reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
MA Gen L ch 82 § 5 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 82 - The Laying Out, Alteration, Relocation and Discontinuance of Public Ways, and Specific Repairs Thereon|Section 5 - Procedure on Objections to Proposal

Section 5. If at the time of the view or hearing as provided in section three when a plan has been prepared no person interested objects, the commissioners may, within twelve months thereafter, lay out, alter, relocate, or order specific repairs upon such highway without further notice. If at such time any person interested objects, the commissioners shall not lay out, alter, relocate, or order specific repairs upon such highway without another hearing, at which any party interested may be heard with respect to the manner in which the proposed improvement shall be carried out. Notice of such hearing shall be given in the manner prescribed in section three. If at the time of a view upon a petition for discontinuing or discontinuing maintenance of a highway, the commissioners decide that it ought to be discontinued or no longer maintained, they may at the same time adjudge that it be discontinued or no longer maintained, without a further or subsequent meeting therefor; and if a return of said proceedings and adjudication is made and accepted at the next regular meeting of the commissioners, it shall be a discontinuance or discontinuance of maintenance of such highway. The commissioners may adjudicate and decree in respect to a portion of a way described in a petition pending before them, leaving the petition open pending a further or final adjudication and decree in respect to a further portion of said way or a final adjudication and decree as to the remainder of such way. Upon petition of a town or city, the commissioners may discontinue a county highway and thereafter the way or section of way so discontinued shall be a town way. Unless so petitioned, the discontinued way shall no longer be a public way.
MA Gen L ch 82 § 6 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 82 - The Laying Out, Alteration, Relocation and Discontinuance of Public Ways, and Specific Repairs Thereon|Section 6 - Changes Between Termini; Establishment of Building Lines

Section 6. They may make such changes between the termini of the highway described in the petition, relative to the direction and course of such highway or to the alteration, specific repair or discontinuance thereof, as in their opinion the public convenience requires, and, in connection with the laying out, alteration or relocation thereof, may establish a building line not more than forty feet distant from the exterior line of such highway, extending for such distance from points where such highway joins an intersecting way, as defined in section one of chapter ninety, as may be necessary to insure the safety of the public, and thereafter no structures shall be erected or maintained between such building line and such highway except steps, windows, porticos, other usual projections appurtenant to the front wall of a building, embankments, walls, fences and gates, to the extent prescribed by the order establishing such building line. A building line so established may be discontinued in the manner provided for the discontinuance of a highway.
MA Gen L ch 82 § 7 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 82 - The Laying Out, Alteration, Relocation and Discontinuance of Public Ways, and Specific Repairs Thereon|Section 7 - Taking Land or Easement by Eminent Domain; Damages

Section 7. If it is necessary, for the purpose of laying out, altering or relocating a highway, or establishing a building line in connection therewith, to acquire land, or an easement or right therein, the commissioners shall, at the same time that the highway is laid out, altered or relocated, take such land, easement or right by eminent domain under chapter seventy-nine. Any person sustaining damage in his property by the laying out, alteration, relocation, discontinuance or discontinuance of maintenance of a highway, or by specific repairs thereon, or by the establishment or discontinuance of a building line, shall be entitled to recover the same under said chapter. If no entry has been made upon land taken for highway purposes, or if the location has for any other cause become void, or if specific repairs which have been ordered are not made, a person who has suffered loss or been put to expense by the proceedings shall be entitled to recover indemnity therefor under said chapter.
MA Gen L ch 82 § 8 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 82 - The Laying Out, Alteration, Relocation and Discontinuance of Public Ways, and Specific Repairs Thereon|Section 8 - Construction Requirements; Payment of Expenses

Section 8. The commissioners, in their return, shall determine and specify the manner in which a new highway shall be laid out or an existing one altered, relocated or specifically repaired, and may specify in sufficient detail the work required so that the same may be completed in accordance with the commissioners' directions, and the time within which it shall be completed, and each town shall perform the work so required within its limits unless other provision is made. They may apportion the expense thereof upon the county and towns, respectively, or they may agree with the towns in which the highway is located or with the department of highways, or both, as to the apportionment of such expense to be paid by the towns, county or state, respectively. The selectmen or mayor shall give notice to said commissioners of the time when the work ordered is begun if so required in the return, and the commissioners or their agents may examine the work as often as may be necessary during its progress to ascertain that it is well done according to the direction of the commissioners, and, in case the town does not perform the work to the acceptance of said commissioners, the provisions of sections fourteen and fifteen shall apply. The commissioners shall transmit to the clerk of each town in which the highway lies a description and plan of the location and bounds thereof within the limits of such towns respectively, which description shall be recorded within ten days by the clerk in a book kept for that purpose.
MA Gen L ch 82 § 9 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 82 - The Laying Out, Alteration, Relocation and Discontinuance of Public Ways, and Specific Repairs Thereon|Section 9 - Culverts and Cattle Passes

