Massachusetts Statutes

Section 1. Any person who finds lost money or goods of the value of three dollars or more, the owner of which is unknown, shall within two days report the finding thereof to the officer in charge at a police station in the town where said property was found, or, if there is no po…

Section 2. Except as otherwise provided in chapter one hundred and thirty-three, any person who takes up a stray beast shall report, post or advertise the finding thereof, in the manner provided in the preceding section, giving a description of the color and the natural and artif…

Section 3. If, within three months after the finding of stray beasts, or within one year after the finding of lost money or goods, the owner appears and, except as otherwise provided in section two, pays all reasonable expenses incurred by the finder in keeping such goods or beas…

Section 4. If the owner of lost money or goods does not appear within one year after the finding thereof, they shall enure to the finder, provided he has complied with section one.

Section 5. If the owner of stray beasts does not appear within three months after the finding thereof and prove title thereto, the finder may sell them by public auction, first giving notice of such sale, at least four days before the time of sale, in two public places in the tow…

Section 6. If the owner of stray beasts appears within one year after the finding thereof, and proves title thereto, he shall, if they have not been sold under the preceding section, have restitution thereof upon payment, except as provided in section two, of all reasonable expen…

Section 7. Any person who takes away a beast taken up as a stray, without paying all lawful charges in relation thereto, shall forfeit to the finder double the amount of such charges, but not more than the value of the beast at the time of such taking away.

Section 1. Common carriers engaged in the transportation of passengers may sell baggage left unclaimed in their possession for a period of one hundred and twenty days at public auction, after publication of notice of such sale once a week for five successive weeks in a newspaper …

Section 10. The proceeds of such sale, or the balance of such unclaimed money, after deducting all reasonable charges and expenses incurred on such property, shall be paid into the city treasury.

Section 11. If, within two years and two months after such money has come into the possession of a member of the police department of a city or within two years after such sale of other property, the owner claims and proves ownership thereof, the unclaimed balance of such money o…

Section 12. The owner of a log, mast, spar or other timber carried by flood into land adjoining any river, stream or pond may, within six months, remove the same from said land upon paying or tendering to the owner or occupant thereof such reasonable damages as may be caused by s…

Section 5. When a common carrier has transported fresh meats, fresh fish, shellfish, fruit or vegetables to their destination, such carrier may, in the exercise of a reasonable discretion, after notice to the owner or consignee thereof of the arrival of such goods and his refusal…

Section 6. If goods carried by a railroad company, by express or in a vessel are not called for by the owner or consignee within one year after the date of their receipt at the place of consignment, they may be sold by public auction, notice of the time and place of sale, contain…

Section 7. If property which has been stolen, lost, abandoned or taken from a person under arrest comes into the possession of a member of the police department of a city by virtue of his office, he shall deliver the same to the officer or member of the department designated by t…

Section 8. If such property remains unclaimed in the possession of such police department or member thereof for one month and the owner thereof or his place of abode or business is unknown, or if the owner and his place of abode or business are known and the owner, after receipt …

Section 9. Such property, if perishable or liable to deteriorate greatly in value by keeping or the value of which will probably be less than the expense of keeping the same, may be sold by public auction within said two months in accordance with the rules of the department, reas…

Section 1. Sunday shall be a common day of rest. Sections one to eleven, inclusive, of this chapter may be cited as the Common Day of Rest Law.

Section 10. In addition to any criminal penalty herein provided the attorney general, a district attorney, a mayor or city manager and city council, or the board of selectmen of the town may petition the superior court in equity to enjoin any violation of this chapter. The superi…

Section 11. The provisions of sections one to ten, inclusive, shall not constitute a defense to an action for a tort or injury suffered by a person on Sunday.

Section 12. The public offices shall be closed on all legal holidays except March seventeenth, May twentieth, and June seventeenth; provided, however, in Suffolk county such offices shall be closed on March seventeenth and June seventeenth or the day following when either of said…

Section 13. The provisions of sections five to eleven, inclusive, shall, except as provided in section fourteen, apply to all legal holidays, except January first, the third Monday in January, the third Monday in February, March seventeenth, the third Monday in April, May twentie…

Section 14. Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter to the contrary, dancing or any game, sport, fair, exposition, play, entertainment or public diversion, including events authorized under chapter one hundred and twenty-eight A, may be conducted on any legal holiday and an…

Section 15. The persons or boards designated in section seven may, with respect to any legal holiday to which the provisions of sections five to eleven, inclusive, apply, grant for any such holiday any permit which could be granted under said section seven for the performance on …

Section 16. All stores and shops which sell goods at retail may be open at any time on Sundays and on Memorial Day, Juneteenth Independence Day, July Fourth and Labor Day, but no such stores and shops may be open on Christmas Day if Christmas occurs on a Sunday. The performance o…

