General Laws of Massachusetts - Chapter 85 Regulations and By-laws Relative to Ways and Bridges
- Massachusetts General Laws - Direction signs; erection and maintenance by cities and towns - Chapter 85, Section 1
Except as otherwise provided in section two, every city and town shall erect and maintain on the ways therein, except state highways and ways under...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Traffic signs or devices; erection and maintenance; rules and regulations - Chapter 85, Section 2
The department of highways, in this chapter called the department, shall erect and maintain on state highways and on ways leading thereto and therefrom, and...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Removal of vehicles interfering with snow and ice removal - Chapter 85, Section 2A
The department, for the purpose of insuring the free flow of traffic or for the purpose of snow and ice control operations on a state...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Limited access and express state highways; regulation of use - Chapter 85, Section 2B
The department for purpose of promoting public safety upon limited access and express state highways, may from time to time make, alter, rescind or add...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Towing of vehicles from state highways - Chapter 85, Section 2C
The department, for the purpose of promoting public safety and convenience, may authorize by any rule or regulation adopted under this section with such limitations,...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Signs on state highways indicating availability of certain services - Chapter 85, Section 2D
The department may, upon application by an interested person or persons and upon payment of an appropriate fee to be established by the department, erect...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Regulations to exclude persons and vehicles from state highways; prohibition of low-speed vehicles on certain highways - Chapter 85, Section 2E
Notwithstanding the provisions of section 18 of chapter 90, the department for purposes of public safety and convenience may from time to time by regulations...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Change of name of ways or parks; appeal - Chapter 85, Section 3
When the name of any public way, place or section, or of any public park, is changed by the board or officer having jurisdiction thereof,...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Approval of name for way other than public way in city or town - Chapter 85, Section 3A
No way in any city or town which is open for public use but has not become a public way shall be given a name...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Changing of name of way - Chapter 85, Section 3B
When any way in a city or town which is open for public use but has not become a public way is known by a...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Construction of sidewalks by adjoining landowners - Chapter 85, Section 4
A person owning or occupying land adjoining a public way in a town may construct a sidewalk within such way and along the line of...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Removal of snow and ice from sidewalks by abutting landowners; penalties - Chapter 85, Section 5
Cities by ordinance and towns by by-laws may provide for the removal of snow and ice from sidewalks within such portions of the city or...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Assessment of cost of removal of snow and ice from sidewalks - Chapter 85, Section 6
Any town which accepts this section or has accepted corresponding provisions of earlier laws, may cause the snow and ice to be removed from its...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Exemption from assessment by agreement of owner to remove snow and ice - Chapter 85, Section 7
Any person, or the agent of any person, owning an estate abutting on any sidewalk as aforesaid, may, on or before November first in any...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Storage and use of snow removal chemicals; regulations; reports; penalty - Chapter 85, Section 7A
(a) For the purposes of this section, “person” shall include surveyors of highways, road commissioners, superintendents of streets in towns, commissioners of public works in...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Depositing snow on state highways - Chapter 85, Section 7B
No person other than an employee in the service of the commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof or an employee in the service of an...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Permits for signs and other structures projecting into or over ways - Chapter 85, Section 8
The municipal board or officer having charge of the laying out of public ways may grant permits for the placing and maintaining of signs, advertising...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Permits; exemption of certain structures - Chapter 85, Section 9
The provisions of section eight shall not apply to signs or other structures projecting into or over the way a distance of less than twelve...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Flashing lights on billboards, etc.; discontinuance orders; penalties; exceptions - Chapter 85, Section 9A
The department, after a public hearing, may order the discontinuance of flashing lights on any billboard, sign or other advertising device, which in its opinion...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Regulation of use of ways; penalties - Chapter 85, Section 10
Towns may make ordinances and by-laws to prevent the pasturing of cattle or other animals, either with or without a keeper; relative to the passage...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Coasting on ways in cities - Chapter 85, Section 10A
Selectmen in towns, and the aldermen or other board or officer having charge of ways in cities, may by regulation designate certain ways or parts...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Arrest without warrant for driving at excessive speed - Chapter 85, Section 11
Whoever violates an ordinance or by-law prohibiting persons from riding or driving at a rate of speed inconsistent with public safety or convenience may be...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 2008, 525, Sec. 2 - Chapter 85, Section 11A
Repealed, 2008, 525, Sec.
- Massachusetts General Laws - Bicycles; operation and equipment; regulations; federal product safety standards, effect; races; violations; penalties - Chapter 85, Section 11B
Every person operating a bicycle upon a way, as defined in section one of chapter ninety, shall have the right to use all public ways...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Mandatory helmet use for persons 16 years of age or younger - Chapter 85, Section 11B1/2
Any person 16 years of age or younger operating in line skates, a skate board, a scooter or other manually-propelled wheeled vehicle or riding as...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 2009, 65, Sec. 5 - Chapter 85, Section 11C
Repealed, 2009, 65, Sec.
- Massachusetts General Laws - Bicycle helmets; display of sign requiring use - Chapter 85, Section 11D
Every person engaged in the retail business of selling or renting bicycles, in line skates, scooters, skate boards or other manually-propelled wheeled vehicles shall display...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Traffic law violations by bicyclist - Chapter 85, Section 11E
A police officer who observes a traffic law violation committed by a bicyclist may request the offender to state his true name and address. Whoever,...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 1941, 710, Sec. 2 - Chapter 85, Section 12 to 14
Repealed, 1941, 710, Sec.
