reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
MA Gen L ch 83 § 17 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 83 - Sewers, Drains and Sidewalks|Section 17 - Payment for Permanent Sewer Privileges

Section 17. The aldermen of any city except Boston or a town in which main drains or common sewers are laid may determine that a person who uses such main drains or common sewers in any manner, instead of paying an assessment under section fourteen, shall pay for the permanent privilege of his estate such reasonable amount as the aldermen or the sewer commissioners, selectmen or road commissioners shall determine.
MA Gen L ch 83 § 18 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 83 - Sewers, Drains and Sidewalks|Section 18 - Method of Assessment

Section 18. The city council of a city or a town which itself is, or the officers of which are, entitled, under sections fourteen to seventeen, inclusive, or under any special act, to assess upon land the whole or a part of the cost of laying, making, maintaining or repairing main drains or common sewers, may determine that such assessments shall be made by two or more of the methods provided in said sections or special acts, and may determine what part of the expense or estimated average cost shall be paid under each method.
MA Gen L ch 83 § 19 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 83 - Sewers, Drains and Sidewalks|Section 19 - Assessments; Extension of Time for Payment

Section 19. The aldermen of a city or the sewer commissioners, selectmen or road commissioners of a town may extend the time for the payment of such assessments upon land which is not built upon until it is built upon or for a fixed time; but interest at the rate of four per cent per annum shall be paid annually upon the assessment from the time it was made, and the assessment shall be paid within three months after such land is built upon or at the expiration of such fixed time.
MA Gen L ch 83 § 20 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 83 - Sewers, Drains and Sidewalks|Section 20 - Fee for Use of Sewers

Section 20. The owners of land or parts thereof not liable to assessment, or not in fact assessed, may use the common sewers for the disposal of their sewage from such land only on payment of such reasonable amount as the aldermen or the sewer commissioners, selectmen or road commissioners shall determine.
MA Gen L ch 83 § 21 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 83 - Sewers, Drains and Sidewalks|Section 21 - Assessment on Land Abutting on More Than One Way

Section 21. If land abuts upon more than one way, assessments for sewers based wholly or in part upon frontage shall be assessed upon the frontage upon one such way and upon so much of the frontage upon such other way as is not exempted by the board whose duty it is to make the assessment; and such board may exempt from assessment so much of the frontage upon such other way as they consider just and equitable.
MA Gen L ch 83 § 22 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 83 - Sewers, Drains and Sidewalks|Section 22 - Assessment of Sewers Built by Landowners

Section 22. If an ordinance or by-law provides that any drain or sewer laid in any land or way, public or private, which is opened or proposed to be opened for public travel and accommodation shall be a main drain or common sewer, and such drain or sewer is laid in a private way or land at the expense of the owner thereof, his land shall not be assessed for such drain or sewer, except for the cost of connecting it with common drains or sewers already established.
MA Gen L ch 83 § 23 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 83 - Sewers, Drains and Sidewalks|Section 23 - Cost of Sewers; Payment of Portion by Municipality

Section 23. A town by vote of its town meeting or a city by vote of its board of aldermen or city council shall determine whether it shall pay the whole or a portion of the cost of laying out and constructing main drains or of a system or systems of sewerage and sewage disposal, and if a portion, what portion. If the town or city votes to pay less than the whole cost, in providing for the payment of the remaining portion of the cost of said system or systems the town or city may avail itself of any or all of the methods of payment authorized by law to a town or city, and the provisions of chapter eighty relative to the apportionment, division, reassessment, abatement and collection of assessments, to liens therefor and to interests thereon, shall apply to assessments made under this chapter. At the same meeting at which it determines that any portion of the cost is to be borne by the town or city, it may by vote determine by which of such methods the remaining portion of said cost shall be provided.
MA Gen L ch 83 § 24 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 83 - Sewers, Drains and Sidewalks|Section 24 - Assessment for Particular Sewers

