Everett, MA Special Events & Permits: Outdoor Heater Rules (2026)

Section 12-1004(c) of the Revised Ordinances of the City of Everett, Massachusetts (Middlesex County) is a flat rule: no fire source may be contained inside the outdoor dining area, and the list that follows names fire pits, outdoor heaters and ovens. The wording is not limited to those three items, since the section says the ban includes, but is not limited to, them. The paragraph prints no exception for cold weather, for the extended season, or for heaters certified by a manufacturer.

The season itself is short. Section 12-1004(b)(3) sets standard dates of operation from Patriot's Day to Columbus Day, and any request to extend those dates goes to the director of the department of planning and development. An extension changes the calendar; it does not lift the fire source ban in subsection (c).

Other rules in Division 11 close off the usual workarounds. Section 12-1003(b)(6) says no alterations or coverings can be made to sidewalks or placed over the outdoor dining space, and platforms, artificial turf, paint or carpet are prohibited. Section 12-1003(b)(2) lists the only acceptable outdoor furniture items as tables, chairs, umbrellas, menu displays and barrier elements, and names shelves, serving stations, loudspeakers, sofas and televisions as prohibited elements. Section 12-1003(b)(1) requires furniture and fixtures to be removed at the end of each business day.

Section 12-1004(d) lets the city require the permittee, on 24 hours' notice, to remove all furniture and barriers from a municipally owned sidewalk for a city-sponsored event or for maintenance and repair. This record covers outdoor dining areas under Division 11 only.