Boston Municipal Code ch. 10-10 § 10-10.3
Collection of Records—Directory
Operative Text
(A) Each and every school domiciled in any part of the city shall collect and maintain a Directory of the names, complete addresses, statuses (i.e., undergraduate or graduate, part-time or full-time), expected graduation dates and telephone numbers of all students enrolled at the school, as well as a list of all properties currently rented by the school for use as student residences under a “master lease” program. The addresses and telephone numbers collected for the directory must reflect where the student actually resides and at what phone number the student can be reached for the period in which the student resides in the city. (B) Each and every school shall collect the required directory information once each school year beginning in the fall semester. (C) Upon collection, all information collected for the directory shall be organized and maintained by the school in such a way that the required information is easily accessible and understandable to any authorized school official. Each and every school shall submit the report as required by this Section to the City Clerk in the format provided by the city. (D) All schools shall be responsible for monitoring this directory for compliance with the Boston Zoning Code’s applicable use regulations with regards to the Code’s definition of the term FAMILY , which provides that a group of five or more persons who are enrolled as full-time undergraduate students at a post secondary educational institution shall not constitute a family. Upon determining that any student’s residence may be in violation of the Code, the school shall notify the student(s) of the Code regulation.
Boston Municipal Code ch. 10-10 § 10-10.3 requires every school operating within Boston to compile and keep a directory of enrolled students, capturing their actual residential addresses, phone numbers, enrollment status, and expected graduation dates, as well as any properties the school leases for student housing under master lease arrangements. This information must be gathered once per academic year starting in the fall, organized for easy access by authorized school officials, and submitted to the City Clerk in a city-specified format. Schools are also responsible for monitoring the directory to identify potential zoning violations related to how Boston's Zoning Code defines a 'family,' and must notify affected students when a possible violation is identified.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Property owners and managers who rent to students or participate in institutional master lease arrangements should be aware that under Boston Municipal Code ch. 10-10 § 10-10.3, the schools themselves bear the obligation to collect and report accurate student residential data to the City Clerk each fall. Compliant schools also monitor their directories against Boston's Zoning Code definition of 'family,' which excludes groups of five or more full-time undergraduates from that classification, and notify students whose living arrangements may run afoul of applicable use regulations. Landlords renting to student groups near or at that threshold may find that the school has already flagged the arrangement, making it prudent to understand how the zoning definition of 'family' applies to their properties.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Under Boston Municipal Code ch. 10-10 § 10-10.3, students living in Boston should know that their school is required to collect and report their actual residential address and contact information to the City Clerk once each fall semester. The same provision requires schools to monitor student living arrangements for potential conflicts with Boston's Zoning Code definition of 'family' and to directly notify students whose residences may be in violation. Students who have questions about how this reporting requirement affects their housing situation, or who believe their school has not fulfilled its notification obligations, can reach out to the Boston City Clerk's office or a local tenant-rights organization for general information.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated September 13, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
References Out
No outbound references recorded yet for this provision.
References In
No inbound references recorded yet for this provision.