Massachusetts Statutes

Section 131B. Whoever loans money secured by mortgage, deposit or pledge of a firearm shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars or by imprisonment for not more than one year, or by both; provided, however that nothing herein shall prohibit a bank or other …

Section 131C. (a) No person carrying a loaded firearm under a license issued pursuant to section 129B 131 or 131F or through an exemption under section 129C shall carry the loaded firearm in a vehicle unless the loaded firearm while carried in the vehicle is under the direct cont…

Section 131F. A temporary license to carry firearms or feeding devices or ammunition therefor, within the commonwealth, shall be issued by the colonel of state police, or persons authorized by him, to a nonresident or any person not falling within the jurisdiction of a local lice…

Section 131I. Whoever falsely makes, alters, forges or counterfeits or procures or assists another to falsely make, alter, forge or counterfeit a license to carry a firearm or a firearm identification card, or whoever forges or without authority uses the signature, facsimile of t…

Section 131J. Sections 1313/4, 131K and 131P shall not apply to stun guns. The secretary of public safety and security shall promulgate regulations restricting access or use of stun guns by non-licensed persons and establishing minimum safety and quality standards, safe storage r…

Section 131K. Any firearm or large capacity firearm, both as defined in section 121, sold within the commonwealth without a safety device designed to prevent the discharge of such firearm by unauthorized users and approved by the colonel of state police including, but not limited…

Section 131L. (a) It shall be unlawful to store or keep any firearm in any place unless such firearm is secured in a locked container or equipped with a tamper-resistant mechanical lock or other safety device, properly engaged so as to render such firearm inoperable by any person…

Section 131M. (a) No person shall possess, own, offer for sale, sell or otherwise transfer in the commonwealth or import into the commonwealth an assault-style firearm, or a large capacity feeding device. (b) Subsection (a) shall not apply to an assault-style firearm lawfully pos…

Section 131N. No person shall knowingly possess, own, sell, offer for sale, transfer, manufacture, assemble, repair or import any firearm capable of discharging a bullet or shot that is a covert firearm or an undetectable firearm all as defined in section 121. Whoever violates th…

Section 131O. Notwithstanding any general or special law, rule or regulation to the contrary, the colonel of state police, in conjunction with the secretary of the executive office of public safety, shall promulgate rules and regulations implementing a statewide firearms surrende…

Section 131P. (a) Any person making application for the issuance of a firearms identification card under section 129B, a license to carry firearms under section 131 or 131F or a permit to purchase under section 131A who was not licensed under the provisions of this chapter on Jun…

Section 131Q. (a) A firearm used to carry out a criminal act including the commission of a suicide shall be traced by the licensing authority for the city or town in which the crime took place or the law enforcement agency taking possession of the firearm. Said authority or agenc…

Section 131R. (a) A petitioner who believes that a person may pose a risk of causing bodily injury to self or others may, on a form furnished by the court and signed under the pains and penalties of perjury, file a petition in court. (b) A petition filed pursuant to this section …

Section 131S. (a) The court shall, within 10 days of receipt of a petition pursuant to section 131R, conduct a hearing on the petition. Upon receipt of the petition, the court shall issue a summons with the date, time and location of the hearing. The court shall direct a law enfo…

Section 131T. (a)(1) Upon the filing of a petition pursuant to section 131R, the court may issue an emergency extreme risk protection order without notice to the respondent and prior to the hearing required pursuant to subsection (a) of section 131S if the court finds reasonable …

Section 131U. (a) On the same day that an extreme risk protection order is issued pursuant to section 131S or section 131T, the clerk magistrate of the court shall forward a copy of the order to: (i) the licensing authority; (ii) the commissioner of probation; (iii) the departmen…

Section 131V. (a) A person who files a petition for an extreme risk protection order, knowing the information in the petition to be materially false or with an intent to harass the respondent, shall be punished by a fine of not less than $2,500 and not more than $5,000 or by impr…

Section 131W. The chief justice of the trial court, in consultation with the chief justice of the district court and the chief justice of the Boston municipal court, shall promulgate rules, regulations and policies and shall develop and prepare instructions, brochures, petitions,…

Section 131X. (a) Sections 131R to 131Y, inclusive, shall not affect the ability of a law enforcement officer to remove firearms or ammunition from any person or conduct any search and seizure for firearms or ammunition pursuant to other lawful authority. (b) Nothing in sections …

Section 131Y. The court shall annually, not later than December 31, issue a report on the use of extreme risk protective orders. The report shall be submitted to the executive office of public safety and security, the chairs of the joint committee on public safety and homeland se…

Section 136A. The following words as used in sections 137 to 174G, inclusive, shall have the following meanings unless the context requires otherwise: ''Adoption'', the delivery of a cat or dog to a person 18 years of age or older for the purpose of taking care of the dog or cat …

Section 137. (a) The owner or keeper of a dog over the age of 6 months shall obtain a license for the dog. The registering, numbering, describing and licensing of a dog shall be conducted in the office of the licensing authority in the city or town in which the dog is kept. (b) A…

