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Parking Rules in Massachusetts (2026)

136 rules on the books across Massachusetts, 24 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.

Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions

RV & Boat Parking

Where you can park recreational vehicles and boats on your property, including front yard restrictions, screening requirements, and size limits.

Boston

Heavy Restrictions

Boston's dense urban streets severely limit RV and oversized vehicle parking. Commercial vehicle overnight parking is…

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Lowell

Heavy Restrictions

Lowell Code of Ordinances sec. 266-73.1 prohibits parking any recreational vehicle, auto home, mobile home, boat…

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Quincy

Significant Restrictions

Quincy, Massachusetts (Norfolk County) excludes trailers, campers, boats and other nonmotorized recreational equipment…

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Revere

Significant Restrictions

Revere bars parking commercial vehicles, mobile homes, recreational vehicles and boat trailers on any city street…

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Springfield

Significant Restrictions

Springfield bans storing any mobile home, travel trailer, RV, or boat in a residential front yard, and bars any of them…

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Fall River

Some Restrictions

Fall River bars parking campers, mobile homes, boats and trailers on any public way when doing so blocks emergency…

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Lawrence

Some Restrictions

Lawrence makes it unlawful to park a house trailer, boat trailer, or any other trailer lacking its own motive power on…

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Leominster

Some Restrictions

Leominster lets residential properties store boats and boat trailers as an accessory use under Leominster Code of…

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Lynn

Some Restrictions

Lynn's zoning ordinance bars storing an unregistered, uninsured, or inoperable boat, trailer, camper, or RV in a front…

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New Bedford

Some Restrictions

New Bedford bans leaving a boat trailer, utility trailer, or camper unattended on a public way or city property under §…

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Newton

Some Restrictions

Newton lets homeowners keep a recreational trailer or boat in a residential yard by right, but placement is restricted…

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Somerville

Some Restrictions

Somerville allows only one recreational vehicle, boat, or utility trailer stored outside per dwelling lot, and it must…

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Worcester

Some Restrictions

Worcester bars parking recreational vehicles like boats, campers and motor homes, plus heavy commercial vehicles…

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Taunton

Light Restrictions

Taunton allows only one utility trailer per residentially utilized lot, and that trailer can't sit in the front yard…

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Driveway Rules

Requirements for driveway width, materials, and whether you can park on unpaved surfaces or grass in your front yard.

Boston

Some Restrictions

Boston fines residents who park cars in a required front, side or rear yard of a home in a residential zoning district…

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Cambridge

Some Restrictions

Cambridge's Zoning Ordinance bars on-grade open parking from a lot's required front yard setback and forces every…

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Chelsea

Some Restrictions

Chelsea bans parking in a required front yard outright unless the zoning board of appeals grants a special permit, and…

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Leominster

Some Restrictions

Leominster limits residential lots to two driveways per street line and requires every driveway to stay at least three…

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Lynn

Some Restrictions

Lynn's Zoning Ordinance sets driveway width by use: a minimum of 9 feet for single- and two-family homes and 12 feet…

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New Bedford

Some Restrictions

New Bedford bars open-air parking in front of a home in residential districts, with a narrow exception for a driveway…

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Quincy

Some Restrictions

Quincy bars parking any registered vehicle in the front yard between a house's front wall and the lot line unless it's…

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Revere

Some Restrictions

Every driveway and parking area in Revere subject to vehicle or foot traffic must be paved with bituminous concrete or…

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Somerville

Some Restrictions

Somerville's zoning ordinance requires driveways to be paved with permeable materials like paving stones, grass pavers…

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Springfield

Some Restrictions

Springfield's zoning caps residential garage size, limits driveway or garage storage to one commercial vehicle, and…

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Taunton

Some Restrictions

Taunton's Zoning Ordinance requires every parking and loading surface to be graded and subsurfaced with a nondusting…

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Commercial & Oversized Vehicles

Rules about parking work trucks, vans with commercial lettering, and vehicles over a weight or length threshold in residential areas, the thresholds, the exemptions, and the fines.

