Where You May Not Park
G.L. c. 90, § 20A1/2 — ten feet from a hydrant, a posted bus stop, and the rules each city or town sets
In Massachusetts, a parking ticket enforces a rule, regulation, order, ordinance or by-law regulating the parking of motor vehicles that a city or town has established. A police officer who takes cognizance of a violation gives the offender a notice to appear before the parking clerk of that city or town not later than twenty-one days after the violation.
| The place | What the General Laws set |
|---|---|
| The placeWithin ten feet of a fire hydrant | What the General Laws setA fine of not more than one hundred dollars, in Boston, Cambridge and any city or town that accepts that section |
| The placeWithin a posted bus stop | What the General Laws setA fine of $100 |
| The placeA space reserved for disabled veterans or handicapped persons, its cross hatched access aisle, or so as to obstruct a curb ramp designed for use by a handicapped person | What the General Laws setA penalty of not less than $100 nor more than $300 under the local ordinance or by-law, and removal of the vehicle |
The reserved space. An ordinance or by-law made under the section requires reserved spaces in public and private off-street parking areas, identified by above-grade signs with white lettering against a blue background bearing the words Handicapped Parking: Special Plate Required. Unauthorized Vehicles May be Removed at Owner's Expense. Each space is at least 8 feet wide, not including the cross hatch access aisle, and no person parks in the cross hatched access aisle.
Every other fine. Where a city or town has set a schedule of fines, it is uniform for the same offense in the same zone or district, and no more than $25 if paid within 21 days, $35 if paid after that but before the parking clerk reports to the registrar, and $50 after that. In Boston, Cambridge and any city or town that accepts the later section, those limits are $50, $55 and $75.
Contesting it, or leaving it. A hearing may be had on the written request of the registered owner, or by mail with signed statements, photographs, diagrams and other documents, which the clerk or a hearing officer reviews within twenty-one days of receipt. If the person notified fails to appear, the parking clerk notifies the registrar, who on two or more such notices does not renew the registered owner's license or the vehicle's registration until the matters are disposed of, with an additional twenty dollar charge. After five or more, the vehicle may be removed and stored, or immobilized, at the registered owner's expense.
The places each city or town forbids, its meters, its posted signs and towing from a private lot are set elsewhere and are not on this page. What a particular ticket means is a question for a licensed Massachusetts attorney.
Sources for this section (3)
- G.L. c. 90, § 20A1/2 — Cities of Boston and Cambridge; parking violations; tags; appearance; failure to appear; adjudication by mail
- G.L. c. 90, § 20A — Parking regulations; violations; notice to appear; failure to appear; adjudication by mail
- G.L. c. 40, § 21 — By-laws of towns; purpose
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Massachusetts attorney.