Mass. Gen. Laws » Part I Title VII Chapter 39
Massachusetts General Laws

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 39, § 9 (2026)

Annual meeting; other meetings; election of officers; times; adjournment; holidays

✓ current as of July 2026
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Section 9. Except as otherwise provided by special law or a charter adopted or revised or amended under Sections two, three, or four of Article LXXXIX of the Amendments to the Constitution of the Commonwealth which may provide for a different time for the election of town officials and other matters to be determined by ballot, the annual meeting of each town shall be held in February, March, April, May or June; and other meetings may be held at such times as the selectmen may order or the charter or by-law prescribe; provided, however, that, notwithstanding the provisions of this section or of any other law, by-law, or charter to the contrary, a town, by the vote of its board of selectmen or town council may delay the annual town meeting; and provided, further, that such a delayed annual town meeting shall complete its business on or before June 30 except in the event of an emergency that poses an immediate threat to the health or safety of persons or property that prevents the completion of the business of the delayed town meeting on or before June 30 if the governor has declared a state of emergency with respect to such emergency. Town meetings shall be held within the geographic limits of the town unless a special law, charter or by-law provides otherwise; provided, however, that any meeting for the election by ballot of federal, state or other officers or the determination of other matters that are to be determined by ballot at an election shall be held within the geographic limits of the town. Meetings may be adjourned from time to time and meet and adjourn to any place authorized by law provided that officers shall be elected, and matters required by law to be elected or determined by ballot, shall be so elected or determined during the hours during which polls shall remain open as hereinafter provided. If the day set for a town meeting by by-law or otherwise falls on a legal holiday, such meetings shall be held on the day following. A town may by by-law designate the hour at which the annual town meeting shall be called and subject to section sixty-four of chapter fifty-four by vote or by-law designate the hours during which polls shall remain open in meetings for the election of officers and the determination of other matters that are required by law to be determined by ballot.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 4 cases, 1971–2007 · leading case: Curnin v. Town of Egremont, 510 F.3d 24 (1st Cir. 2007).
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Curnin v. Town of Egremont, 510 F.3d 24 (1st Cir. 2007). “Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 39, § 9 . Special town meetings are called if a question arises requiring legislative action before the next annual meeting.”
Bloom v. City of Worcester, 293 N.E.2d 268 (Mass. 1973). “39, § 8, denying city council members eligibility to any other office whose salary is payable by the city; G. L. c. 39, § 9, restricting the months during which a town may hold an annual town meeting; G.”
Bartlett v. Bd. of Appeals of Lakeville, 505 N.E.2d 193 (Mass. App. Ct. 1987). “” 10 It was agreed at argument that the 1978 amendment of § V(a) of the Lakeville zoning by-law was adopted at the 1978 annual town meeting, which necessarily preceded the July 1, 1978, effective date of the new G.”
Opinion of the Justices to the Senate, 358 Mass. 838 (Mass. 1971). “G. L. c. 39, § 9; c. 41, § 1. Towns with open town meetings may elect these officers at the same session of the town meeting at which other business is transacted, using improvised ballots for the purpose.”
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.