reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
MA Gen L ch 66 § 4 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title X - Public Records|Chapter 66 - Public Records|Section 4 - Regulation of Recording Materials and Devices; Mandamus

Section 4. No ink shall be used upon any permanent public record except ink of such a standard as established and approved by the supervisor of records, and no ribbon, pad or other device used for printing by typewriting machines, or stamping pad, or any ink contained in such ribbon, pad, device, stamping pad or carbon paper, shall be used upon any permanent public record, nor shall any photographic machine or device or chemical used in connection therewith be used in making any permanent public record, except such as has been approved by the supervisor of records, who may cancel his approval if he finds that any article so approved is inferior to the standard established by him. The supreme judicial or superior court shall have jurisdiction in mandamus, on petition of the supervisor of records and pursuant to section five of chapter two hundred and forty-nine, to order compliance with the provisions of this section.
MA Gen L ch 66 § 5 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title X - Public Records|Chapter 66 - Public Records|Section 5 - Municipal Records; Copies

Section 5. County commissioners, city councils and selectmen may cause copies of records of counties, cities or towns, of town proprietaries, of proprietors of plantations, townships or common lands, relative to land situated in their county, city or town or of easements relating thereto, to be made for their county, city or town, whether such records are within or without the commonwealth, and such records within the commonwealth may be delivered by their custodians to any county, city or town for such copying. City councils and selectmen may also cause copies to be made of the records of births, baptisms, marriages and deaths kept by a church or parish in their city or town.
MA Gen L ch 66 § 5a (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title X - Public Records|Chapter 66 - Public Records|Section 5a - Records of Meetings of Boards and Commissions; Contents

Section 5A. The records, required to be kept by sections eleven A of chapter thirty A, nine F of chapter thirty-four and twenty-three B of chapter thirty-nine, shall report the names of all members of such boards and commissions present, the subjects acted upon, and shall record exactly the votes and other official actions taken by such boards and commissions; but unless otherwise required by the governor in the case of state boards, commissions and districts, or by the county commissioners in the case of county boards and commissions, or the governing body thereof in the case of a district, or by ordinance or by-law of the city or town, in the case of municipal boards, such records need not include a verbatim record of discussions at such meetings.
MA Gen L ch 66 § 6 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title X - Public Records|Chapter 66 - Public Records|Section 6 - Records of Public Proceedings; Preparation; Custody

Section 6. Every department, board, commission or office of the commonwealth or of a county, city or town, for which no clerk is otherwise provided by law, shall designate some person as clerk, who shall enter all its votes, orders and proceedings in books and shall have the custody of such books, and the department, board, commission or office shall designate an employee or employees to have the custody of its other public records. Every sole officer in charge of a department or office of the commonwealth or of a county, city or town having public records in such department or office shall have the custody thereof.
MA Gen L ch 66 § 7 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title X - Public Records|Chapter 66 - Public Records|Section 7 - Custody of Old and Other Records

Section 7. Every town clerk shall have the custody of all records of proprietors of towns, townships, plantations or common lands, if the towns, townships, plantations or common lands to which such records relate, or the larger part thereof, are within his town and the proprietors have ceased to be a body politic. The state secretary, clerks of the county commissioners and city or town clerks shall respectively have the custody of all other public records of the commonwealth or of their respective counties, cities or towns, if no other disposition of such records is made by law or ordinance, and shall certify copies thereof.
MA Gen L ch 66 § 8 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title X - Public Records|Chapter 66 - Public Records|Section 8 - Preservation and Destruction of Records, Books and Papers

Section 8. Every original paper belonging to the files of the commonwealth or of any county, city or town, bearing date earlier than the year eighteen hundred and seventy, every book of registry or record, except books which the supervisor of public records determines may be destroyed, every town warrant, every deed to the commonwealth or to any county, city or town, every report of an agent, officer or committee relative to bridges, public ways, sewers or other state, county or municipal interests not required to be recorded in a book and not so recorded, shall be preserved and safely kept; and every other paper belonging to such files shall be kept for seven years after the latest original entry therein or thereon, unless otherwise provided by law or unless such records are included in disposal schedules approved by the records conservation board for state records or by the supervisor of public records for county, city, or town records; and no such paper shall be destroyed without the written approval of the supervisor of records. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the register of deeds in any county may, without such written approval, destroy any papers pertaining to attachments or to the dissolution or discharge thereof in the files of his office following the expiration of twenty years after the latest original entry therein or thereon, unless otherwise specifically provided by law, and he may destroy all original instruments left for record and not called for within five years after the recording thereof.
MA Gen L ch 66 § 8a (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title X - Public Records|Chapter 66 - Public Records|Section 8a - Destruction of Certain Records by City and Town Clerks if Micro-Photographed