Boston

Heavy Restrictions

Boston prohibits overnight street parking of commercial vehicles and requires Boston-Based Business Permits for local…

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Lowell

Heavy Restrictions

Lowell Code sec. 266-73.1 prohibits on-street parking of any commercial vehicle (as defined in 540 CMR 2.05, including…

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New Bedford

Heavy Restrictions

New Bedford bans parking any vehicle needing more than a Class D license, plus every tow truck, within residence zones…

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Somerville

Heavy Restrictions

Commercial vehicles over 2.5 tons cannot park overnight on Somerville residential streets. Loading zones are…

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Chelsea

Significant Restrictions

Chelsea bars heavy commercial vehicles with a carrying capacity of more than 2½ tons from more than twenty named…

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Lawrence

Significant Restrictions

Lawrence prohibits parking or leaving standing any commercial vehicle with a manufacturer's GVWR of 10,000 pounds or…

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Revere

Significant Restrictions

Revere bans overnight parking of commercial vehicles, trailers, RVs, mobile homes, boat trailers and…

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Attleboro

Some Restrictions

Attleboro regulates commercial vehicle parking through its traffic ordinances and zoning code. Service zone loading is…

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Bristol County

Some Restrictions

Commercial vehicle parking in Bristol County is regulated at the municipal level. Individual towns may restrict…

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Brockton

Some Restrictions

Brockton restricts parking of large commercial vehicles in residential areas. Heavy trucks and equipment must be stored…

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Brookline

Some Restrictions

Brookline issues commercial parking permits for $600/year allowing parking on designated residential side streets…

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Fall River

Some Restrictions

Fall River bars parking commercial vehicles or trailers of two tons or more on city streets for more than an hour…

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Leominster

Some Restrictions

Leominster bars commercial vehicles carrying more than two and one-half tons from Harvard Street and Stagecoach Road…

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Lynn

Some Restrictions

Any property running a home occupation in Lynn may park no more than one commercial vehicle overnight, and that vehicle…

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Newton

Some Restrictions

Newton bars oversized commercial vehicles from residence districts outright and, for the smaller commercial vehicles it…

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Plymouth County

Some Restrictions

Plymouth County towns restrict commercial-vehicle parking in residential zones by bylaw, but MGL c.40 §22 protects…

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Quincy

Some Restrictions

Quincy's zoning ordinance caps off-street commercial vehicle parking in residence districts by weight: one vehicle…

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Springfield

Some Restrictions

Springfield bars commercial trucks from crossing named streets, including Pine Street and Thompson Street, capped at…

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Taunton

Some Restrictions

Taunton limits residential lots to one commercial-use vehicle at a time, capped at 7,000 pounds actual vehicle weight…

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Weymouth

Some Restrictions

Weymouth's all-night parking ban under §13-103(g) applies to all vehicles including commercial vehicles. No specific…

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Worcester

Some Restrictions

Worcester restricts heavy commercial vehicle parking in residential areas. Semi-trucks, large construction equipment…

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Street Parking Limits

Time limits for parking on public streets, permit parking zones, and rules about moving your car to avoid tickets.

Boston

Heavy Restrictions

Boston operates a robust Resident Parking Permit program at no cost, with neighborhood-specific permits and active…

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Brockton

Some Restrictions

City Code Section 12-71 bars parking within intersections, on sidewalks or crosswalks, within 20 feet of a cross…

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Chelsea

Some Restrictions

Chelsea bars parking within 20 feet of an intersection, in front of a driveway plus two feet on either side, or more…

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Fall River

Some Restrictions

Fall River, Massachusetts bans parking on one-way streets against the flow of traffic, requires wheels within six…

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Lawrence

Some Restrictions

Lawrence bars parking in thirteen specific situations citywide: intersections, sidewalks and crosswalks, within ten…

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Leominster

Some Restrictions

Leominster bans parking within twenty feet of an intersection, ten feet of a fire hydrant, in front of any driveway or…

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Lowell

Some Restrictions

On-street parking in Lowell is regulated by Code of Ordinances Chapter 266 (Vehicles and Traffic), which sets…

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Lynn

Some Restrictions

Lynn posts resident-permit parking on many streets, $20 per vehicle, up to four per household, and clears every public…

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New Bedford

Some Restrictions

New Bedford makes it unlawful to leave any vehicle in a street or public place so it obstructs travel, once the driver…

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Plymouth County

Some Restrictions

Street parking across Plymouth County is regulated by each town under MGL c.40 §22, which authorizes local parking…

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Quincy

Some Restrictions

Quincy's traffic code bars standing or parking within intersections, on sidewalks or crosswalks, within 10 feet of a…

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Revere

Some Restrictions

Revere bars parking within three feet of a driveway, within ten feet of a fire hydrant, within twenty feet of an…

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Somerville

Some Restrictions

Somerville bans parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk, in front of any driveway plus two feet on each side, and…

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Taunton

Some Restrictions

Taunton bars parking in front of driveways, within 20 feet of a crosswalk or intersection, within 10 feet of a fire…

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Worcester

Some Restrictions

Worcester bans parking that blocks driveways, faces the wrong way on one-way streets, or sits more than twelve inches…

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Overnight Parking

Whether cars can be left on the street overnight, including any permit programs and restrictions during street sweeping hours.