Section 24. The owner of any land benefited by the laying out of a particular sewer from the common sewer to the boundary of the way shall pay to the town for the permanent privilege of using the same such reasonable amount as the aldermen or the sewer commissioners, selectmen or road commissioners determine, which may be fixed at the estimated average cost of all such particular sewers within the territory for which a system of sewers has been built or adopted. The board or officers authorized to lay out sewers shall assess the cost of connecting private land with a common sewer under section three upon the land so connected, and may require that an applicant for a connection of his land with a sewer shall pay in advance an amount equal to the estimated assessment therefor, which shall be applied to the payment of the assessment, and the remainder, if any, shall be repaid to the applicant.
MA Gen L ch 83 § 25 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 83 - Sewers, Drains and Sidewalks|Section 25 - Establishment of Sidewalks

Section 25. The aldermen of a city or the selectmen or road commissioners of a town may, if in their judgment the public convenience so requires, establish sidewalks in the public ways thereof and determine the grade of each such sidewalk and the materials with which it shall be constructed, and may order the reconstruction of existing sidewalks. No such sidewalk shall be dug up or obstructed without the consent of the board or officer having charge of the maintenance and repair of public ways in a city, or the selectmen or road commissioners in a town. Each city and town shall provide a slanted curbing on sidewalks in its public ways at pedestrian crosswalks when new or replacement curbing is required at such locations.
MA Gen L ch 83 § 26 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 83 - Sewers, Drains and Sidewalks|Section 26 - Assessments for the Construction or Reconstruction of Sidewalk

Section 26. In the order for the construction of a new sidewalk or the reconstruction of a sidewalk with material of more permanent character than that with which it was originally constructed, the board making the order may provide for the assessment of a reasonable amount, not exceeding one half the cost, upon the abutting estates. If an ordinance or by-law so provides, the total assessed upon any individual estate shall not exceed one per cent of the value thereof as fixed by the last preceding annual assessment for taxes.
MA Gen L ch 83 § 27 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 83 - Sewers, Drains and Sidewalks|Section 27 - Recording of Statements; Assessment Liens

Section 27. Whenever the aldermen of a city or the sewer commissioners, selectmen or road commissioners of a town lay out or determine to construct a sewer or drain in a public way, or in a way opened or dedicated to the public use which has not become a public way, or adopt an order for the establishment or reconstruction of a sidewalk for such a way, and assessments may be made or charges imposed under this chapter for the construction of such improvement or the use thereof, they shall forthwith cause to be recorded in the registry of deeds of the county or district in which such city or town is situated a statement of their action, which shall specify the ways in which such sewer, drain or sidewalk is located. All assessments made or charges imposed under this chapter upon land which abuts upon any such way in which such sewer, drain or sidewalk is located shall constitute a lien upon such land from the time such statement is recorded and all charges authorized by section sixteen shall from the time of assessment constitute a lien upon the land connected with the common sewer. Liens under this section shall continue for the same period and under the same conditions as a lien established under chapter eighty.
MA Gen L ch 83 § 28 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 83 - Sewers, Drains and Sidewalks|Section 28 - Application of Betterment Law

Section 28. The provisions of chapter eighty relative to the apportionment, division, reassessment, abatement and collection of assessments, and to interest, shall apply to assessments made under this chapter.
MA Gen L ch 83 § 29 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 83 - Sewers, Drains and Sidewalks|Section 29 - Betterment Assessments Created by Special Act; Duration of Lien

Section 29. Notwithstanding any provision in any special act to the contrary, any lien for sewer, drain or sidewalk assessments or for betterment assessments of any other nature created pursuant to the provisions of any special act shall continue in effect until the land subject to the lien has been alienated and the instrument alienating the same has been recorded and for such longer period as any special act may provide.
MA Gen L ch 84 § 1 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 84 - Repair of Ways and Bridges|Section 1 - Repair of Highways and Town Ways at Expense of Towns

Section 1. Highways and town ways, including railroad crossings at grade with such highways and town ways, shall be kept in repair at the expense of the town in which they are situated, so that they may be reasonably safe and convenient for travelers, with their horses, teams, vehicles and carriages at all seasons. A city or town shall submit a letter of request for such repair and for approval by the state department of highways. Upon receipt of such approval, the city or town shall be reimbursed by the commonwealth from monies which may be appropriated therefor by the commonwealth and the federal government to defray expenses of such repairs for safety programming. Such reimbursement will not create liability, of any kind, either civil or criminal on the part of the commonwealth or the federal government.
MA Gen L ch 84 § 2 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 84 - Repair of Ways and Bridges|Section 2 - Repair of Bridge by Two or More Towns; Repair of Drawbridge