Section 8A. Any provision of general or special law to the contrary notwithstanding, the clerk of any city or town, with the written approval of the supervisor of records, may destroy any index of instruments made by any clerk of such city or town under the provision of law now embodied in section fifteen of chapter forty-one or any original record made by any such clerk under any of the provisions of law now embodied in section eleven of chapter two hundred and nine, section three of chapter two hundred and fifty-five, or any similar statute; provided, that such index or record, as the case may be, has been, or shall have been, micro-photographed, and that twenty years has, or shall have, expired after the making of such index or record. The micro-photograph of any index or record so destroyed shall have the same force and effect as the original index or record from which such micro-photograph was made.
MA Gen L ch 66 § 8b (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title X - Public Records|Chapter 66 - Public Records|Section 8b - Destruction or Disposal of Records in Accordance With Chapter 93i

Section 8B. Records or documents required to be destroyed or disposed of in this chapter shall be destroyed or disposed of in the manner set forth in chapter 93I.
MA Gen L ch 66 § 9 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title X - Public Records|Chapter 66 - Public Records|Section 9 - Preservation and Copying of Worn, etc., Records

Section 9. Every person having custody of any public record books of the commonwealth, or of a county, city or town shall, at its expense, cause them to be properly and substantially bound. He shall have any such books, which may have been left incomplete, made up and completed from the files and usual memoranda, so far as practicable. He shall cause fair and legible copies to be seasonably made of any books which are worn, mutilated or are becoming illegible, and cause them to be repaired, rebound or renovated. He may cause any such books to be placed in the custody of the supervisor of records, who may have them repaired, renovated or rebound at the expense of the commonwealth, county, city or town to which they belong. Whoever causes such books to be so completed or copied shall attest them, and shall certify, on oath, that they have been made from such files and memoranda or are copies of the original books. Such books shall then have the force of the original records.
MA Gen L ch 66 § 11 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title X - Public Records|Chapter 66 - Public Records|Section 11 - Fireproof Vaults and Safes

Section 11. Officers in charge of a state department, county commissioners, city councils and selectmen shall, at the expense of the commonwealth, county, city or town, respectively, provide and maintain fireproof rooms, safes or vaults for the safe keeping of the public records of their department, county, city or town, other than the records in the custody of teachers of the public schools, and shall furnish such rooms with fittings of non-combustible materials only.
MA Gen L ch 66 § 12 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title X - Public Records|Chapter 66 - Public Records|Section 12 - Arrangement of Records

Section 12. All such records shall be kept in the rooms where they are ordinarily used, and so arranged that they may be conveniently examined and referred to. When not in use, they shall be kept in the fireproof rooms, vaults or safes or buildings, vaults or file rooms that comply with standards of the National Fire Protection Association, or by electronic means with off-site secure storage, or in accordance with standards promulgated by the records conservation board.
MA Gen L ch 66 § 13 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title X - Public Records|Chapter 66 - Public Records|Section 13 - Custodian to Demand Records; Compelling Compliance

Section 13. Whoever is entitled to the custody of public records shall demand the same from any person unlawfully having possession of them, who shall forthwith deliver the same to him. Upon complaint of any public officer entitled to the custody of a public record, the superior court shall have jurisdiction in equity to compel any person unlawfully having such record in his possession to deliver the same to the complainant.
MA Gen L ch 66 § 14 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title X - Public Records|Chapter 66 - Public Records|Section 14 - Surrender of Records by Retiring Officer