Boston

Heavy Restrictions

Boston requires a resident parking permit to park on most residential streets 6 PM to 8 AM. Snow emergencies trigger…

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Norfolk County

Heavy Restrictions

Many Norfolk County towns enforce overnight parking bans. Quincy bans 1-6 AM year-round (no permit option). Brookline…

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Chelsea

Significant Restrictions

Chelsea requires a digital residential permit to park on any city street between midnight and 5:00 a.m., seven nights a…

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Lynn

Significant Restrictions

Lynn's Zoning Ordinance defines 'truck parking' as an accessory use for overnight storage of any commercial vehicle…

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Revere

Significant Restrictions

Revere requires a resident parking sticker to park on most city streets overnight. Under the city's Schedule IX…

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Springfield

Significant Restrictions

Springfield has no standing nightly parking ban; instead, once the Mayor declares a snow-and-ice emergency, the Police…

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Taunton

Significant Restrictions

Trucks, trailers, tractors, tractor-trailers and campers cannot park on any Taunton street between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00…

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Bristol County

Some Restrictions

New Bedford and Fall River ban on-street overnight parking during declared winter snow emergencies. Taunton has no…

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Lawrence

Some Restrictions

Lawrence bars overnight parking between 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. on specific stretches of Ames Street and Medford…

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Leominster

Some Restrictions

Certain Leominster streets ban overnight parking outright. Section 13-24.5 of the Code of Ordinances bans parking on…

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Lowell

Some Restrictions

Lowell has no blanket year-round overnight street-parking ban for passenger cars, but Code sec. 266-74 bars long-term…

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Quincy

Some Restrictions

Quincy requires a $20 resident parking permit to park on-street for more than two hours between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m., and…

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Abandoned Vehicles

How cities define and handle abandoned or inoperable vehicles on private property and public streets, including removal timelines.

Massachusetts: statewide

StatewideSome Restrictions

Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 90 Section 22C governs removal and disposal of abandoned motor vehicles statewide…

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Lawrence

Heavy Restrictions

Lawrence Code of Ordinances Section 9.08.030 prohibits storing any dismantled, wrecked, or junked vehicle in the open…

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Fall River

Significant Restrictions

Fall River bans keeping a dismantled, junked, abandoned, or inoperable vehicle in the open on any public or private…

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Boston

Some Restrictions

Massachusetts law allows removal of vehicles abandoned on public ways after 72 hours. Boston enforces through its…

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Brockton

Some Restrictions

Brockton bars keeping a dismantled, wrecked or junked vehicle on any property for more than 72 hours, and limits…

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Cambridge

Some Restrictions

Cambridge Code Section 10.08.010 bars leaving a car, truck or motorcycle on any public or private way, or on any…

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Chelsea

Some Restrictions

Abandoned vehicles on public ways subject to state law MGL c. 90 §22C (72-hour threshold). Chelsea enforces through its…

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Fitchburg

Some Restrictions

MGL c. 90, §22C: abandoned vehicles on public ways tagged after 72 hours, may be towed. Fitchburg Police enforce. Snow…

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Leominster

Some Restrictions

Leominster's Code of Ordinances Sec. 13-91 bans abandoning any vehicle on a city street or highway and bars leaving a…

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Lynn

Some Restrictions

Lynn tows vehicles left unattended on a public street for more than 72 hours, or that are unregistered, uninspected…

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New Bedford

Some Restrictions

New Bedford makes it unlawful to abandon a motor vehicle on any highway, or, if publicly visible, on private property…

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Norfolk County

Some Restrictions

Norfolk County does not handle abandoned vehicles. MGL c. 90B §2 allows police to remove abandoned vehicles after 72…

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Plymouth County

Some Restrictions

A vehicle apparently abandoned and left more than 72 hours on any way or property in Plymouth County may be taken and…

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Quincy

Some Restrictions

Quincy, Massachusetts (Norfolk County) prohibits abandoning vehicles citywide, bans wrecked or junked vehicles from…

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Revere

Some Restrictions

Abandoned vehicles on Revere's public ways governed by state law MGL c. 90 §22C (72-hour rule). Revere's active…

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Somerville

Some Restrictions

Under MGL c.90 s.22D and city rules, Somerville can tow vehicles left unmoved more than 72 hours, or any unregistered…

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Springfield

Some Restrictions

Springfield fines anyone who abandons a registered or unregistered vehicle on a public or private way, or on someone…

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Worcester

Some Restrictions

MGL c. 90, §22C: abandoned vehicles on public ways tagged after 72 hours, may be towed. Worcester Police and DPW…

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Curb Color Rules

What red, yellow, white, green, and blue painted curbs mean in your city, who can paint them, and how parking restrictions are enforced.