Section 2. If two or more towns within the same county which are required by law to maintain or keep in repair a bridge upon a highway or town way, differ as to the mode or time of doing the same, the county commissioners, upon application of either of said towns, after notice to all parties interested and a hearing, may pass such orders relative to the maintenance and repair of such bridge as in their opinion the public good may require.  If a town or two towns within the same county required by law to maintain and to keep in repair a drawbridge over navigable tide waters which extend from any other town to the sea fail or refuse to maintain and keep in repair said drawbridge, the county commissioners, upon application of the selectmen of such other town, after notice to all parties interested and a hearing, may pass such orders relative to the maintenance and repair of such bridge as in their opinion the public good may require.
MA Gen L ch 84 § 3 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 84 - Repair of Ways and Bridges|Section 3 - Enforcement of Order for Repair

Section 3. If any town does not comply with any orders passed by the county commissioners under the preceding section, within the time and in the manner prescribed in such orders and to the acceptance of the commissioners, the commissioners shall forthwith cause such bridge to be completed in accordance with such orders and shall direct the expenses and charges of completing the same to be paid in the first instance by the county, and shall order notice thereof to be given to the delinquent town, stating the proportion which it is to pay.
MA Gen L ch 84 § 4 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 84 - Repair of Ways and Bridges|Section 4 - Warrants Against Delinquent Towns

Section 4. If a delinquent town does not pay its proportion of such expenses and charges within sixty days after the date of such notice, with interest at a rate to be fixed by the county commissioners, not exceeding ten per cent a year from the time when the same was paid by them, the commissioners, after a hearing, may issue a warrant against such town for the amount which it was ordered to pay, with interest and further costs of such notice and warrant, which shall be collected and paid into the county treasury.
MA Gen L ch 84 § 5 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 84 - Repair of Ways and Bridges|Section 5 - Appropriation for Construction, Repair, and Maintenance of Highway Through Two or More Towns

Section 5. When a highway runs through two or more towns, they may appropriate money for the construction, repair, maintenance or improvement thereof in common, and may purchase road machinery therefor in common. Money so appropriated shall be expended by such persons and in such manner as the towns concerned shall agree upon.
MA Gen L ch 84 § 5a (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 84 - Repair of Ways and Bridges|Section 5a - Removal of Snow or Ice; Equipment and Employees

Section 5A. The selectmen, highway surveyor, highway commissioners, or other board or officer having charge of the maintenance of highways in any town which accepts this section may enter into agreements for the removal of snow or ice from, including sanding on, such public ways in adjoining towns as circumstances make necessary or convenient, and any town performing work in accordance with such agreement may be reimbursed for the expense thereof by the town for which such work is performed from the regular appropriation voted for highway maintenance or snow removal.  For the purposes of this section, equipment and employees of a town while engaged in the removal of snow or ice from, including sanding on, such public ways in another town in accordance with this section shall be deemed to be engaged in the service and employ of the town performing the work hereby authorized.
MA Gen L ch 84 § 6 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 84 - Repair of Ways and Bridges|Section 6 - Sanding of Tarred Ways

Section 6. Any public way which has been spread with tar, oil or similar substance, shall, within three hours thereafter, be covered with sand, gravel, peastone or other similar material in such manner as to render the way safe for travel. But such way may be so treated without being so covered if the tar, oil or other similar substance is first applied to not more than one half of the traveled width of the way, and such portion becomes safe for travel before the remaining part of the way is similarly treated, or if there is a reasonably safe and convenient alternate route or detour which has not been so treated, or if so treated has been rendered safe for travel as herein provided. Violation of any provision of this section shall be punished by a fine of not less than ten nor more than one hundred dollars.
MA Gen L ch 84 § 7 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 84 - Repair of Ways and Bridges|Section 7 - Duties of Surveyors of Highways and Road Commissioners