- Massachusetts General Laws - Funeral processions - Chapter 85, Section 14A
(a) For purposes of this section, the following words shall have the following meanings:— “Funeral directing”, the business, practice or profession, as commonly practiced, of...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Flares; use by certain commercial vehicles - Chapter 85, Section 14B
Whenever any commercial vehicle having a gross weight in excess of five thousand pounds other than a motor bus or taxicab, or any automobile service...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Lights on vehicles - Chapter 85, Section 15
Every vehicle, whether stationary or in motion, on any public way, shall have attached to it a light or lights which shall be so displayed...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Duty of driver at night to give name to officer on request - Chapter 85, Section 16
Every person shall while driving or in charge of or occupying a vehicle during the period from one hour after sunset to one hour before...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Penalty for violation of Sec. 15 or 16 - Chapter 85, Section 17
Whoever violates any of the provisions of section fifteen or section sixteen shall be punished by a fine of not more than five dollars. The...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Soliciting from vehicles on public ways - Chapter 85, Section 17A
Whoever, for the purpose of soliciting any alms, contribution or subscription or of selling any merchandise, except newspapers, or ticket of admission to any game,...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Riding on rear or side of street railway car, motor bus or trackless trolley - Chapter 85, Section 17B
Whoever rides upon the rear or side of any street railway car, motor bus, or trackless trolley vehicle without the consent of the person in...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Moving of buildings in public way - Chapter 85, Section 18
No person shall move a building in a public way without written permission from the selectmen or road commissioners, to be granted upon such terms...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Leading, driving, or conveying dangerous wild animals on public ways - Chapter 85, Section 19
Whoever leads or drives a bear or other dangerous wild animal or causes it to travel upon or be conveyed over a public way unless...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Regulation of speed on county bridges - Chapter 85, Section 20
The county commissioners may establish by-laws regulating the speed at which persons may ride or drive over any bridge in their county which has cost...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Regulation of speed on town bridges - Chapter 85, Section 21
A town may establish ordinances or by-laws to prohibit persons from riding or driving horses at a rate faster than a walk over any bridge...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Warning signs on state highways for protection of school children - Chapter 85, Section 21A
Subject to the provisions of section two, cities and towns are hereby authorized to erect and maintain on state and town and city highways such...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Regulation of speed on incorporated bridges - Chapter 85, Section 22
The proprietors of an incorporated bridge may make by-laws to prohibit persons from riding or driving horses over such bridge at a rate faster than...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Regulation of travel on state ways; penalties - Chapter 85, Section 23
The governor, with the advice and consent of the council, may make by-laws for the regulation of travel on ways belonging to the commonwealth. Whoever...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Posting of regulations on bridges - Chapter 85, Section 24
No person shall be liable to penalty under the four preceding sections for violation of a by-law relating to travel on a bridge, unless a...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Jurisdiction of district court over bridges - Chapter 85, Section 25
District courts in the towns in which the bridge terminates, shall have jurisdiction of complaints for the violation, on such bridges, of the five preceding
- Massachusetts General Laws - Drawbridges - Chapter 85, Section 26
The department, county commissioners or any city or town in which a draw for the passage of vessels through a bridge used as a way...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Duties of draw tender - Chapter 85, Section 27
When such ordinances or by-laws have been approved, the department, county commissioners or the city or town shall place said draw under the direction of...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Liability of owners of vessel for injury to bridge - Chapter 85, Section 28
If a vessel, through the negligence of the persons having it in charge, or through their neglect to comply with such ordinances or by-laws, or...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Removal of vessel obstructing draw - Chapter 85, Section 29
Such draw tender may remove a vessel which obstructs such draw, or interferes with the passage of other vessels through the same, or is made...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Injury to surface of way; traction engines and heavy vehicles; permits; regulations; liability - Chapter 85, Section 30
Except as provided in section nineteen A of chapter ninety, no vehicle shall travel or object be moved, on any public way, which has any...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Permit for certain vehicles exceeding weight limitations to operate on through routes; application; notice of approval or disapproval; violations; revocation or suspension of permit - Chapter 85, Section 30A
The owner or lessee of any motor vehicle, trailer, semi-trailer or semi-trailer unit, as defined in section one of chapter ninety, which may lawfully be...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Speed of heavy vehicles with metallic tires - Chapter 85, Section 31
No vehicle which with its load weighs more than four tons shall, when equipped with metallic tires, travel upon any public way at a speed...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Penalties for violations of Secs. 30, 30A, and 31 - Chapter 85, Section 32
Any person violating any provision of section thirty, thirty A, or thirty-one, or the regulations made or permits granted under authority thereof shall be punished...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Scope of Secs. 30 to 32 - Chapter 85, Section 33
Nothing in sections thirty to thirty-two, inclusive, shall affect the liability of the commonwealth or of any county, city, or town to pay for any...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Protection of bridges from heavy loads - Chapter 85, Section 34
Except as otherwise provided in the following section, the department, person or local authorities having control of any bridge constructed prior to June first, nineteen...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Approval by department of public works of construction of highway bridges; liability for damages to bridges - Chapter 85, Section 35
No bridge on a public highway having a span in excess of ten feet, except a bridge constructed under the provisions of chapter one hundred...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Construction and loading of vehicles to prevent dropping of load on way; penalty - Chapter 85, Section 36
No person shall drive or move a motor vehicle on any way, as defined in section one of chapter ninety, nor shall the owner or...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Indemnity provision in motor carrier transportation contracts void and unenforceable - Chapter 85, Section 37
Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, any provision, clause, covenant or agreement contained in a motor carrier transportation contract that purports to...
Last modified: September 11, 2015