Springfield, MA

Springfield's Fire Department requires a permit to store propane, with the inspection fee set by tank size: $75 for tanks up to 100 gallons, $125 for 101 to 1,000 gallons, and $225 for…

Springfield bars any indoor fireworks or pyrotechnics display or business unless the operator gets a Fire Department exemption, then meets staffing, distance, and written-plan…

Springfield requires every one- and two-family home to have approved smoke detectors on each level of habitation and in the basement within 90 days of the ordinance's effective date…

Burning construction or demolition debris anywhere in Springfield is banned outright, with fines running from $1,000 up to $10,000 for repeat offenses.

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…

Springfield, Massachusetts limits building erection, demolition, alteration, repair and excavation to 7 a.m.-7 p.m. weekdays under City Code § 259-6, absent a Code Enforcement permit.

Springfield, Massachusetts bars loud noise from stores, bars, and gathering places audible at 200 feet between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. under City Code § 259-7.

Springfield, Massachusetts bans loud car stereos audible 50 feet away and prohibits engine (Jake) brakes citywide, under City Code §§ 259-4 and 385-50.

Springfield, Massachusetts restricts power lawn mowers, hedge clippers, saws and similar outdoor tools like leaf blowers to set hours under City Code § 259-5, weekdays 7 a.m.-9 p.m.

Springfield's citywide noise ordinance covers businesses and industry too, but requires enforcement to weigh the character of the zoning and the customary noise of zoning-permitted…

Springfield, Massachusetts bars amplification devices from being plainly audible at 50 feet on vehicles, public ways, or residential land under City Code Ch. 259.

Springfield, Massachusetts treats barking audible 100 feet away for 10 straight minutes as a public nuisance, with an Animal Control Officer empowered to cite the owner and fines…

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…

Springfield, Massachusetts exempts sterilized cats from its public-restraint rule but fines the owner of a reproductively intact cat $100 per violation if it's found at large.

Springfield bars keeping any wild, wild-domestic hybrid, or vicious animal as a pet, for display, or exhibition, with exceptions only for zoos, circuses, and approved…

Springfield prohibits feeding wild animals or unsterilized feral, stray, or community cats whenever the feeding creates a public health or safety risk or a nuisance, under City Code §…

Springfield bars pet shops from selling dogs, cats, or rabbits, allowing only adoption displays for shelters and registered rescue groups, under City Code § 110-14, added April 5, 2021.

Owners of an unaltered dog or cat over six months caught at large in Springfield, Massachusetts face a $100 fine unless they have the animal spayed or neutered within 10 days and prove…

Grooming shops in Springfield, Massachusetts need an annual Animal Control permit, issued after inspection, with the City Code setting the fee at $50 per year.

Springfield's zoning ordinance defines veterinary clinics as outpatient animal-care facilities and bars outdoor dog runs, play areas, and any boarding not directly tied to medical…

A dog or cat caught at large three times in Springfield, Massachusetts must be surgically sterilized and microchipped before Animal Control returns it, with the owner covering the cost…

Springfield bars keeping livestock animals, cattle, poultry, swine, and similar farm animals, on private property unless the Springfield Zoning Ordinance or state law allows it, under…

Springfield, Massachusetts requires dogs to be on a leash no longer than six feet in public, unless the dog is inside a fenced yard, pen or designated dog park, under the city's 2016…

Springfield, Massachusetts bars its Advisory and Hearing Committee from declaring any dog dangerous based on breed or on growling/barking alone: dangerous-dog status is decided case by…

Springfield, Massachusetts caps most households at three dogs, four if every dog in the home is sterilized, before the keeper needs a kennel license.

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…

A Springfield short-term rental property that racks up three or more violations of the ordinance, any municipal law, state law, or the building code within six months loses eligibility…

Springfield caps short-term rental occupancy at eight guests total or two guests per bedroom, whichever is fewer, and allows no more than four bedrooms to be rented out at once.

Springfield, MA short-term rental operators pay a $200 application fee plus a $100 annual registration fee due every January 2 under Chapter 238.

Springfield, MA requires booking platforms to agree to de-list unregistered or over-limit short-term rentals or be barred from doing business in the city.