Section 2. Whoever on Sunday is present at or engages in dancing, except folk or square dancing, or any game, sport, fair, exposition, play, entertainment or public diversion for which a charge in the form of the payment or collection of money or other valuable consideration is m…

Section 3. Whoever on Sunday offers to view, sets up, establishes or maintains, or attempts to set up, establish or maintain, or promotes or assists in such attempt, or promotes, or aids, abets or participates in offering to view, setting up, establishing or maintaining, or acts …

Section 4. (1) The mayor of a city or the selectmen of a town, upon written application describing the proposed dancing or game, sport, fair, exposition, play, entertainment or public diversion, except as provided in section one hundred and five of chapter one hundred and forty-n…

Section 5. Whoever on Sunday keeps open his shop, warehouse, factory or other place of business, or sells foodstuffs, goods, wares, merchandise or real estate, or does any manner of labor, business or work, except works of necessity and charity, shall be punished by a fine of not…

Section 6. Section five shall not prohibit the following: (1) Any manner of labor, business or work not performed for material compensation; provided, no public nuisance is created thereby. (2) The opening of a store or shop and the sale at retail of foodstuffs therein; provided,…

Section 7. The police commissioner of the city of Boston, or any member of the police department having a rank not lower than that of captain and designated by said commissioner, or the chief of police or the board or other officer in charge of the police department of any other …

Section 7A. In any city or town which accepts the provisions of this section when an application for a permit has been denied under the provisions of sections seven or fifteen such applicant may appeal such denial to the board of selectmen in a town or to the mayor of a city, as …

Section 8. Civil process shall not be served or executed on Sunday, and such service if made shall be void, and the person who serves or executes it shall be liable in damages to the person aggrieved in like manner as if he had no such process; provided, that this section shall n…

Section 9. Prosecution for violations of sections two, three or five shall be commenced within six months after the offense was committed.

Section 1. Whoever, by playing at cards, dice or other game, or by betting on the sides or hands of those gaming, except for gaming conducted in licensed gaming establishments pursuant to chapter 23K or sports wagering conducted pursuant to chapter 23N, loses to a person so playi…

Section 2. The owner, tenant or occupant of a house or building, but not including an owner or operator of a gaming establishment licensed pursuant to chapter 23K or an operator who offers sports wagering pursuant to chapter 23N, where money or goods are lost, paid or delivered i…

Section 3. Notes, bills, bonds, mortgages or other securities or conveyances the whole or part of the consideration of which is money or goods won by gaming or playing at cards, dice or any other game, or by betting on the sides or hands of persons gaming, or for repaying or reim…

Section 4. Whoever upon credit or upon margin contracts to buy or sell, or employs another to buy or sell for his account, any securities or commodities, intending at the time that there shall be no actual purchase or sale, may recover in contract from the other party to the cont…

Section 5. If, in a case under the preceding section, the money or property paid or delivered has been stolen, embezzled or fraudulently or wrongfully used by the party entitled to recover under said section, the person to whom it rightfully belongs may in his own name recover it…

Section 6. In a proceeding under either of the two preceding sections, if the person so employed does not make an actual transaction relieving him from liability under section four, the fact that the seller or the person employing another to sell for his account did not own the s…

Section 7. In the three preceding sections, the word ''securities'' shall include all evidences of debt or property and options for the purchase and sale thereof, shares in any corporation, joint stock company or association, bonds, coupons, scrip, rights, choses in action and ot…

Section 1. The following words as used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires, shall have the following meanings:— ''Alcohol'', all alcohol other than denatured alcohol or alcohol described in section three hundred and three A of chapter ninety-four. ''Alcoholic b…

Section 10. The following cities shall be exempt from the operation of the six preceding sections: First, cities having a licensing board or commission created by special statute or under the provisions of a charter. Second, other cities not having a board appointed under the ear…

Section 10A. The local licensing authorities shall file with the commission, on or before February fifteenth next following a license year in which the granting of licenses for the sale of any alcoholic beverage was authorized, a full report of their action during said license ye…

Section 10B. The commission shall have authority to declare the office of any member of a licensing board vacant regardless of how he was appointed, if he engages directly or indirectly in the manufacture or sale of alcoholic beverages in the event the local authority fails to ac…

Section 11. Except as hereinafter provided, the state secretary shall cause to be placed on the official ballot used in the cities and towns at each biennial state election the following subdivided question: If a majority of the votes cast in a city or town in answer to subdivisi…

Section 11A. Except as otherwise provided in this section, the city council of any city and the selectmen of any town shall, upon the filing with the city or town clerk of a petition signed by registered voters of such city or town equal in number to at least one per cent of the …