Massachusetts law about winter heating

Laws, regulations, cases, and both web and print sources on legal requirements for winter heat, and sources of assistance.

If you are unable to find the information you are looking for, or if you have a specific question, please contact our law librarians for assistance.

Minimum heat requirements

October 15 to May 15  At work

Workplace

MGL c. 149, § 5 Investigations of industrial conditions; complaints; prosecutions
The Attorney General receives complaints for violations of workplace conditions and may investigate and prosecute them.

MGL c. 149, § 113 Light, ventilation, cleanliness, sanitation and heat in establishments
Listed workplaces "shall be properly heated during the period from October fifteenth to May fifteenth."

Web sources

Minimum heating guidelines, Mass. Department of Labor Standards.
Outlines the minimum temperatures required in various types of workplaces. 

September 15 to May 31  At home

Residential

MGL c. 186, § 14 Wrongful acts of landlord; premises used for dwelling or residential purposes; utilities, services, quiet enjoyment; penalties; remedies; waiver

105 CMR 410 State Sanitary Code

• 410.160: Portable space heaters do not meet the requirement of the regulation and cannot be used.
• 410.180: Requires temperatures of at least 64 degrees Fahrenheit at night and 68 degrees during the day from September 15 to May 31. Temperatures should not exceed 78 degrees. A Board of Health may alter the heating season to start September 30 and end May 15, so check your city or town website for further notices.
  • Refer also to: Guidance on housing code temperature requirements (105 CMR 410.180)
• 410.620(B)(3): Right of occupant to have inspection due to complaint for lack of heat.
• 410.630(A)(2): Failure to provide heat is a condition deemed to endanger health and safety.
• 410.640: If a dwelling does not comply by providing heat, the local board of health (within 12 hours after an inspection) will order the owner to make a good faith effort to correct the violation within 24 hours.

940 CMR 10 Manufactured housing community regulations

• 10.03(3): Violations of local, state, or federal laws, regulations or ordinances governing landlord-tenant relations, with regard to manufactured housing, constitutes a violation of consumer protection laws (MGL c. 93A).

Web sources

Options if your landlord refuses to make repairs, Greater Boston Legal Services, 2025. 
Explains your options if your landlord does not make repairs after proper notification in writing or after an order has been issued by your local board of health.

Utilities, National Consumer Law Center, 2025.
Part of Legal tactics: Tenants' rights in Massachusetts. Explains your rights in dealing with electric, gas, and water companies.

Utilities advocacy for low-income households in Massachusetts, National Consumer Law Center, 2019.
Covers obtaining service, restoring service, receiving financial aid, landlord tenant situations and appendices of regulations and sample forms.

What are the Massachusetts heat laws?, MassLandlords.net, updated 2026.
A concise overview of a landlord’s responsibility for providing heat.

Print sources

Massachusetts landlord tenant law by George Warshaw, 2^nd ed., Lexis, 2001 with supplement. (eBook available with library card)

• Section 16:13: Landlord’s obligation to pay for utilities
• Section 16:20: G. L. c. 186, § 14
• Section 16:21: Wrongful transfer of utilities

Long-term care facilities

105 CMR 150.00 Standards for long-term care facilities

• 150.017(B)(14): Heating and air conditioning equipment
  Applies to facilities built before March 19, 1968:"Every facility shall be equipped with a heating system that is sufficient to maintain a minimum temperature of 75 [degrees] Fahrenheit throughout the facility at all times at winter temperatures." Portable room heaters are prohibited.
• 150.700(A):Heating and air conditioning systems
  Heating systems must maintain a minimum temperature of 75 degrees Fahrenheit at winter design temperatures.

Schools

603 CMR 18.04(7) Rooms occupied by students shall be maintained at not less than sixty-eight degrees Fahrenheit at zero Fahrenheit outside.

Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities

105 CMR 164.103(B) and 404(B) Facilities must comply with the State Sanitary Code regarding heating, electricity, lighting, plumbing and sanitary utilities.

Restrictions on heat shut-off

MGL c. 164, § 124F Shutting off service during financial hardship
Shutting off gas or electric service used for heating due to financial hardship is not permitted between November 15 and March 15.

220 CMR 25.03 Utility shutoff procedures
Provides particular protection to infants, the elderly, and seriously ill people during the winter.

Web sources

Special protections against shut-offs, National Consumer Law Center, 2025.
Explains situations when customers are protected against utilities being shut off.

When am I protected from having my utilities shut off?, Attorney General's Consumer Advocacy & Response Division.
Under certain conditions, your utilities may not be shut off, even if you haven’t or can’t pay your bill.

Print sources

Consumer law, 4^th ed. (Mass. Practice v.36), Thomson Reuters, 2021 with supplement.
Section 27:43: Termination of service -- Termination in winter.

Selected cases

Selected court cases on the topic of winter heating

File a complaint

State agency

File a complaint involving a gas, electric, or water company, Dept. of Public Utilities, Consumer Division.
Explains how to file a complaint with the DPU if you are a resident or business owner in Massachusetts.

City or town boards of health or inspectional services departments

If a landlord does not respond to your complaints about a Sanitary Code violation, then you (as the tenant) may request a code enforcement officer or the local board of health to inspect the apartment. Find your local board of health or inspectional services department for housing-related complaints.

Heat assistance

Cold relief brochure (FY2026), Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, 2025.
Includes a fuel assistance income eligibility chart, energy saving tips, and information about programs.

Eversource Massachusetts discount rate program
Provides eligibility requirements and an application form for residential customers.

Good Neighbor Energy Fund, Salvation Army.
This fund helps qualified Massachusetts residents who are experiencing financial problems pay electric, gas, and oil bills.

Heating oil contracts guide, Mass. Department of Energy Resources.
Offers questions for consumers to ask about home heating oil contracts and payment options. Also includes information on oil co-operatives and fuel assistance programs as well as links to household heating costs and consumer tip sheets.

Home Energy Assistance Programs, Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.
Provide eligible low-income households assistance with home heating services. Programs include:

• Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP)
• Heating System Repair & Replacement Program (HEARTWAP)
• Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP)

National Grid discount rate application for Massachusetts customers
Online application form for electric and gas discount with eligibility criteria for residential customers.

Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT), Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.
The RAFT program provides short-term emergency funding to help you with, among other things, loss of utilities.

Last updated:	March 3, 2026