Springfield's short-term rental ordinance requires operators renting out a bedroom in their own home to stay on site: a limited share unit must keep one bedroom reserved for, and…

Springfield limits most short-term rentals to the operator's primary residence, defined as living in the unit at least nine of the preceding or upcoming twelve months, proven with ID…

Before Springfield issues a short-term rental permit, the operator must get a Planning Department-approved guest parking plan and, within 30 days of registration, notify every neighbor…

Springfield requires every short-term rental to register with Code Enforcement before operating, pay a $200 application fee plus a $100 annual renewal, and pass an inspection at…

Springfield lets operators rent bedrooms in their own occupied home as a short-term rental up to 365 days a year, provided one bedroom stays reserved for, and occupied by, the operator…

Springfield short-term rental operators must post the city's noise ordinance inside every unit, and a property with three or more excessive-noise violations in six months becomes…

A Springfield short-term rental unit the operator isn't living in during the rental can be offered for no more than 90 total days a year, whether those days are consecutive or…

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.

Springfield fines anyone who abandons a registered or unregistered vehicle on a public or private way, or on someone else's property without permission, $250 for a first offense and…

Springfield's zoning caps residential garage size, limits driveway or garage storage to one commercial vehicle, and bans any commercial vehicle over 10,000 pounds in residential…

Springfield has no standing nightly parking ban; instead, once the Mayor declares a snow-and-ice emergency, the Police Chief can bar parking or driving citywide, or just on the…

Springfield bans storing any mobile home, travel trailer, RV, or boat in a residential front yard, and bars any of them over 20 feet long from residential districts entirely.

Springfield, Massachusetts lets the City Council designate residential streets as restricted parking districts; only vehicles with a $100 annual permit may park there under City Code…

Springfield, MA requires a Traffic Commission permit and a per-foot curb fee before any business can reserve public curb space for valet parking.

Springfield bars commercial trucks from crossing named streets, including Pine Street and Thompson Street, capped at two tons during set hours, unless they're loading or unloading at a…

When Springfield's Mayor declares a snow emergency, the Police Chief can bar parking citywide or restrict cars to even-numbered addresses, and every owner and driver must obey 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…

Springfield requires any residential swimming pool to sit at least 10 feet from a dwelling and 8 feet from a lot line before it can be located in a building zone.

Every swimming pool in Springfield, Massachusetts must be enclosed by a fence at least four feet high that children can't climb, and the fence can't sit more than 30 feet from the pool.

Pruning or trimming branches on a public shade or city-owned tree in Springfield, Massachusetts requires a City Forester permit and a $25 fee.

Springfield, Massachusetts requires a City Forester permit to cut, prune or remove any public shade tree, and gives extra protection to 'significant trees' 75 years old or wider than 3…

Springfield, Massachusetts sets no numeric grass-height limit; instead the Commissioner of Public Health can declare ragweed or other noxious growth a nuisance and order it removed…

The Massachusetts Water Management Act and related MassDEP drought regulations authorize statewide outdoor watering limits during declared drought conditions, applying uniformly across…

Springfield, Massachusetts caps home-based business customer visits to 7 a.m.-8 p.m. daily under the Zoning Ordinance's Home Based Business standards, keeping client traffic out of…

Springfield allows family child care homes for up to six children, and large family child care homes for up to ten, as an accessory use in a private residence under state licensing.

Springfield caps by-right home businesses at zero non-resident employees, one square foot of signage, and no more than three commercial deliveries or eight customer visits a day.

