Massachusetts S 1969: An Act relative to exempted accommodations

Bill Text

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SENATE DOCKET, NO. 739 FILED ON: 1/14/2025
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1969

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
Lydia Edwards
_________________
To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act relating to improvements to residential properties.
_______________
PETITION OF:

NAME: DISTRICT/ADDRESS:
Lydia Edwards Third Suffolk

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SENATE DOCKET, NO. 739 FILED ON: 1/14/2025
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1969
By Ms. Edwards, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1969) of Lydia Edwards relative
to the financing of qualifying improvements to residential property. Revenue.

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 4710 OF 2023-2024.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________
In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)
_______________

An Act relating to improvements to residential properties.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:

1 SECTION 1. The General Laws are hereby amended by inserting after chapter 80A the
2 following chapter:-
3 Chapter 80B
4 Section 1. As used in this chapter, the following words shall, unless the context clearly
5 requires otherwise, have the following meanings:-
6 “Benefitted property owner”, an owner of qualifying residential property who desires to
7 install qualifying improvements and who provides free and willing consent to the betterment
8 assessment against the qualifying residential property.

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9 “Betterment Assessment”, an assessment of a betterment on qualified residential property
10 in relation to qualifying improvements that have been duly assessed in accordance with chapter
11 80.
12 “Municipality”, a city, town, or county.
13 “Participating municipality”, a municipality that has determined to participate in a
14 program for financing qualifying improvements to residential property.
15 “Program administrator”, means a municipality or a separate legal entity created pursuant
16 to the provisions of this legislation that directly operates a program for financing qualifying
17 improvements and is authorized pursuant to the provisions of this legislation.
18 “Property owner”, means the owner or owners of record of real property. The term
19 includes real property held in trust for the benefit of one or more individuals, in which case the
20 individual or individuals may be considered as the property owner or owners, provided that the
21 trustee provides written consent. The term does not include persons renting, using, living in, or
22 otherwise occupying real property.
23 “Qualifying improvement”, shall include, but shall not be limited to, the following
24 permanent improvements located on residential property: : (i) repairing, replacing, or improving
25 a central sewerage system, converting an onsite sewage treatment and disposal system to a
26 central sewerage system, or, if no central sewerage system is available, removing, repairing,
27 replacing, or improving an onsite sewage treatment and disposal system to an advanced system
28 or technology; (ii) repairing, replacing, or improving a roof, including improvements that
29 strengthen the roof deck attachment; create a secondary water barrier to prevent water intrusion;
30 install wind-resistant shingles or gable-end bracing; or reinforce roof-to-wall connections; (iii)

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31 providing flood and water damage mitigation and resiliency improvements, prioritizing repairs,
32 replacement, or improvements that qualify for reductions in flood insurance premiums, including
33 raising a structure above the base flood elevation to reduce flood damage; constructing a flood
34 diversion apparatus, drainage gate, or seawall improvement, including seawall repairs and
35 seawall replacements; purchasing flood damage-resistant building materials; or making
36 electrical, mechanical, plumbing, or other system improvements that reduce flood damage;
37 (iv)replacing windows or doors, including garage doors, with energy-efficient, impact-resistant,
38 wind-resistant, or hurricane windows or doors or installing storm shutters (v) installing energy-
39 efficient heating, cooling, or ventilation systems; (vi) replacing or installing insulation; (vii)
40 replacing or installing energy-efficient water heaters: (viii) installing and affixing a permanent
41 generator; (ix) providing a renewable energy improvement, including the installation of any
42 system in which the electrical, mechanical, or thermal energy is produced from a method that
43 uses solar, geothermal, bioenergy, wind, or hydrogen; (x) energy conservation and efficiency
44 improvements, which are measures to reduce consumption through efficient use or conservation
45 of electricity,