Lawrence Code of Ordinances ch. 15.12 § 15.12.310
Cleaning or repairing by the board of health—Expenses
Operative Text
A. If a failure to comply with an order requiring that any dwelling or its premises be properly cleaned or repaired results in a condition which endangers or materially impairs the health or well-being of the occupant or the public, the board of health may cause such proper cleaning or repair and charge the responsible person or persons as hereinbefore provided with any and all expenses incurred. Any such charges by the board of health shall not absolve the responsible person or persons from any penalty warranted by the failure to comply with the order. B. The board of health may also act in an emergency under the provisions of regulation 5 of article I of the State Sanitary Code to clean or repair any dwelling which so fails to comply with the provisions of this chapter as to endanger or materially impair the health or well-being of the occupant or the public, and to charge the responsible person or persons with any and all expenses incurred.
Lawrence Code of Ordinances ch. 15.12 § 15.12.310 establishes a mechanism by which the Lawrence Board of Health may step in to clean or repair a dwelling when a responsible party has failed to comply with an order and that failure creates a condition endangering or materially impairing health or well-being. The Board can then bill the responsible party for all expenses incurred through that intervention. Importantly, being charged for those costs does not shield the responsible party from any separate penalties that may apply for the original failure to comply. In emergency situations, the Board may also act under State Sanitary Code Article I, Regulation 5 without waiting for a standard order cycle.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under Lawrence Code of Ordinances ch. 15.12 § 15.12.310, property owners and managers who receive a Board of Health cleaning or repair order generally act promptly to bring the dwelling into compliance before the Board intervenes directly. If the Board does perform the work itself, it will seek full cost recovery from the responsible party, and that financial obligation does not replace or reduce any penalties already warranted by the noncompliance. Operators familiar with this provision typically maintain documentation of repair timelines and communications with the Board to demonstrate good-faith compliance efforts.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Lawrence Code of Ordinances ch. 15.12 § 15.12.310 gives tenants an important backdrop of protection: if a dwelling's condition endangers or materially impairs health and the responsible party has not complied with a Board of Health order, the Board itself has authority to intervene and perform necessary cleaning or repairs. Tenants who believe their dwelling meets this threshold may consider contacting the Lawrence Board of Health to report the condition and inquire about the complaint and inspection process. Tenant-rights organizations in Massachusetts can also help residents understand how this provision interacts with other state and local housing protections.
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.