Section 14. Whoever has custody of any public records shall, upon the expiration of his term of office, employment or authority, deliver over to his successor all such records which he is not authorized by law to retain, and shall make oath that he has so delivered them, according as they are the records of the commonwealth or of a county, city or town, before the state secretary, the clerk of the county commissioners or the city or town clerk, who shall, respectively, make a record of such oath.
MA Gen L ch 66 § 15 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title X - Public Records|Chapter 66 - Public Records|Section 15 - Penalties

Section 15. Whoever unlawfully keeps in his possession any public record or removes it from the room where it is usually kept, or alters, defaces, mutilates or destroys any public record or violates any provision of this chapter shall be punished by a fine of not less than ten nor more than five hundred dollars, or by imprisonment for not more than one year, or both. Any public officer who refuses or neglects to perform any duty required of him by this chapter shall for each month of such neglect or refusal be punished by a fine of not more than twenty dollars.
MA Gen L ch 66 § 16 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title X - Public Records|Chapter 66 - Public Records|Section 16 - Surrender of Church Records; Jurisdiction of Superior Court

Section 16. If a church, parish, religious society, monthly meeting of the people called Friends or Quakers, or any similar body of persons who have associated themselves together for holding religious meetings, shall cease for the term of two years to hold such meetings, the persons having the care of any records or registries of such body, or of any officers thereof, shall deliver all such records, except records essential to the control of any property or trust funds belonging to such body, to the custodian of a depository provided by the state organization of the particular denomination or to the clerk of the city or town where such body is situated and such clerk may certify copies thereof upon the payment of the fee as provided by clause (25) of section thirty-four of chapter two hundred and sixty-two. If any such body, the records or registries of which, or of any officers of which, have been so delivered, shall resume meetings under its former name or shall be legally incorporated, either alone or with a similar body, the clerk of such city or town or the custodian of said depository shall, upon written demand by a person duly authorized, deliver such records or registries to him if he shall in writing certify that to the best of his knowledge and belief said meetings are to be continued or such incorporation has been legally completed. The superior court shall have jurisdiction in equity to enforce this section.
MA Gen L ch 66 § 17 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title X - Public Records|Chapter 66 - Public Records|Section 17 - Municipality in Which Records to Be Kept; Contracts for Records Storage; Penalty

Section 17. Except as otherwise provided by law, all public records shall be kept in the custody of the person having the custody of similar records in the county or municipality to which the records originally belonged; provided, however, that the custodian of public records may enter into a contract for the storage of records containing public record information, but no contract for the storage of public records shall be entered into if the contract prevents or unduly restricts a records access officer or custodian of records from providing or storing the records in accordance with this chapter. Records not directly in the custodian's possession shall be considered in the custody of the custodian if subject to a contract for the storage of public records that is permitted by this section. If the custodian does not have custody of public records, the custodian shall demand delivery from any person unlawfully having possession of the records, and the records shall immediately be delivered by such person to the custodian. A person who refuses or neglects to perform any duty required by this section shall be punished by fine of not more than $20.
MA Gen L ch 66 § 17c (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title X - Public Records|Chapter 66 - Public Records|Section 17c - Failure to Maintain Public Records of Meetings; Orders to Maintain

Section 17C. Upon proof of failure of a governmental body as defined in section eleven A of chapter thirty A, section nine F of chapter thirty-four and section twenty-three A of chapter thirty-nine, or by any member or officer thereof to carry out any of the provisions prescribed by this chapter for maintaining public records, a justice of the supreme judicial or the superior court sitting within and for the county in which such governmental body acts or, in the case of a governmental body of the commonwealth, sitting within and for any county, shall issue an appropriate order requiring such governmental body or member or officer thereof to carry out the provisions of this chapter. Such order may be sought by complaint of three or more registered voters, by the attorney general, or by the district attorney for the county in which the governmental body acts. The order of notice on the complaint shall be returnable no later than ten days after the filing thereof and the complaint shall be heard and determined on the return day or on such day thereafter as the court shall fix, having regard to the speediest possible determination of the cause consistent with the rights of the parties; provided, however, that orders with respect to any of the matters referred to in this section may be issued at any time on or after the filing of the complaint without notice when such order is necessary to fulfill the purposes of this section. In the hearing of any such complaint the burden shall be on the respondent to show by a preponderance of the evidence that the actions complained of in such complaint were in accordance with and authorized by section eleven B of chapter thirty A, by section nine G of chapter thirty-four or by section twenty-three B of chapter thirty-nine. All processes may be issued from the clerk's office in the county in which the action is brought and, except as aforesaid, shall be returnable as the court orders.  Any such order may also, when appropriate, require the records of any such meeting of a governmental body to be made a public record unless it shall have been determined by such justice that the maintenance of secrecy with respect to such records is authorized by section eleven B of chapter thirty A, by section nine G of chapter thirty-four or by section twenty-three B of chapter thirty-nine. The remedy created hereby is not exclusive, but shall be in addition to every other available remedy.
MA Gen L ch 66 § 17d (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title X - Public Records|Chapter 66 - Public Records|Section 17d - Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program Data Base; Division Records; Site-Specific Rare Species Information

