The Office of General Counsel (OGC) is the lead DCR office for maintaining the department’s regulations found in the Commonwealth’s Code of Massachusetts Regulations. Among other things, the regulations govern the use of DCR lands and facilities, provide the framework for DCR regulatory programs, and address violations of DCR rules. OGC coordinates the proposal and promulgation of any new, amended or revised DCR regulations, as well as the repeal of any DCR regulation. Promulgation of regulations by DCR, including public hearings or meetings and public participation, is always in accordance with the requirements of Chapter 30A of the General Laws.
On this page, DCR facilitates access to its regulations, which have the force of law, however, please note that the regulations provided via this web page are not official versions. If for any reason you require the official version of the regulation, it is only available through Secretary of the Commonwealth via the State Bookstore. Although we strive to keep all information as current and accurate as possible, when downloading regulations from the DCR web site, the copy you receive may be different from the official version for a number of reasons, including but not limited to (1) the download may have gone wrong and you may have lost information; (2) the document may not print well given your specific software/hardware setup; (3) if you translate our documents to another word processing program, it may miss/skip/lose information; and, (4) the file on this web site may be out-of-date (as hard as we try to keep everything current, please note our disclaimer.
Regulations Under Review
302 CMR 18.00: Aquatic Nuisance Control Program
- Draft Regulation
- Notice of Public Hearing - The hearing originally scheduled for April 9, 2020 has been postponed. An updated Hearing Notice will be published as soon as a new hearing date has been determined. Written comments may be submitted beginning March 30, 2020; the final day for submitting written comments will be determined at a later date and will be no less than 35 days from the date an updated Hearing Notice is published.
New/Recently Amended Regulations
302 CMR 11.00 Parkways, Traffic, and Pedestrian Rules [AMEND]
302 CMR 12.00 Parks and Recreation Rules [AMEND]
313 CMR 11.00 Watershed Protection [AMEND]
Public Comments -2016
- Comments From BPSA and PFB re State Park Regulation - 302 CMR 11 and 12
- Ex 1 (BPSA, PFB) - Suggested Amendments to 302 CMR 11, 12
- Ex 2 (BPSA, PFB) - Mass RMV Moped Registration Form
- Ex 3 (BPSA, PFB) - IMBA eMTB Trail Study
- NEMBA Comment regarding Electric Bikes on Natural Surface Trails
2019 Public Comments on proposed amendments to both 302 CMR 11 and 302 CMR 12
- Comments and testimony – 6/27/2019 hearing
- Comments and testimony – 7/2/2019 hearing
- Written comments (mailed)
Response to Comments
Current regulations
801 CMR 4.02 (302) Fees for Licenses, Permits and Services to be Charged by State Agencies-DCR
302 CMR 3.00 Scenic and Recreational Rivers Orders
302 CMR 8.00 Major Capital Improvements within Mount Greylock State Reservation
302 CMR 10.00 Dam Safety Regulations
302 CMR 11.00 Parkways, Traffic, and Pedestrian Rules
302 CMR 12.00 Parks and Recreation Rules
302 CMR 14.00 Forester Licensing
302 CMR 15.00 Forest Classification Ch. 61
302 CMR 16.00 Forest Cutting Practices
302 CMR 17.00 Classification and Rating of Prospective Bidders
302 CMR 18.00 Aquatic Nuisance Control Program
302 CMR 19.00 Small Wireless Facility and New Small Cell Structure Licensing
304 CMR 7.00 Management Plans and Wildlands
313 CMR 11.00 Watershed Protection