General Laws of Massachusetts - Chapter 40C Historic Districts
- Massachusetts General Laws - Citation - Chapter 40C, Section 1
This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the Historic Districts Act.
- Massachusetts General Laws - Purpose - Chapter 40C, Section 2
The purpose of this chapter is to promote the educational, cultural, economic and general welfare of the public through the preservation and protection of the...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Establishment of historic districts; pre-requisites; enlargement or reduction of boundaries; amendment of creating ordinance; filing of maps - Chapter 40C, Section 3
A city or town may, by ordinance or by-law adopted by two-thirds vote of the city council in a city or by a two-thirds vote...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Study committees; commissions; establishment; membership; terms; vacancies; compensation; officers - Chapter 40C, Section 4
An historic district study committee may be established in any city or town by vote of the city council or board of selectmen for the...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Definitions - Chapter 40C, Section 5
As used in this chapter the word “altered” includes the words “rebuilt”, “reconstructed”, “restored”, “removed” and “demolished” and the phrase “changed in exterior color”; the...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Certificates of appropriateness, non-applicability or hardship; necessity; applications and plans, etc.; building and demolition permits restricted - Chapter 40C, Section 6
Except as the ordinance or by-law may otherwise provide in accordance with section eight or said section eight or nine, no building or structure within...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Factors to be considered by commission - Chapter 40C, Section 7
In passing upon matters before it the commission shall consider, among other things, the historic and architectural value and significance of the site, building or...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Review authority of commission over certain categories of buildings, structures or exterior architectural features limited; authorization - Chapter 40C, Section 8
(a) Any city or town may provide in the ordinance or by-law establishing a district or in any amendment thereof that the authority of the...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Maintenance, repair or replacement. - Chapter 40C, Section 9
Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prevent the ordinary maintenance, repair or replacement of any exterior architectural feature within an historic district which...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Additional powers, functions and duties of commission - Chapter 40C, Section 10
The commission shall have the following additional powers, functions and duties:—(a) If the commission determines that the construction or alteration for which an application for...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Approval or disapproval of exterior architectural features by commission; meetings; applications for certificates; public hearings; notices - Chapter 40C, Section 11
Meetings of a commission shall be held at the call of the chairman and shall be called at the request of two members of the...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Review procedure provided by local ordinance or by-law - Chapter 40C, Section 12
A city or town may provide in its ordinance or by-law or in any amendment thereof, for a review procedure whereby any person aggrieved by...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Appeal to superior court - Chapter 40C, Section 12A
Any person aggrieved by a determination of the commission, or by the finding of a person or persons making a review, if the provisions of...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Jurisdiction of superior court; penalty - Chapter 40C, Section 13
The superior court sitting in equity for the county in which the city or town is situated shall have jurisdiction to enforce the provisions of...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Powers and duties of commissions established as historical commissions - Chapter 40C, Section 14
If the city council or town meeting so votes a commission established hereunder shall have the powers and duties of an historical commission as provided...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Filing of ordinances, maps, reports, etc. - Chapter 40C, Section 15
All ordinance or by-laws creating an historic district adopted by a city or town under authority of this chapter and under authority of any special...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Special historic districts; acceptance and effect of this chapter - Chapter 40C, Section 16
A city or town in which there is located an historic district established under a special law may, upon recommendation of the historic district commission...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Severability - Chapter 40C, Section 17
The provisions of this chapter shall be deemed to be severable. If any of its provisions shall be held to be invalid or unconstitutional by...
Last modified: September 11, 2015