Section 17D. Records of the division of fisheries and wildlife in the department of fish and game known as the Massachusetts natural heritage and endangered species program data base shall not be public records; provided, however, that they shall be open for inspection by agents of the commonwealth and the federal government for the purposes of protecting and preserving species and subspecies of nongame wildlife and indigenous plants. Except as otherwise determined by the administrator of the said data base, site-specific rare species information shall be released only upon the receipt of a statement, in writing, by the recipient that he shall keep such information confidential.
MA Gen L ch 66 § 18 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title X - Public Records|Chapter 66 - Public Records|Section 18 - Application of Chapter

Section 18. This chapter shall not apply to the records of the general court, nor shall declarations, affidavits and other papers filed by claimants in the office of the commissioner of veterans' services, or records kept by him for reference by the officials of his office, be public records.
MA Gen L ch 66 § 19 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title X - Public Records|Chapter 66 - Public Records|Section 19 - Electronic Record Keeping Systems and Databases; Capability Requirements; Storage Contracts; Certain Records to Be Available on Searchable Website

Section 19. (a) When designing or acquiring an electronic record keeping system or database, records access officers shall, consistent with section 17 of chapter 110G, consult with their chief executive officer, chief administrative officer or the Massachusetts office of information technology pursuant to chapter 7D to ensure, to the extent feasible, that the system or database is capable of providing data in a commonly available electronic, machine readable format. Such database designs or acquisitions shall allow for, to the extent feasible, information storage and retrieval methods that permit the segregation and retrieval of public records and redacting of exempt information in order to provide maximum public access. No agency or municipality shall enter into a contract for the storage of electronic records containing public records if the contract prevents or unduly restricts the records access officer from providing the public records in accordance with this chapter.  (b) Every agency shall provide on a searchable website electronic copies, accessible in a commonly available electronic format, of the following types of records, provided that any agency may withhold any record or portion thereof in accordance with state or federal law:  (i) final opinions, decisions, orders, or votes from agency proceedings;  (ii) annual reports;  (iii) notices of regulations proposed under chapter 30A;  (iv) notices of hearings;  (v) winning bids for public contracts;  (vi) awards of federal, state and municipal government grants;  (vii) minutes of open meetings;  (viii) agency budgets; and  (ix) any public record information of significant interest that the agency deems appropriate to post.
MA Gen L ch 66 § 20 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title X - Public Records|Chapter 66 - Public Records|Section 20 - Payroll, Financial and Other Data in Centralized State Accounting and Payroll Systems

Section 20. For requests of payroll, financial and other data residing in the centralized state accounting and payroll systems, or associated data warehouses, the comptroller shall make available guidelines on how agencies using these systems may access and disclose public records to ensure that data that is exempted or prohibited from disclosure is not wrongfully disclosed and the security of the system is maintained.
MA Gen L ch 66 § 21 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title X - Public Records|Chapter 66 - Public Records|Section 21 - Documents Related to Pensions of Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Employees

Section 21. A document made or received by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Retirement Board or any other legal entity, public or private, which receives funds from the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority for the payment or administration of pensions for employees of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority shall be considered a public record under this chapter and under clause twenty-sixth of section 7 of chapter 4 and subject to all applicable exemptions; provided, however, that subsection (6) of section 23 of chapter 32 shall also apply to these documents.