Best bet
Citizen's guide to town meetings, Secretary of the Commonwealth, 2024.
"This booklet outlines the forms and procedures used in Massachusetts Town Meetings." Includes procedures and frequently asked questions such as who may speak, types of town meetings and other topics.
Massachusetts laws
Massachusetts Constitution, Amendment LXXXIX
Draws the distinction between cities and towns, and allows for home-rule charters.
MGL c. 39 Municipal government
MGL c. 43A Standard form of representative town meeting government
Selected cases
Barron v. Kolenda, 491 Mass. 408 (2023)
A town's rule for public participation at meetings (a rule requiring that all comments be respectful, polite, and free of rude or personal attacks) violates people's rights.
- Massachusetts protects the right to be ‘rude’ in town meetings
The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law provides a synopsis of the case.
Rules of procedure
Most Massachusetts town meetings use one or both of the following:
Robert's Rules of Order
- Official site with ordering information as well as frequently asked questions about the rules
- 1915 edition (online via the Internet Archive)
- 2020 edition (print, available through the law libraries)
- Roberts Rules in plain English 2005 edition (print, available through the law libraries)
"Abbreviated essential parliamentary rules condensed from Robert's Rules of order newly revised." - Roberts Rules of Order in the courts 1994 edition (print, available through the law libraries)
Provides citations to court cases about the rules.
Town Meeting Time
- Mass. Moderators Association, ordering information for the latest edition
- 2001 edition (print, available through the law libraries)
Town meeting guides
Meeting guides
Many towns have their own extensive guides to town meeting with FAQs, glossaries, and decision tables. Check with your town or refer to one of the example guides listed below.
- Concord: Provides an explanation of the open town meeting process
- Lexington: Provides an explanation of how a representative town meeting works, and how it differs from an open town meeting
- Ayer
- Brookline
- Provincetown
- Wenham
- Westford
Citizens' petitions guides
Citizens can petition their town to have an item added to meeting agenda. Check with your town or refer to one of the examples listed below for more information.
Web sources
Massachusetts Moderators Association
Provides information for both moderators and the general public, including informational videos and downloadable materials.
Updated guidance on holding meetings pursuant to the Act Extending Certain COVID-19 Measures, Mass. Attorney General, regarding St. 2025, c. 2, which extended the temporary provisions regarding remote and hybrid meetings in COVID-19 Order #1 to June 30, 2027.
Contact
Online
| Last updated: | September 29, 2025 |
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