Mass.gov Terms of Use

This webpage contains terms of use for Mass.gov. By using Mass.gov you agree to these terms and conditions. Please note that the Massachusetts Judicial Branch has its own Terms of Use and Site Policies that apply to its pages on Mass.gov. Other individual state agencies or other Commonwealth entities may also adopt additional terms of use that apply to specific web-based transactions with those agencies or data posted on their websites. In addition, you should also review the Mass.gov Privacy Policy to learn about information collected by Mass.gov, what that information is used for, and how it may be shared.

For your convenience, Mass.gov contains hypertext or other links to websites that are maintained by other Commonwealth agencies and to external Internet sites that are not provided or maintained by the Commonwealth. Please note that the Commonwealth cannot guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of these sites. In particular, please note that Mass.gov uses various social media tools. Although some of the social media sites or identities might appear to be part of this site, many are hosted by third-party providers. Please review our social media policy for more information on the terms that apply for those sites.

All of the material posted on the Commonwealth's websites and available to the public without use of an authenticating and authorizing mechanism (such as a "PIN" or password) is public record. Most of the public record posted on Commonwealth websites can be copied and used for any purpose. For example, all judicial opinions and all laws and regulations are public record. However, some of the public record posted on the Commonwealth's websites is also copyrighted material (for example, regulations based on technical codes developed and copyrighted by private organizations).

The Commonwealth holds a copyright interest in most of the material posted on Mass.gov; a small amount of the material is owned by a third party or co-owned by the Commonwealth and a third party. With respect to material in which the Commonwealth holds the copyright, including the design, layout, and other features of Mass.gov, and most of the content on Mass.gov, the Commonwealth forbids any copying or use other than "fair use" under the Copyright Act. "Fair use" includes activities such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, research, and other related activities. In addition, please be advised that Mass.gov makes use of materials (e.g., photographs) in which third parties hold the copyright, which also cannot be copied or used for use other than "fair use" without permission of the copyright owner. If you want to make use other than "fair use" of any information on this website, you must seek permission directly from Mass.gov by contacting michelle.burwell@mass.gov.

The only part of this website to which the copyright rules stated above do not apply is on social media pages that receive comment. Content on these pages is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Content includes all materials posted by the Executive Department of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In addition, visitors to these pages agree to grant a non-exclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free license to the rest of the world for their submissions to this site under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. A copy of this license is available online at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Mass.Gov respects the intellectual property of others, and we ask users of our website to do the same. In accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and other applicable law, we have adopted a policy of terminating, in appropriate circumstances and at our sole discretion, users, subscribers, or account holders on our website who are deemed to be repeat infringers. We may also, at our sole discretion, limit access to our website and/or terminate the accounts of any users who infringe any intellectual property rights of others, whether or not there is any repeat infringement.

If you believe that any material on this website infringes upon any copyright which you own or control, or that any link on this website directs users to another website that contains material that infringes upon any copyright which you own or control, you may file a notification of such infringement with our Designated Agent as set forth below. Notifications of claimed copyright infringement must be sent to Mass.gov's Designated Agent for notice of claims of copyright infringement. Email our Designated Agent at Michelle.Burwell@mass.gov.

The Commonwealth makes no warranty that the materials contained within Mass.gov are free from copyright claims, or other restrictions or limitations on free use or display. The Commonwealth disclaims any liability for the improper or incorrect use of information obtained from Mass.gov.

Any references to commercial entities, products, services, or other non-governmental organizations or individuals that remain on the website are provided solely for the information of individuals using the website. These references are not intended to reflect the opinion of the Governor, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, or its officers and employees concerning the significance, priority, or importance to be given the referenced entity, product, service, or organization. Such references are not an official or personal endorsement of any product, person, or service, and may not be quoted or reproduced for the purpose of stating or implying the Governor’s or the Commonwealth’s endorsement or approval of any product, person, or service. The Commonwealth does not guarantee or warrant that any information posted by individuals on the website is correct, and disclaims any liability for any loss or damage resulting from reliance on any such information. The links to non-state websites are for information purposes only and do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Commonwealth.

The information and content on this website are for information purposes only and do not constitute and should not be construed as legal, financial, professional, or any other type of advice or counsel. You should contact an appropriate advisor with respect to any particular issue or problem.

If you have questions about Mass.gov website policies, you can use this form. Please do not include sensitive information, such as Social Security or bank account numbers. This form will only be responded to if the submission is about a Mass.gov website policy. All other questions or submissions will not receive a response.

Please use www.search.mass.gov or the Ask MA chatbot for questions about other subjects.