offered by
Office of the State Auditor
Division of Local Mandates
related to
Government Transparency

Local Mandate Determinations

If a local government thinks a state law or regulation creates an unfunded mandate on a municipality, it can seek a determination from the Office of the State Auditor (OSA).

Under state law, if the legislature or a state agency require a local government to take on a new direct service or cost, the legislature is generally required to provide funding for the municipality to implement the new requirement. If the state does not provide local governments proper funding to meet the requirements of the new law or regulation, it may be considered an unfunded mandate.

If a local government thinks a law or regulation may be in violation of the law, it can ask for a determination from the Office of the State Auditor's (OSA) Division of Local Mandates (DLM).

Requests for mandate determinations can come from elected municipal leaders, appointed managers, school or educational collaborative officials, state lawmakers, or legislative committees.

If the OSA determines a law or regulation is an unfunded mandate, a local government can use that determination to seek funding or an exemption from complying with the law or regulation.

What would you like to do?

Top tasks

Request an unfunded mandate determination 

What you need to know

All Local Mandate Determinations 
Education Mandate Determinations 
Election Mandate Determinations 
Environmental Mandate Determinations 
Municipal Government Mandate Determinations 
Municipal Finance Mandate Determinations 
See all 9 

Contact Information

Address

1 Winter St., 9th Floor, Boston, MA 02108
directions 

Phone

617-727-0025

Fax

617-727-0984

Address

Massachusetts State House, Room 230, Boston, MA 02133
directions 

Phone

Main (617) 727-2075

Online

Auditor@sao.state.ma.us
Subscribe to our e-newsletter 
Request that Auditor Bump Speak to Your Group or Event 

Fax

(617) 727-3014

Related Services

Additional Resources

The Local Mandates Law
Image credits:  John Phelan - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11773191
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