School buildings may be used for political purposes.

Intentionally splitting purchases so as to be below $10,000 is illegal under G.L. c. 30B.

Our readers may be aware that a recent United States Supreme Court Decision, Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency, No. 21-454 (May...

Section 3 of The Zoning Act, G.L. c. 40A, also known as the Dover Amendment, provides that zoning may not “regulate or restrict the use...

A recent Appeals Court judgment in favor of the Martha’s Vineyard Airport Commission in Airport Fuels, Inc. v. Martha’s Vineyard Airport...

Tax title foreclosure pursuant to G.L. c. 60 has long been scrutinized due to the fact that Massachusetts taxpayers are not automatically...

Updates to the Municipal Records Retention Schedules The state imposes requirements on how long municipalities must retain municipal...

The Division of Local Services (DLR) publishes throughout the year helpful data and guidance of interest to all local officials. Its most...

Now that most have completed their Annual Town Meetings, it may be helpful to share techniques and processes that have been helpful in...

The Supreme Judicial Court recently held that an easement taken for one purpose may require additional compensation to the subservient...

On March 7, 2023, the Supreme Judicial Court unanimously ruled that “civility restraints on the content of speech at a public comment...

Many towns have accepted the provisions of G.L. c. 48, § 42, commonly referred to as the “strong” fire chief statute, in contrast to the...

The latest buzz has been about the growth of AI, of which the one most commonly referred to is ChatGPT. What are the drawbacks of using...

Outdoor Dining and Alcohol Service Coming to an End Under Section 15 of Chapter 42 of the Acts of 2022, municipalities are allowed to...

Early voting can impose an administrative burden on city and town clerks, particularly for smaller municipalities. Remember that pursuant...

In December, the Secretary of the Commonwealth updated the Guide to the Massachusetts Public Records Law, tightening the requirements for...

On December 9, 2022, the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) filed its final regulations for the Stretch Code, 225 CMR 22.00 and 225...

We are closely monitoring two sets of regulatory amendments proposed by the Department of Environmental Protection (the “Department”)....

We summarized in our June newsletter the SJC’s decision in Tracer Lane II Realty, LLC v. Waltham, 489 Mass. 775 (2022), which dealt with...

In 2020, G.L. c. 40A, § 17 was amended to provide that a plaintiff appealing the grant of a special permit, variance, or site plan could...