Section 137A. (a) A person maintaining a kennel shall obtain a kennel license. A licensing authority shall issue, suspend, renew and revoke kennel licenses as specified in this chapter and any other law. In the case of an applicant for initial licensure or license renewal, a lice…

Section 137B. Every holder of a kennel license, on delivering an unlicensed dog to a purchaser or to any other person, shall attach to such dog a collar or harness which shall carry a tag marked with the name and address of such kennel licensee, and a number, which number shall b…

Section 137C. (a) The mayor of a city, the select board of a town, the town manager of a town, the police commissioner of the city of Boston, a chief of police or an animal control officer shall inspect or cause the inspection of every kennel licensed within the city or town at l…

Section 137D. Unless otherwise specifically provided by law, every license and tag issued under the provisions of sections one hundred and thirty-seven and one hundred and thirty-seven A, or under any ordinance or by-law relative to the licensing of dogs made under the authority …

Section 138. A person who during any license period becomes the owner or keeper of a dog which is duly licensed in the town or city where it is to be kept shall forthwith give notice in writing to the clerk of such town or city, or if kept in Boston to the police commissioner, th…

Section 139. (a) The fee for a license shall, except as otherwise provided, be determined by a city or town; provided, however, that no fee shall be increased without a majority vote of the city or town council or the voters present at a town meeting. (b) The license fee for a sp…

Section 139A. No shelter shall sell or give away any dog or cat that has not been spayed or neutered, unless a written agreement is entered into and a deposit of not less than $40 for spaying or neutering such dog or cat has been tendered to the shelter. The shelter may make appr…

Section 14. An innholder, after retaining for six months from the time of departure of a guest from his inn any trunks, bags, valises, parcels, clothing, goods or other personal property of a guest which has been abandoned by such guest, or which such innholder retains by virtue …

Section 141. Whoever violates section 137, 137B or 138 shall be assessed a penalty of not less than $50, which shall be paid to the city or town wherein the violation occurred.

Section 141A. Sections one hundred and thirty-seven to one hundred and forty-one, inclusive, shall not apply to any institution licensed under the provisions of chapter forty-nine A.

Section 141B. Sections one hundred and thirty-seven to one hundred and forty-one, inclusive, shall not apply to any pet shop the owner of which is licensed under the provisions of section thirty-nine A of chapter one hundred and twenty-nine.

Section 141C. (a) No person shall sell, offer to sell, exchange, trade, barter, lease or transfer for permanent physical placement a dog or cat that is less than 8 weeks of age. (b) A violation of this subsection shall be punished by a fine of not more than $100. Each dog or cat …

Section 141D. (a) No person shall sell, offer to sell, exchange, trade, barter, lease or transfer any dog or cat on any roadside, public right-of-way, parkway, median, park or other recreation area, flea market or other outdoor market or commercial or retail parking lot. (b) This…

Section 145. Every license issued to the owner of a dog shall have a description of the symptoms of rabies printed thereon. Such description shall be supplied by the department of public health.

Section 145A. The board of health of a city or town shall, upon application, furnish free of charge to any uninsured resident thereof who has been exposed to rabies, or may have been so exposed, anti-rabic vaccine and anti-rabic treatment, in accordance with rules and regulations…

Section 145B. (a) Each owner or keeper of a dog, cat or ferret that is 6 months of age or older shall cause such dog, cat or ferret to be vaccinated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian using a licensed vaccine according to the manufacturer's directions and shall cause such …

Section 146. A license duly recorded shall be valid throughout the commonwealth, except that, in the case of the permanent removal of a dog into another town within the commonwealth, the owner or keeper thereof shall, within thirty days after such removal, present the original li…

Section 147. The police commissioner of the city of Boston and the clerks of other cities and towns shall issue dog licenses and tags, receive the money therefor and pay such funds into the treasuries of their respective cities and towns on the first Monday of each month or more …

Section 149. Each city or town treasurer shall keep an accurate and separate account of all money received and expended by the treasurer under this chapter relating to animals.

Section 15. The proceeds of such sale, after deducting reasonable charges and expenses incurred in the storage and sale of such property, shall be applied to the discharge of the lien of such innholder thereon for the board, lodging and other charges of such guest, and any procee…

Section 150. Persons authorized or directed by section 4 of chapter 51 or by a special law, to make lists of residents 3 years of age or older shall make a list of all dogs owned by the inhabitants at the time of making such lists and shall annually return the same, in duplicate,…

Section 151. (a) The mayor of each city and the board of selectmen of each town shall annually designate an animal control officer, who may be a police officer or constable. The mayor or board of selectmen shall immediately submit to the commissioner the names, addresses and date…

Section 151A. (a) The mayor or board of selectmen, as the case may be, shall annually issue a warrant to the animal control officer directing the officer to seek out, catch and confine all dogs within the city or town which are not licensed, collared or harnessed, or tagged, as r…

Section 151B. A veterinarian registered under section 55 or 56A of chapter 112 who renders emergency care or treatment to, or who euthanizes, a dog or cat that is injured on any way shall receive payment from the owner of such dog or cat, if known, or, if not known, from the city…