Springfield, Massachusetts restricts home-based business signage to just one square foot of display area on all sides in residential districts, one of the tightest home-business sign…

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 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…

In Springfield, Massachusetts (Hampden County), a residential fence taller than 6 feet needs a Tier 3 Special Permit from the Planning Board; business-district fences over 8 feet…

Springfield residential fences over 6 feet need a Tier 3 Special Permit; front yards allow no fence in A/A-1 districts and only 3 feet in B/B-1/C districts, plus a corner-lot sight…

Building a retaining wall in Springfield takes a City building permit with a $75 minimum fee, the same rate charged for other temporary structures: the ordinance sets no separate…

Springfield's zoning ordinance bans razor or barbed wire on any front lot line citywide and bans it outright on fences touching a residential use or sitting inside a residential…

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…

Springfield allows one accessory dwelling unit per lot in Residence A and A-1 districts by Tier 1 site plan review, capped at 900 square feet or half the main house, and bans using it…

Springfield's zoning ordinance bars any accessory dwelling unit from being used as a short-term rental, cross-referencing the definition in the city's separate Chapter 238 short-term…

Springfield caps detached accessory structures like sheds at 15 feet in most residential districts and requires a 10-foot side yard for any part of a detached garage within 65 feet of…

Springfield does not require the owner to live on site, but it does require the principal house and any accessory dwelling unit to stay in common ownership and be sold together.

Springfield adopts the Massachusetts State Plumbers and Gas Fitters Code, 248 CMR, by reference as the controlling standard for all plumbing and gas-fitting construction, alteration…

Springfield law makes it unlawful to operate a short-term rental without a working smoke detector, carbon monoxide detector, and fire extinguisher in every bedroom and common area.

Springfield adopts the Massachusetts State Lead Poisoning and Control Code, 105 CMR 460, by reference as controlling law citywide, governing lead-paint hazards in buildings across…

No one may install, alter, repair, or remove electrical wiring in Springfield without first applying to the Department and obtaining a permit, under City Code § 140-9, on top of the…

Springfield charges 150% of the state code's Table 106 fee for a certificate of inspection and will not let a building be occupied, or stay occupied, without a valid one posted where…

Springfield requires a paid permit before erecting, altering, repairing, demolishing, or adding to any building or regulated equipment, with fees due to the City Collector under City…

Springfield mandates automated weekly trash collection citywide through City-issued carts, charging a $90 annual fee per container, with the option to opt out and hire a private hauler…

Springfield requires every occupant citywide, homes, businesses, nonprofits, and city buildings alike, to separate recyclables from trash, not only households on City pickup.

Springfield, Massachusetts rubbish containers may go to the tree belt no earlier than sunset the night before pickup and must be off it by midnight on collection day, or owners face up…

Springfield, Massachusetts bans dumping litter, garbage, or rubbish on any street, sidewalk, public place, vacant lot, or private property, with escalating per-day fines for repeat…

Springfield, Massachusetts allows licensed waste haulers to collect residential trash, recycling, and yard waste outside normal hours to accommodate national holidays, under City Code…

Commercial dumpsters and roll-off containers of six cubic yards or more require an annual Fire Department permit in Springfield, Massachusetts, with a $50 fee charged per dumpster each…

Springfield runs a mandatory curbside yard-waste program: leaves, grass, and small branches must go in paper leaf bags, never plastic, during the April-to-December season.

Springfield, Massachusetts residents must call 311 for a bulk-item pickup appointment and buy a sticker per item, with mattress and box-spring collection capped at 15 units per address…

Springfield's DPW-issued recycling carts go out curbside every other week by 6 a.m.; plastic bags and mixed-in trash aren't allowed.

Springfield requires rubbish to be drained of liquids and placed in an approved cart at the curb on the tree belt, not the road, before crews will collect it.

Springfield's zoning lets residents grow and sell produce by right on any lot under five acres in every zoning district, and treats larger-scale farming as an exempt agricultural use.

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…

Springfield, MA bans standing, loafing, or loitering on a street, sidewalk, bridge, or crossing in a way that obstructs passersby, fined $50 per day.

Springfield, MA pawnbrokers need a $200 Police Department license and a CORI background check before doing business.

Springfield, MA requires a Police Department license before anyone can run a shop buying, selling, or bartering secondhand or junk articles.