Section 9. If the commissioners require a culvert, cattle pass or other passageway to be made under a highway, they may order the town to construct the same as a part of the highway, and may order the whole or any part of the expense to be paid by the county.
MA Gen L ch 82 § 10 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 82 - The Laying Out, Alteration, Relocation and Discontinuance of Public Ways, and Specific Repairs Thereon|Section 10 - Specific Repair of Ways

Section 10. If, upon a petition for the laying out or alteration of a highway, the commissioners, after a view and hearing, are of the opinion that the existing highway between the termini mentioned in the petition can be so far amended as to supersede the necessity of laying out a new highway or of altering the location of existing ways, they may, after notice to the towns interested, direct specific repairs to be made in the existing ways in such manner as the public convenience may require; and may apportion the expense thereof upon the county and towns respectively as in laying out highways. At the time of ordering specific repairs upon a highway, they may direct it to be closed for public travel for a reasonable time. Towns in which specific repairs are ordered shall make them. Nothing in this chapter with respect to commissioners' orders for specific repairs shall relieve towns from their duties and liabilities with respect to keeping public ways in repair.
MA Gen L ch 82 § 11 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 82 - The Laying Out, Alteration, Relocation and Discontinuance of Public Ways, and Specific Repairs Thereon|Section 11 - Relocation

Section 11. If application is made to the commissioners by a town, or by five inhabitants thereof, to relocate or order specific repairs on a way within such town, whether it was laid out by authority of the town or otherwise, they may, either for the purpose of establishing the boundary lines of such way or of making alterations in the course or width thereof, or of making specific repairs thereon, relocate it in the manner prescribed for laying out highways in sections two to nine, inclusive. The expense shall be assessed upon the petitioners or upon the county or town, or upon the land benefited by the improvement under chapter eighty, as the commissioners may order. The commissioners may, without petition, after giving notice as provided in section three, relocate any public way for the purpose of establishing its boundaries, or of making specific repairs thereon, in which case no part of the expense shall be assessed upon the town.  The commissioners may adjudicate and decree in respect to a portion of a way described in a petition pending before them, leaving the petition open pending a further or final adjudication and decree in respect to a further portion of said way or a final adjudication and decree as to the remainder of such way.
MA Gen L ch 82 § 11a (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 82 - The Laying Out, Alteration, Relocation and Discontinuance of Public Ways, and Specific Repairs Thereon|Section 11a - Entry Upon Private Lands for Purpose of Reconnaissances, Surveys, Soundings, Inspections and Examinations

Section 11A. Whenever the commissioners or their authorized agents deem it necessary to make reconnaissances, surveys, soundings, inspections or examinations to obtain information for the layout and construction of highways or other projects under their jurisdiction, said commissioners or their authorized agents or employees may, after due notice by registered mail, given by the commissioners or their authorized agents, enter upon such lands, waters and premises, not including buildings, in their respective counties as they may deem necessary or convenient for the purposes of this chapter, and such entry shall not be deemed a trespass nor shall an entry for such purposes be deemed an entry under eminent domain proceedings. The county shall make reimbursement for any injury or actual damage to such lands, waters and premises caused by any act of the authorized agents or employees, and shall so far as possible restore such lands to the condition in which they were prior to making such entry. Such reimbursement shall be assessed upon the respective towns within which said areas have been entered upon.
MA Gen L ch 82 § 12 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 82 - The Laying Out, Alteration, Relocation and Discontinuance of Public Ways, and Specific Repairs Thereon|Section 12 - Payment of Damages and Costs of Construction

Section 12. When a highway has been finally laid out, altered, relocated, discontinued or maintenance discontinued, or when specific repairs are ordered on an existing highway by the county commissioners, the county shall be primarily liable for all damages thereby caused, or for all amounts awarded or assessed as indemnity. The commissioners shall determine what proportion if any of the expenses of the proceedings, cost of construction, damages and indemnity shall be assessed upon the land benefited under chapter eighty and whether the remainder, if any, shall be borne by the county, or by the towns in which the parts of the highway are respectively located. The commissioners shall notify each such town of any balance due from such town to the county under this section and may enforce payment as provided in section fifteen.
MA Gen L ch 82 § 13 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 82 - The Laying Out, Alteration, Relocation and Discontinuance of Public Ways, and Specific Repairs Thereon|Section 13 - Payment of Expenses of Rejected Petitions