Loading Zones

Yellow and white loading zone rules, time limits for commercial and passenger loading, and which vehicles qualify as commercial loaders.

Springfield

Significant Restrictions

Springfield, MA requires a Traffic Commission permit and a per-foot curb fee before any business can reserve public…

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Boston

Some Restrictions

Parking in a marked Boston loading zone draws a $90 fine per violation, rising with an $18 late penalty if unpaid…

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Brockton

Some Restrictions

Commercial vehicles may park in a Brockton metered space without depositing a coin for up to thirty minutes while…

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Cambridge

Some Restrictions

Cambridge's Zoning Ordinance requires enclosed loading bays near residential districts for night-operating businesses…

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Chelsea

Some Restrictions

Only commercial vehicles may stop in a marked Chelsea commercial loading zone, and even they must clear it within 30…

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Fall River

Some Restrictions

Fall River bans parking in designated loading zones except for active loading or unloading capped at 30 minutes, under…

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Lawrence

Some Restrictions

Lawrence caps parking in a designated service zone at 15 minutes under Code of Ordinances § 10.32.110, unless the…

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Leominster

Some Restrictions

Leominster limits parking in a designated service zone to fifteen minutes, extending to thirty minutes only while a…

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Lynn

Some Restrictions

Every nonresidential building in Lynn that's built, enlarged or altered has to provide adequate off-street loading…

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New Bedford

Some Restrictions

New Bedford lets commercial vehicles sit in a metered space without feeding the meter for up to thirty minutes, but…

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Newton

Some Restrictions

Newton requires off-street loading bays for new buildings and for additions of 5,000 square feet or more of gross floor…

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Quincy

Some Restrictions

Quincy caps loading and unloading passengers to three minutes at curbs near schools, churches, theaters, hotels, and…

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Revere

Some Restrictions

Revere calls its curbside loading areas 'service zones' and limits parking there to fifteen minutes, extending to…

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Somerville

Some Restrictions

A vehicle actively loading or unloading in a marked Somerville service zone can stay up to 30 minutes under Traffic…

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Taunton

Some Restrictions

Taunton limits parking in a marked service or loading zone to 15 minutes under § 405-48, unless you're actually loading…

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Worcester

Some Restrictions

Worcester designates curb loading zones by city council vote under Chapter 13, Sections 45 and 46. Passenger zones…

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Snow Removal Parking Rules

On-street parking bans during declared snow events, alternate-side rules for plow access, and tow/fine schedules in snow-belt cities.

Boston

Significant Restrictions

Boston can tow any vehicle that interferes with plowing or snow removal from a street under Code of Ordinances §…

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Chelsea

Significant Restrictions

When the Director of Public Works declares a snow emergency because of threatening weather or plow-blocking parked…

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Leominster

Significant Restrictions

When Leominster's mayor declares a snow emergency, on-street parking becomes unlawful citywide for forty-eight hours…

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Revere

Significant Restrictions

Revere's superintendent of public works can declare a snow emergency whenever weather threatens travel, fuel, medical…

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Somerville

Significant Restrictions

When Somerville's DPW Commissioner declares a snow emergency, parking is banned citywide on the even-address side of…

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Springfield

Significant Restrictions

When Springfield's Mayor declares a snow emergency, the Police Chief can bar parking citywide or restrict cars to…

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Taunton

Significant Restrictions

When the Mayor declares a snow emergency, Taunton bans parking on affected streets to clear the way for plowing…

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Worcester

Significant Restrictions

Worcester's winter parking ban runs December through April (March for most zones) and triggers a 2 a.m. to 6 a.m…

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Brockton

Some Restrictions

When ice or snow removal work requires it, Brockton's superintendent of streets can have the chief of police tow any…

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Fall River

Some Restrictions

When a storm threatens travel or emergency services, Fall River's Mayor or Director of Community Maintenance can…

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Lawrence

Some Restrictions

When Lawrence's mayor declares a snow emergency, the Winter Parking Ordinance flips on citywide: cars on listed streets…

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Lynn

Some Restrictions

Lynn's zoning ordinance doesn't just require off-street parking lots to exist, it requires them to stay usable in…

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Quincy

Some Restrictions

Quincy, Massachusetts (Norfolk County) enforces odd/even side parking during declared snow emergencies and requires a…

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Towing & Impound Rights

What a towing company may charge and must do when a vehicle is taken without the owner consenting: capped hookup, mileage and storage rates, the drop fee owed if the driver returns before the tow leaves, signage required at private lots, retrieval of belongings left inside, and how a tow gets contested.