News  Healey-Driscoll Administration finalizes Seasonal Communities regulations to support local workers and unlock year-round housing

Boston — The Healey-Driscoll Administration today issued final Seasonal Communities regulations, giving designated cities and towns clear, practical tools to create and preserve more year-round housing, support local workers and help lower housing costs.

The final regulations promulgated by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities establish a framework for the Seasonal Communities designation, created by Governor Maura Healey’s Affordable Homes Act, including clear requirements that help communities move forward with implementation.

The Seasonal Communities designation recognizes Massachusetts communities — many located on Cape Cod, the Islands and in the Berkshires — that experience significant seasonal swings in employment and housing demand. The law also established the Seasonal Communities Advisory Council, a group created to advise the administration and help guide implementation. Over the past year, the council gathered input from Seasonal Communities and stakeholders to help shape the final regulations.

“These communities are essential to Massachusetts’ economy, and the people who keep them running deserve access to year-round housing,” said Governor Maura Healey. “By delivering on this important part of the Affordable Homes Act, we’re supporting communities that are working to build more housing, preserve year-round homes and grow and retain their local workforce.”

“Seasonal communities are more than vacation destinations — they are home to families, seniors and essential workers who struggle to find housing they can afford,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “These regulations provide clarity and structure so local leaders can act faster to deliver housing that meets the needs of year-round residents.”

“I’m grateful to the Seasonal Communities Advisory Council for its work and to the local leaders and residents who shared detailed input from communities on the ground,” said Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Ed Augustus. “Those conversations helped shape the final regulations we’re delivering now — usable tools from zoning changes to year-round housing deed restrictions and housing preferences that support essential public employees.”

Key implementation tools in the final regulations include:

• As-of-right zoning for tiny houses that are used as year-round housing, with safeguards ensuring compliance with the state building code and any approved local building code, and flexibility for communities to regulate movable tiny houses.
• As-of-right zoning for attainable housing on undersized lots, with requirements that support year-round occupancy and include safeguards related to wastewater and sewer laws and local dimensional rules.
• Year-round housing deed restrictions that can be acquired by communities and local or regional trusts to preserve homes for year-round residents, with documentation and recordkeeping requirements.
• Housing preferences for essential public employees, with standards to ensure compliance with fair housing laws and clear documentation practices.
• A framework for artist housing and biannual comprehensive housing needs assessments that communities may support with designated funds.
• A process for waivers in cases of undue hardship and an accountability framework, including timelines for required zoning adoption.

HLC also scheduled two regional information sessions for municipal officials in communities that have been offered the Seasonal Communities designation but have not yet accepted it. A Cape Cod information session was held on Monday, Feb. 2, via Zoom in partnership with the Cape Cod Commission. A Western Massachusetts information session is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 4, from 5-6 p.m. via Zoom in partnership with the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission and the Franklin Regional Council of Governments. The sessions provide an overview of the designation, how designations were made, the benefits available and the requirements for communities that accept.

In December 2025, HLC announced that 18 additional municipalities across Barnstable, Berkshire and Franklin counties were newly eligible to become Seasonal Communities, alongside new funding opportunities and support for designated communities. The expansion reflected input from the Seasonal Communities Advisory Council and HLC’s engagement with local and regional stakeholders.

HLC also recently published the Seasonal Communities Advisory Council annual report, which summarizes early implementation progress and identifies areas that could be evaluated in the future as the program matures.

The Seasonal Communities designation builds on the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s broader work to bring down housing costs by increasing housing supply statewide. The administration is expediting the permitting process, releasing surplus state land for housing production, converting underutilized commercial space into residences, implementing the MBTA Communities law, legalizing accessory dwelling units statewide and providing financing tools to help homeowners build them, and creating a first-in-the-nation fund to finance mixed-income housing development. To help people afford their mortgages and rents right now, the administration is increasing down payment assistance and lowering mortgage rates for first-time homebuyers, banned mandatory renter-paid fees, gave seniors up to $2,800 a year to help with housing costs and expanded home inspection protections.