Section 13. If a highway is not finally laid out, relocated, altered, discontinued or maintenance discontinued, or if specific repairs are not ordered, the expenses of the proceedings shall be paid by the persons who have recognized therefor. If they refuse or neglect, when required by the commissioners, to pay such expenses, such expenses or costs shall be paid by the county; and thereupon the commissioners may collect the same from the persons who so recognized, as provided by section eighteen of chapter thirty-four.
MA Gen L ch 82 § 14 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 82 - The Laying Out, Alteration, Relocation and Discontinuance of Public Ways, and Specific Repairs Thereon|Section 14 - Failure by Municipalities to Construct Highways Laid Out by Commissioners

Section 14. If, after a highway has been laid out by the commissioners, a city or town whose duty it is to make such highway, or a part thereof, does not make and complete the same within the time and in the manner prescribed and to the acceptance of the commissioners, they may forthwith cause such highway to be completed as aforesaid, and shall direct the expenses and charges of completing the same to be paid by the county and shall order notice thereof to be given to each delinquent city or town, stating the proportion which it is to pay.
MA Gen L ch 82 § 15 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 82 - The Laying Out, Alteration, Relocation and Discontinuance of Public Ways, and Specific Repairs Thereon|Section 15 - Remedy Against Delinquent Municipalities

Section 15. If a delinquent city or town does not pay its proportion of such expenses and charges within sixty days after the date of said notice, with interest thereon at the rate of ten per cent a year from the time when the same is paid by the county, the commissioners may, after a hearing, issue a warrant against such city or town for the amount which it was ordered to pay, with interest and the further costs of such notice and warrant, which shall be collected and paid into the county treasury.
MA Gen L ch 82 § 16 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 82 - The Laying Out, Alteration, Relocation and Discontinuance of Public Ways, and Specific Repairs Thereon|Section 16 - Payment of County's Share of Expense

Section 16. When a highway which has been laid out, specifically repaired, relocated or altered, is completed, in whole or in part, the commissioners shall view and carefully examine it throughout, and if they find that it has been well made according to their directions, they shall order the proportion of the expense for which the county is liable under section twelve or which has been assessed upon the land benefited to be paid by the county. Said commissioners, before work ordered by them is wholly completed, may pay to the city or town such proportion of the county's share of the expense as they determine, having regard to the amount of work done and the proportion of the expense which they have determined the county shall pay.
MA Gen L ch 82 § 17 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 82 - The Laying Out, Alteration, Relocation and Discontinuance of Public Ways, and Specific Repairs Thereon|Section 17 - Jurisdiction

Section 17. The city council of a city and the selectmen or road commissioners of a town may exercise original jurisdiction, concurrent with the county commissioners, of petitions for altering, relocating or making specific repairs upon a highway within the town limits, but except as to such parts thereof as, by such action, become unnecessary for public use, a city or town shall not discontinue any highway or diminish the width thereof, nor shall it assess upon the county any part of the expense of altering, relocating or repairing. The proceedings of cities and towns and their officers hereunder shall be the same as in the laying out of highways or town ways. Nothing in sections seventeen to nineteen, inclusive, shall diminish the powers over highways granted to a city by its charter.
MA Gen L ch 82 § 18 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 82 - The Laying Out, Alteration, Relocation and Discontinuance of Public Ways, and Specific Repairs Thereon|Section 18 - Notice to County Commissioners of Final Action on Petitions

Section 18. Within two weeks after final action relative to the alteration or relocation of a highway or making specific repairs thereon, under the preceding section, the town clerk shall send a certified copy of the record of such final action to the county commissioners, who shall enter it upon their records.
MA Gen L ch 82 § 19 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 82 - The Laying Out, Alteration, Relocation and Discontinuance of Public Ways, and Specific Repairs Thereon|Section 19 - Appeal to County Commissioners

