HP Dropoff Area and Accessible Entrance
The Ashburton Park Entrance on Bowdoin Street is the accessible entrance for the State House. Visitors using The RIDE can use the Capitol Coffee House at 122 Bowdoin Street as the drop off point address. This is across the street from the Ashburton Park entrance. Please notify us in advance if vans or buses are being arranged to drop off large groups of mobility impaired visitors.
Wheelchairs available for loan upon request at the Ashburton Park accessible entrance.
Parking
There is no parking available on site. Nearby parking garages are listed below:
LAZ Parking - Ashburton Lot
12 Ashburton Place
Outdoor Lot
SP PLUS Parking - 100 Cambridge Street Parking Facility
30 Somerset Street
Indoor Garage
LAZ Parking
73 Tremont Place
Indoor Garage — Valet Parking
VPNE Beacon Street Lot
17 Beacon Street
Outdoor Lot — Valet Parking
Boston Common Garage
0 Charles St (between Boylston St-Beacon St)
The City of Boston maintains a citywide map of HP parking spaces: On-Street Accessible Parking Map
Restrooms
Accessible restrooms are available in the following areas:
Sub-basement
- Restroom 5L
- Restroom 5M
Basement
- Restroom 44L located near the Ashburton Park entrance
- Restroom 14M located near the Ashburton Park entrance
- Family restroom between rooms 26 and 27
- Family restroom 75 located above Gardner Auditorium
First Floor
- Restroom 188L
- Restroom 188M
- Restroom 137L near the General Hooker entrance
- Restroom 135M near the General Hooker entrance
Second Floor
- Restroom 237L
- Restroom 236M
Fourth Floor
- Restroom 447M
At all other restrooms, wayfinding signage will direct you to the nearest accessible restroom.
Massachusetts State House Service Animal Policy
The Massachusetts State House abides by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and is committed to ensuring that all visitors, including those assisted by trained service animals, are able to fully enjoy all public spaces of the State House.
Definition of a Service Animal
Service animals are defined by the ADA as dogs that are trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Animals that are considered “comfort animals,” “therapy animals,” “companion animals” or “emotional support animals” are not service animals as defined by the ADA because they are not trained to perform a specific task for an individual with a disability and therefore are not permitted at the State House. Please Note: Service animals are working animals, not pets. The animal does not need to have specific licensing or paperwork presented to be admitted into the State House.
Policy and Procedure
Two questions may be asked of individuals with dogs:
- Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?
- What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?
While on the State House’s premises, staff can expect that:
- The service animal must always be under control. The service animal must always be under the handler’s personal control (i.e. not passed off to another visitor, whether or not they are the handler’s partner).
- The service animal must be housebroken.
- It is preferable that the animal be in a guiding harness or on a leash or be in some other way tethered to the handler while in the building, unless the tethering interferes with the service animal's work or the handler’s disability prevents them from using a tethering device.
A person with a disability cannot be asked to remove their service animal from the premises unless:
- The dog is out of control and the handler does not take effective action to control it or;
- The dog is not housebroken.
When there is a legitimate reason to ask that a service animal be removed, staff must offer the person with the disability the opportunity to visit the State House without the animal’s presence.
Rules and Specifications Related to Service Animals
State House Staff cannot:
- Ask about the person’s disability, require medical documentation substantiating a person’s disability and/or need for a service animal, or require a special identification card and/or training documentation for a dog identified as a service animal
- Ask that a dog identified as a service animal demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task
- Ask the person and their service animal to leave due to another visitor’s expressed fear of dogs or concern about allergies. These are not valid reasons for denying access to people with service animals
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this policy, please contact the State House ADA Coordinator.