Self Defense At Home
G.L. c. 278, § 8A — reasonable means against an intruder, and no duty to retreat from one's own dwelling
In Massachusetts, an occupant of a dwelling charged with killing or injuring someone unlawfully in it has a defense where the occupant was in the dwelling, acted in the reasonable belief that the person unlawfully there was about to inflict great bodily injury or death on the occupant or another person lawfully there, and used reasonable means to defend.
No duty to retreat at home. The occupant has no duty to retreat from the person unlawfully in the dwelling.
The section speaks only to the dwelling. Self defense elsewhere, including any duty to retreat outside the home, is case law and is not reproduced here. Whether a defense applies is a question for a court and for a licensed Massachusetts attorney.
Sources for this section (1)
- G.L. c. 278, § 8A — Defense of a dwelling; no duty to retreat
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Massachusetts attorney.