Section 19. An appeal may be taken to the county commissioners from any action under the two preceding sections, and they shall thereupon give a public hearing, with not less than fourteen days' notice thereof, in the manner required in the laying out of highways or town ways and also by publishing in a newspaper a copy of the notice not less than seven days before the hearing. At such hearing the county commissioners may finally decide such appeal.
MA Gen L ch 82 § 20 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 82 - The Laying Out, Alteration, Relocation and Discontinuance of Public Ways, and Specific Repairs Thereon|Section 20 - Applicability to Railroad Crossings

Section 20. The three preceding sections shall not affect sections fifty-nine to eighty-two, inclusive, of chapter one hundred and fifty-nine, and sections ninety-five to one hundred and fourteen, inclusive, and section two hundred and fifty-two of chapter one hundred and sixty, relative to railroad corporations and street railway companies.
MA Gen L ch 82 § 21 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 82 - The Laying Out, Alteration, Relocation and Discontinuance of Public Ways, and Specific Repairs Thereon|Section 21 - Authority to Lay Out Ways

Section 21. The selectmen or road commissioners of a town or city council of a city may lay out, relocate or alter town ways, for the use of the town or city, and private ways for the use of one or more of the inhabitants thereof; or they may order specific repairs to be made upon such ways; and a town, at a meeting, or the city council of a city, may discontinue a town way or a private way.
MA Gen L ch 82 § 22 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 82 - The Laying Out, Alteration, Relocation and Discontinuance of Public Ways, and Specific Repairs Thereon|Section 22 - Notice of Intention

Section 22. Seven days at least prior to the laying out, relocation or alteration of a town way or private way a written notice of the intention of the selectmen or road commissioners of the town to lay out, relocate or alter the same shall be left by them, at the usual place of abode of the owners of the land which will be taken for such purpose, or delivered to such owner in person or to his tenant or authorized agent. If the owner has no such place of abode in the town and no tenant or authorized agent therein known to the selectmen or if, being a resident in the town, he is not known as such to the selectmen or road commissioners, such notice shall be posted in a public place in the town seven days at least before the laying out, relocation or alteration of such way. This section shall not apply to cities.
MA Gen L ch 82 § 23 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 82 - The Laying Out, Alteration, Relocation and Discontinuance of Public Ways, and Specific Repairs Thereon|Section 23 - Filing and Acceptance of Plan

Section 23. No town way or private way which has been laid out, relocated or altered by the selectmen or road commissioners shall, except as hereinafter provided, be established until such laying out, relocation or alteration, with the boundaries and measurements of the way, is filed in the office of the town clerk and, not less than seven days thereafter, is accepted by the town at a town meeting. This section shall not apply to cities.
MA Gen L ch 82 § 24 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIV - Public Ways and Works|Chapter 82 - The Laying Out, Alteration, Relocation and Discontinuance of Public Ways, and Specific Repairs Thereon|Section 24 - Taking by Eminent Domain; Damages

Section 24. If it is necessary to acquire land for the purposes of a town way or private way which is laid out, altered or relocated by the selectmen, road commissioners or other officers of a town under this chapter, such officers shall, within one hundred and twenty days after the termination of the town meeting at which the laying out, alteration or relocation of such town way or private way is accepted by the town, acquire such land by purchase or otherwise, or adopt an order for the taking of such land by eminent domain under chapter seventy-nine or institute proceedings for such taking under chapter eighty A. Any person sustaining damage in his property by the laying out, alteration or relocation of a town way or private way shall be entitled to recover the same under said chapter seventy-nine, unless such damage was sustained in connection with a taking made in proceedings instituted under said chapter eighty A, and any person sustaining damage in his property by the discontinuance of a town way or private way or by specific repairs thereon shall be entitled to recover the same under said chapter seventy-nine. If no entry has been made upon land taken under said chapter seventy-nine for the purpose of a town way, or if the location has for any other cause become void, a person who has suffered loss or been put to expense by the proceedings shall be entitled to recover indemnity therefor under said chapter seventy-nine. If a private way is laid out, relocated, altered or discontinued by a town, or if a town makes specific repairs thereon, or if a town way is discontinued, the persons upon whose application such way is laid out, relocated, altered or discontinued or upon whose application specific repairs are made thereon shall, before such way is entered upon for the purposes of construction, or is closed up, give such town security satisfactory to the selectmen that they will indemnify such town for all damages and charges which it is obliged to pay by reason thereof, and all such damages and charges shall be repaid to the town by the persons making such application; provided, however, that in case of the discontinuance of a town way the selectmen may order a part of the damages to be paid by the town. The first sentence of this section shall not apply to cities.