Springfield requires anyone practicing massage or operating a bath, vapor, pool, or shower establishment for hire to hold an annual license from the Commissioner of Public Health…

Every tobacco retailer in Springfield, Massachusetts needs a $100-a-year permit from the Health and Human Services Department for each location, and the definition covers e-cigarettes…

Springfield confines adult entertainment businesses to Business A, B and C districts by City Council Tier 3 Special Permit, and bans them within 700 feet of homes, schools, churches…

Springfield requires an annual $125 permit from Health and Human Services before any body art establishment may operate, tattoo, pierce, brand, or scarify clients under City Code…

Springfield, Massachusetts bans motor vehicle sales, rental, service, repair, painting and body work as home-based businesses citywide, one of the Zoning Ordinance's flat…

Springfield, MA bans possessing, drinking from, or carrying an open container of alcohol on public streets, sidewalks, and City grounds.

Springfield, Massachusetts bans smoking, vaping, or otherwise consuming marijuana on any street, sidewalk, park, or other public place citywide, with a separate lower-fine ban layered…

Springfield, Massachusetts bans skateboarding on municipal building property and inside the City's designated central business district; a rider's board can be seized as evidence until…

Springfield, Massachusetts bans aggressive begging, touching, blocking, following, or cursing at people for money, plus all solicitation within 25 feet of an ATM, bank, or transit stop.

Springfield, MA bars loitering in or around building entrances, parking garages, transit terminals, and near schools, on top of the separate sidewalk-obstruction rule.

Springfield, MA requires anyone doing door-to-door sales to hold a Police Commissioner license, at $25, renewed annually.

Springfield maintains a no-knock or no-soliciting registry that residents can join. Solicitors who ignore posted signs or registry listings face fines.

Springfield requires anyone renting a room to a non-family member to first get a rooming-unit rental license from the Building Commissioner, renewed every year, under City Code § 235-2.

Springfield adopts the Massachusetts State Sanitary Code, 105 CMR 410, by reference as controlling law citywide, setting the minimum standards of fitness for human habitation that…

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…

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…

Springfield exempts vehicle anti-theft alarms from its noise ordinance only if the device shuts off on its own, or is shut off, within five minutes of sounding.

Springfield's noise ordinance explicitly covers air conditioners and other engine-powered equipment, holding them to the citywide 100-foot 'unreasonable noise' standard enforced by…

Springfield requires owners of vacant or open lots to keep them free of litter and overgrowth at all times, enforceable by the Commissioner of Housing.

Springfield, Massachusetts property owners and tenants must clear sidewalk snow and ice within 24 hours of a storm ending, including around fire hydrants and curb cuts, or make the…

Springfield's Anti-Blight Program lets Code Enforcement order repair or demolition of a vacant, dangerous building in Hampden County's largest city, backed by fines up to $300 per day…

Springfield, Massachusetts bars selling food to school pupils within 100 yards of any public school on the public ways during the school day, closing that buffer to food trucks and…

Hawking fruits, vegetables, or fish door-to-door or from a pushcart in Springfield, Massachusetts requires a license from the Board of Police Commissioners, plus a numbered badge and…

Springfield, Massachusetts city officials cannot question people about immigration status or hold someone past their release date on an ICE detainer request without a judicial criminal…

Restaurants and bars in Springfield, Massachusetts need a Department of Public Works permit before putting tables in the public right-of-way, and seating is barred outright from…

Conducting a parade or a motorcade of 25 or more vehicles on a Springfield street, sidewalk, or alley requires a permit from the Chief of Police, applied for at least 96 hours before…

Springfield requires a stormwater management permit before larger construction projects: commercial buildings over 5,000 square feet or sites disturbing an acre or more.

Springfield, Massachusetts requires a Board of Appeals special permit for any construction in its Floodplain Overlay District, and applicants must document the mean sea level elevation…

Any construction or land-disturbing activity in Springfield's Floodplain Overlay District, new buildings, additions, fences, sheds, paving, or grading, needs a permit under Section…

Any construction disturbing an acre or more, or meeting other size thresholds, needs a Stormwater Management Permit from Springfield's Stormwater Authority before grading, earth…

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…

Springfield caps building coverage in residential districts by lot size and zone, from 10% on lots over 60,000 square feet up to 50% in Residential B-1, C and O districts, per Zoning…

Springfield caps most residential principal buildings at 2.5 stories and 35 feet under Table 5-1, though the Residence C-2 district allows up to 150 feet and the City Council can…

Springfield's zoning ordinance sets minimum yard (setback) distances by residential district in Table 5-1 -- 25 feet in Residence A and A-1, 15 feet in Residence B for front yards…

Springfield allows adult-use marijuana retailers only in Business A, B, C, Riverfront, Industrial Park and Industrial A districts, with a City Council Tier 3 Special Permit and up to…

Springfield bars adult-use marijuana establishments within 500 feet of K-12 schools, 250 feet of homes or residential zones, and requires 300 feet between marijuana retailers, measured…

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.

