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CITY OF BOSTON CODE OF ORDINANCES
THE CHARTER OF THE CITY OF BOSTON
CHAPTER I: GENERAL PROVISIONS
CHAPTER II: FORM OF GOVERNMENT
CHAPTER III: ACQUISITION AND DISPOSITION OF PROPERTY
CHAPTER IV: CONTRACTS
CHAPTER V: ADMINISTRATION
CHAPTER VI: GENERAL SERVICES
CHAPTER VII: ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
CHAPTER VIII: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER IX: BUILDING REGULATIONS
CHAPTER X: HOUSING SERVICES
CHAPTER XI: PUBLIC SERVICES
CHAPTER XII: PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE
CHAPTER XIII: NATURAL GAS
CHAPTER XIV: LICENSING AND CONSUMER BOARDS, COMMITTEES AND OFFICERS
CHAPTER XV: DIVISIONS OF THE MAYOR’S OFFICE
CHAPTER XVI: PROHIBITIONS, PENALTIES AND PERMITS
CHAPTER XVII: LICENSES AND REGULATIONS AFFECTING CERTAIN TRADES
CHAPTER XVIII: FEES AND CHARGES
CHAPTER XIX: SCHOOLS
CHAPTER XX: CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS
CHAPTER XXI: MISCELLANEOUS PUBLIC BUILDINGS
CHAPTER XXII: SUFFOLK COUNTY
CHAPTER XXIII: TRASH AND REFUSE DISPOSAL
CHAPTER XXIV: BOSTON JOBS, LIVING WAGE AND PREVAILING WAGE ORDINANCE
PARALLEL REFERENCES
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DEDICATION.
   This publication is dedicated to all of the people that have served, are serving, and will serve as Boston City Councillors. The Councillors, past and present, have devoted substantial portions of their lives to the service of the residents of, workers in, and visitors to the City of Boston and its neighborhoods, and the future Councillors inevitably expect to vigilantly continue this tireless tradition. The Councillors embody these laws, exercise these laws, supplement these laws, amend these laws, and bring these laws to life every day of their call to public service with their actions to continuously improve the growing and evolving community that is the City of Boston.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.
This collection of pages owes its existence to the countless hours of work of dedicated Legal Interns of the Boston City Council’s summer programs. Kelly M. Neumann (New England School of Law ‘04), Kristen R. Green (Suffolk University Law School ‘04), Steven Archibald (New England School of Law ‘04), Ian N. Ackerman (Boston University School of Law ‘06), Victoria E. Bembenista (Boston College Law School ‘06), Timothy J. Durken (Vanderbilt University Law School ‘06), Stefanie Marazzi (Boston University School of Law ‘07), Kristen J. Graves (New England School of Law ‘07), Ian Smith (Boston University School of Law ‘08), and Rebecca Hermanowicz (Boston University School of Law ‘08) plumbed the depths of their patience to pursue the minutiae of research, endure the endless scanning and re-formatting of documents, wrestle with uncountable schemes for organization of the raw material, and particularize the construction of a reader-friendly plain language interpretation of the Byzantine text. They indefatigably exercised their insight and sound judgment to generate this coherent document. Without their industriousness, determination, and attention to mind-numbing detail, this snapshot of the Boston City Charter would be considerably more confusing and infinitely less complete. Wherever their lives and careers have taken them, I hope that they accept my thanks and the appreciation of all who read and/or reference this work.
--D. Paul Koch, Jr., Legislative Director July 2007
NOTE
Since 2007, there have been a few amendments to laws referenced in this document. These updates are reflected in this current version. Practitioners and scholars should continue to be mindful that this document should not be considered a primary source of law. We are continuously grateful to the 2007 team for their work, and to the City Council staffers who have carried the torch since, with special thanks to attorneys Christine O’Donnell and Meghan Kavanagh, and City Clerk Alex Geourntas.
--Michelle A Goldberg, Staff Director September 2024
GENERAL PROVISIONS.
Section 1.   Definitions.
   The following words as used in this act shall, unless the context otherwise requires, have the following meanings:
   “City”, the city of Boston.
   “Board of election commissioners”, the board of election commissioners of the city of Boston. “Regular municipal election”, the biennial election held for electing officers of the city as provided in this act.
   “Preliminary election”, the election held for the purpose of nominating candidates whose names shall appear on the official ballot at a municipal election.
   “Proportional representation”, any proportional representation method of election authorized by chapter fifty-four A of the General Laws.
   “Present form of city government”, the form of city government in effect in the city when it first adopts one of the three optional plans of government provided in this act.
[Acts of 1948, c. 452, s. 1]
Section 2.   Optional Plans of Government.
   The city, in the manner hereinafter prescribed, may adopt from time to time at any regular municipal election any one of the optional plans of government provided in this act and shall thereafter be governed by the provisions of the plan so adopted until said provisions are superseded by the adoption of another plan under this act. The inhabitants of the city shall continue to be a municipal corporation under the name existing at the time of the adoption of any plan provided in this act, and shall have, exercise and enjoy all the rights, immunities, powers and privileges, and be subject to all the duties, liabilities and obligations provided for in this act, or otherwise pertaining to or incumbent upon said city as a municipal corporation.
None of the legislative powers of the city shall be abridged or impaired by this act; but all such legislative powers shall be possessed and exercised by such body as shall be the legislative body of the city under this act.
   Whenever one of the plans provided for in this act shall be adopted, all ordinances, resolutions, orders or other regulations of the city or of any authorized body or official thereof, existing at the time when the city adopts such plan, and not inconsistent with the provisions of the plan adopted, shall continue in full force and effect until repealed, modified, suspended or superseded, and all acts and parts of acts relating to the city, so far as inconsistent with the plan adopted shall be inoperative.
[Acts of 1948, c. 452, s. 2]
Section 3.   Selecting a New Plan of Government.
   A petition, as hereinafter described, addressed to the board of election commissioners and signed by qualified voters of the city to a number equal at least to ten per cent of the registered voters at the state election next preceding the filing of the petition may be filed with the board of election commissioners not later than five o’clock of the afternoon of the first Wednesday in July next preceding the regular municipal election at which the question proposed by the petition is to be submitted to a vote of the voters, and such petition shall set forth any one of the following questions: [See Appendix A].
[Acts of 1948, c. 452, s. 3]
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