is larger: that listed floor or the load calculated from the local…

The Expanded Gaming Act divides Massachusetts into three casino license regions and caps category 1 licenses at one per region. A resort casino can open only in a city or town that…

Massachusetts law bans commercial gambling but carves out G.L. c. 271 § 7A for nonprofit raffles and bazaars: veterans', religious, fraternal, educational, and civic groups that have…

Massachusetts bans gaming for money only in a public conveyance or public place, or in a private place where the player is trespassing. G.L. c. 271, § 2 does not reach cards, dice, or…

Massachusetts legalized sports wagering under G.L. c. 23N, with retail betting live January 31, 2023 and mobile apps following March 10, 2023. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission…

Massachusetts has no comprehensive HOA act. Condominium associations get a powerful statutory lien under M.G.L. c. 183A § 6 that carries a six-month super-priority over a first…

M.G.L. c. 183A, § 10(c) requires a Massachusetts condominium to keep a defined set of records up to date within the Commonwealth and to make them available for reasonable inspection by…

Massachusetts overrides some HOA and condo restrictions by statute. M.G.L. c. 184 § 23C voids deed covenants and condo-document provisions that forbid or unreasonably restrict solar…

Massachusetts gives owners an affirmative right to install electric vehicle supply equipment in their own unit or in a parking area they hold exclusive use of, and M.G.L. c. 183A, §…

Massachusetts gives a condominium's organization of unit owners express statutory power to levy fines, and attaches almost no conditions to it. M.G.L. c. 183A, § 10(b)(5) authorizes…

Massachusetts is not a UCIOA state, and its condominium lien rules sit in a home-grown statute, G.L. c. 183A, § 6. The lien attaches automatically when an assessment falls due and is…

Massachusetts runs the opposite way from states that cap association leasing bans. M.G.L. c. 64G, § 15 provides that nothing in the short-term rental chapter confers a right to lease…

The Massachusetts General Laws contain no sobriety checkpoint statute. A full-text search returns nothing for roadblock, roadblocks or sobriety checkpoint, and the single hit for…

Massachusetts has no statute granting a right to record police. It has G.L. c. 272, section 99, one of the strictest wiretap laws in the country, and the operative word in it is…

Massachusetts has no general stop-and-identify law reaching people on foot. The duty at G.L. c. 90, section 25 attaches only to a person operating or in charge of a motor vehicle, and…

Massachusetts has no clause saying lawful cannabis possession is not grounds for a search, unlike Michigan or Maryland. What it has instead is G.L. c. 276, section 1, which narrows…

Massachusetts treats a golf cart and a low-speed vehicle as different machines with different rights. A true golf cart may be driven on a public way only under one narrow carve-out in…

Following Papadopoulos v. Target (2010), Massachusetts property owners owe a duty of reasonable care to remove snow and ice. Municipalities may set sidewalk clearing rules.

For nonpayment of rent, Massachusetts requires a 14-day notice to quit under M.G.L. c. 186 § 11 (leases) or § 12 (tenancies at will). After the notice expires, the landlord must bring…

Massachusetts recognizes an implied warranty of habitability and gives tenants strong remedies. Under M.G.L. c. 111 § 127L, after certified code violations and proper notice, a tenant…

MGL Chapter 239 sets uniform statewide summary process eviction procedures for residential tenancies, establishing notice requirements, court process, and tenant defenses applicable in…

Massachusetts has no general statute requiring advance notice before a landlord enters. M.G.L. c. 186 § 15B(1)(a) instead limits when a lease may permit entry, to inspect, make…

Massachusetts strictly limits late fees. Under M.G.L. c. 186 § 15B(1)(c), no lease or rental agreement may impose any interest or penalty for late rent until the rent is at least 30…

To end a tenancy at will (month-to-month), Massachusetts requires written notice equal to one full rental period or 30 days, whichever is longer, under M.G.L. c. 186 § 12. Fixed-term…

Massachusetts prohibits rent control statewide. Voters abolished it through a 1994 ballot referendum codified as Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 40P, the Massachusetts Rent Control Prohibition…

Massachusetts has one of the nation's strictest security deposit laws. A landlord may collect no more than one month's rent as a security deposit, must hold it in a separate…

Massachusetts requires 20 years of continuous adverse possession to claim title to land. Under M.G.L. c. 260 § 21, an action to recover land must be brought within 20 years after the…

Massachusetts requires purchasers of tobacco and vape products to be at least 21 years of age under MGL Chapter 270 Section 6, predating the 2019 federal Tobacco 21 law.

Massachusetts became the first state to ban all flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes and flavored vapes, under M.G.L. c. 270 § 28, effective June 1, 2020.

Massachusetts bars any vehicle from mounting or displaying a flashing, rotating or oscillating light in any direction except under G.L. c. 90, section 7E, and section 7E hands out red…

Massachusetts has no dash camera statute, but G.L. c. 90, section 13B expressly permits a device to be mounted on or affixed to a vehicle windshield, dashboard or centre console so…

Lane splitting is illegal in Massachusetts. G.L. c. 89, § 4A tells the operator of a motorcycle that he shall not pass any other motor vehicle within the same lane, and the ban carries…

Massachusetts bans plate covers by naming the device rather than by regulating tint or reflectivity. G.L. c. 90, § 6 says number plates shall be kept clean with the numbers legible and…

Nothing in the Massachusetts General Laws prohibits a radar detector in a private car. A full-text search of the General Laws returns no hit at all for radar detector, speed measuring…

Massachusetts writes its studded tire rule as a ban on the warm half of the year rather than as a permission for winter. G.L. c. 90, § 16 makes it unlawful to operate a motor vehicle…

Massachusetts lets you put aftermarket film on the front side windows, the rear side windows and the rear window only if it transmits at least 35 per cent of visible light and reflects…