Mass. Gen. Laws » Part I Title XX Chapter 143
Massachusetts General Laws

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 143, § 3L (2026)

Regulations relative to electrical wiring and fixtures; notice of electrical installation

✓ current as of July 2026
Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section MAmalegislature.gov (official) JustiaChapter on Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar

Section 3L. The board of fire prevention regulations shall make and promulgate, and from time to time may alter, amend and repeal, rules and regulations relative to the installation, repair and maintenance of electrical wiring and electrical fixtures used for light, heat and power purposes in buildings and structures subject to the provisions of sections three to sixty, inclusive, and the state building code. Such regulations shall be in accordance with generally accepted standards of engineering practice, and shall be designed to provide reasonable uniform requirements of safety in relation to life, fire and explosion.

Upon the making of such rules and regulations and prior to their promulgation, the board shall hold a public hearing thereon, notice of which shall be given by advertising in at least one newspaper in each of the cities of Boston, Worcester, Springfield, Fall River, Lowell and Lynn, at least ten days before said hearing. If, subsequent to their being deposited with the state secretary, as provided herein, the board on its own initiative contemplates changes in said rules and regulations, or if a petition is filed by any other person for changes therein, like notice and a hearing shall be given and held before the adoption thereof.

Such rules and regulations, and any alterations, amendments or repeals thereof shall be deposited with the state secretary, and the same shall become effective when so deposited.

No person shall install for hire any electrical wiring or fixtures subject to this section without first or within five days after commencing the work giving notice to the inspector of wires appointed pursuant to the provisions of section thirty-two of chapter one hundred and sixty-six. Said notice shall be given by mailing or delivering a permit application form prepared by the board, to said inspector. Any person failing to give such notice shall be punished by a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars. This section shall be enforced by the inspector of wires within his jurisdiction and the state examiners of electricians.

Any person installing for hire electrical wiring or fixtures subject to this section shall notify the inspector of wires in writing upon the completion of the work. The inspector of wires shall, within five days of such notification, give written notice of his approval or disapproval of said work. A notice of disapproval shall contain specifications of the part of the work disapproved, together with a reference to the rule or regulation of the board of fire prevention regulations which has been violated.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 5 cases, 1983–2019 · leading case: Simon v. State Examiners of Electricians, 479 N.E.2d 649 (Mass. 1985).
Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment
Simon v. State Examiners of Electricians, 479 N.E.2d 649 (Mass. 1985). · cites it 2× “, dissenting). See note 11, infra. [9] The Attorney General did not rely on the exemption "for the transmission of intelligence," as provided in G.”
Henderson v. D'annolfo Dodge Elec. Contr, 446 N.E.2d 103 (Mass. App. Ct. 1983). “12 The relevant code is the Massachusetts Electrical Code (1967), promulgated by the Board of Fire Prevention Regulations, Department of Public Safety, under the authority of G. L. c. 143, § 3L. See now 527 Code Mass.”
Simon v. State Examiners of Electricians, 18 Mass. App. Ct. 17 (Mass. App. Ct. 1984). · cites it 5× “As we read that chapter, although telephone and telegraph company employees need not be licensed electricians under G.”
Commonwealth v. Porrazzo, 516 N.E.2d 1182 (Mass. App. Ct. 1987). “Ill, § 31; electrical code, G. L. c. 143, § 3L, and plumbing code, 248 Code Mass.”
Murrell-Rosario v. Bd. of Electricians' Appeals, 122 N.E.3d 1100 (Mass. App. Ct. 2019). “In 2008, the inspector of wires for the city of Lynn observed that Murrell-Rosario had, without permit or inspection, see G. L. c. 143, § 3L, pars. 4-5, connected electric power to her garage.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.