Section 7. Surveyors of highways and road commissioners shall remove whatever obstructs the public ways within their respective towns or districts, or endangers, hinders or incommodes persons traveling thereon; and shall forthwith cause snow to be removed or trodden down so as to make such ways reasonably safe and convenient. If a town neglects to vote a sufficient amount for the proper repair of ways therein, or does not otherwise effectually provide therefor, each surveyor, in his district, or the road commissioners, may employ persons to make such repairs, who shall be paid by the town; and towns may authorize their surveyors or road commissioners or any other person to enter into contracts for making or repairing the ways therein.
MA Gen L ch 84 § 7a (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 84 - Repair of Ways and Bridges|Section 7a - Notice of Repair, Construction or Reconstruction of Road or Highway

Section 7A. Surveyors of highways, road commissioners, or any other person, agency, or authority responsible for road or highway repairs shall notify the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority not later than forty-eight hours prior to the repair, construction or reconstruction of any road or highway used by said Authority in the operation of regular route service if such repairs, construction or reconstruction shall prohibit the operation of regular route service by the Authority over such road or highway.
MA Gen L ch 84 § 8 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 84 - Repair of Ways and Bridges|Section 8 - Fences, Gates or Bars to Prevent Spread of Disease; Removal

Section 8. No surveyor, road commissioner or other person shall, without an order from the board of health, remove or take down fences, gates or bars which have been placed on a way for the purpose of preventing the spread of a disease dangerous to the public health.
MA Gen L ch 84 § 9 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 84 - Repair of Ways and Bridges|Section 9 - Ditches by Side of Ways

Section 9. A surveyor or road commissioner may cause a watercourse occasioned by the wash of a way to be conveyed by the side of the way; but the aldermen or selectmen, upon complaint of a person whose building has been incommoded or whose business has been obstructed thereby, may, after a view, order the surveyor or road commissioner to make alterations in such work.
MA Gen L ch 84 § 10 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 84 - Repair of Ways and Bridges|Section 10 - Entry Upon Land to Secure and Protect Public Way; Damages

Section 10. The selectmen or road commissioners may enter upon, use or survey or take by eminent domain under chapter seventy-nine any land they may deem necessary for the purpose of securing or protecting a public way; and any person thereby injured in his property and any owner of land adjoining a way who has sustained damage in his property by an act done for the purpose of repairing the way may recover such damages under chapter seventy-nine.
MA Gen L ch 84 § 11 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 84 - Repair of Ways and Bridges|Section 11 - State Aid for Keeping Highway Open in Winter

Section 11. The department of highways may co-operate with the proper officers of cities, towns and counties in keeping open and reasonably passable for vehicles during the winter months such highways as may be selected by said department, having regard to the importance thereof for commercial uses and the co-operation and aid to be rendered by cities, towns and counties and persons in carrying on this work, and for this purpose may expend such sums as may be annually appropriated therefor and may accept financial or other assistance from any city, town, county or person; provided, however, that the work carried on under this section shall be supplemental to work undertaken and performed by cities and towns under other provisions of law, and that nothing in this section shall render the commonwealth liable for damages for which it is not liable under other provisions of law or relieve cities or towns from keeping their highways clear from ice and snow as required by other provisions of law.
MA Gen L ch 84 § 11a (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 84 - Repair of Ways and Bridges|Section 11a - Maintenance of Highways Constructed or Improved in Whole or in Part by County

Section 11A. When a public way other than a state highway has been constructed or improved in whole or in part by aid of money contributed by a county, the said way shall be kept and maintained in good repair and condition by the town in which the same lies, but the county may aid in such maintenance, and for such purpose the county commissioners may grant sums of money from the county treasury to be paid to the town to aid in such repairs as the commissioners may order. Such money may be paid to the town from time to time as the work progresses to the extent that the commissioners are satisfied that the same is being done in accordance with their directions. Such grants or contributions shall not render a county liable for defects in any way or for damages to persons traveling thereon, and when the work of repair or maintenance for which such grants or contributions are made is completed there shall be no further obligation on the part of the county as to the repair or maintenance thereof until a further grant or order is made by the county commissioners for such purposes.