Springfield's sign ordinance bans pennants, streamers, balloons and decorative string lights citywide, but exempts strings of lights tied to a religious holiday or seasonal celebration…

Digital non-accessory signs (billboards) in Springfield need a Tier 3 special permit, are limited to Business B and Industrial A zones, and must meet strict brightness, dimming and…

Ground signs next to the elevated stretch of Interstate 91 through downtown Springfield face a special height cap, measured from the highway's road surface rather than street grade.

Window signs in Springfield's commercial and industrial districts can cover up to 50% of a window without a sign permit; covering more requires one from the Building Commissioner.

Springfield allows political signs on private property with size limits. Signs in public rights-of-way are typically prohibited. First Amendment protections apply. Removal required…

Springfield caps spillover light from digital non-accessory signs (billboards) at 0.2 foot candles measured at a residential property line, on top of the sign's own dimming and…

Springfield, Massachusetts caps light spilling from digital non-accessory signs (billboards) at 0.2 foot candles measured at a residential property line, on top of a 0.3 foot-candle…

Springfield regulates outdoor lighting to reduce light pollution and glare. Fully shielded fixtures required for new installations. Lighting must be directed downward and not trespass…

Springfield, Massachusetts runs an automated red-light camera civil enforcement program under City Code Ch. 385, Art. IX; violations draw a $50 fine plus a $50 late penalty. No…

Springfield, Massachusetts bars Uber/Lyft-type drivers from hailing, cruising, or waiting for street pickups the way taxicabs do; rides must be arranged by app, with a $500 civil fine…

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…

Springfield requires a City Forester permit before anyone, even the property owner, cuts, prunes, or removes a significant tree, defined as 75 years old or older, or three feet or more…

Springfield, Massachusetts bans cutting or removing any tree 75 years or older, or three feet or more in diameter, without a City Forester permit, even on private land.

Planting a tree in the Springfield, Massachusetts tree belt or on other city-owned land requires a free City Forester permit before work begins.

Beyond the City Clerk permit, Springfield's Massachusetts code caps every garage or yard sale at three consecutive days and no more than four occasions a year at one Hampden County…

Before tearing down a building 75 years or older, or one listed on the National Register, Springfield owners face a mandatory nine-month review by the Historical Commission under City…

Springfield bars anyone under 18 from public places and businesses from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Sunday through Thursday nights and from 12:01 a.m. to 6 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays…

In Springfield, Massachusetts, five or more written complaints about one licensed rental property triggers a mandatory inspection and a hearing with the owner over the property's…

Springfield, MA short-term rentals must pass a Code Enforcement inspection before registration and an annual inspection after that, plus working smoke and CO detectors.

Springfield, Massachusetts residents, civic groups, and neighborhood councils can file a written blight complaint with Code Enforcement, which must inspect the property and can order…

Anyone digging up or occupying a Springfield street, private way, or sidewalk needs a written Public Works permit and a signed agreement to restore the pavement, under City Code §…

Springfield bans every city department, officer, employee, agent, contractor, or vendor from obtaining, retaining, accessing, or using facial surveillance systems or any data pulled…

Springfield, Massachusetts retailers, including food and ice cream trucks, may only hand out recyclable paper, certified compostable/marine-degradable plastic, or heavy-duty reusable…

Springfield residents in HOA communities benefit from state solar access laws that limit HOA ability to prohibit solar panels. HOAs may regulate placement but cannot effectively ban…

M.G.L. Chapter 40A Section 3 protects solar installations from unreasonable local zoning restrictions. State law mandates expedited permitting in many municipalities.

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 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…