Massachusetts General Laws

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 6, § 178G (2026)

Termination of obligation to register

✓ current as of July 2026

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Section 178G. The duty of a sex offender required to register pursuant to this chapter and to comply with the requirements hereof shall, unless sooner terminated by the board under section 178L, end 20 years after such sex offender has been convicted or adjudicated or has been released from all custody or supervision, whichever last occurs, unless such sex offender was convicted of two or more sex offenses defined as sex offenses pursuant to the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act, 42 U.S.C. section 14071, committed on different occasions, has been convicted of a sexually violent offense; has been determined by the sentencing court to be a sexually violent predator, or if such sex offender is otherwise subject to lifetime registration requirements as determined by the board pursuant to section 178D, in which cases the duty to register shall never be terminated. A person required to register with the sex offender registry board may make an application to said board to terminate the obligation upon proof, by clear and convincing evidence, that the person has not committed a sex offense within ten years following conviction, adjudication or release from all custody or supervision, whichever is later, and is not likely to pose a danger to the safety of others. For so long as such sex offender is under a duty to register in the commonwealth or in any other state where the offender resides or would be under such a duty if residing in the commonwealth, such sex offender shall not be entitled to relief under the provisions of section 100A or 100B of chapter 276.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 16 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1996–2024 · leading case: Doe v. Sex Offender Registry Bd., 459 Mass. 603 (Mass. 2011).

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Doe v. Sex Offender Registry Bd., 459 Mass. 603 (Mass. 2011). · cites it 2× “A sex offender’s duty to pay the registry fee “shall only terminate upon the termination of said offender’s duty to register as a sex offender as set forth in [G. L. c. 6, § 178G].” Id. The board may waive payment of the registry fee “if it determines that such payment would…”

Doe, SORB No. 76819 v. Sex Offender Registry Bd., 102 N.E.3d 950 (Mass. 2018). · cites it 5× “See G. L. c. 6, § 178G. Here, we are confronted with the question of the appropriate quantum and burden of proof in the context of such termination hearings.”

L.L., a Juv. v. Commonwealth, 20 N.E.3d 930 (Mass. 2014). “13 Furthermore, the Legislature has used the word “likely” in another provision of the act, G. L. c. 6, § 178G, which authorizes certain registered sex offenders to seek to terminate the obligation to register after ten years.”

Doe v. Sex Offender Registry Bd., 882 N.E.2d 298 (Mass. 2008). · cites it 2× “But the 1999 statute mandates that those who have committed a “[s]exually violent offense,” which includes rape (G.”

Doe, Sex Offender Registry Bd. No. 1211 v. Sex Offender Registry Bd., 857 N.E.2d 473 (Mass. 2006). “37A, see note 3, supra, not all sex offenders, currently including Doe, may be relieved of the obligation to register. 5 Similarly, the provision concerning automatic *758 termination of the duty to register appears not to apply to Doe because he has been convicted of a sexually…”

Doe v. Sex Offender Registry Bd., 999 N.E.2d 478 (Mass. 2013). “G. L. c. 6, § 178G. As we have emphasized, the sex offender registration law implicates constitutionally protected liberty and privacy interests.”

Doe v. Weld, 954 F. Supp. 425 (D. Mass. 1996). · cites it 2× “See G.L. c. 6, § 178G. If a registered offender can provide clear and convincing evidence that he has not engaged in a sex crime for at least fifteen years and that he is “not likely to pose a threat to the safety of others,” he may apply to the Board to have the duty to…”

Doe v. Attorney Gen., 426 Mass. 136 (Mass. 1997). “G. L. c. 6, § 178G. It may or may not be that the requirement that the plaintiff appear at a local police station, register as a sex offender, and answer certain questions impermissibly violates his liberty and privacy interests.”

Moe v. Sex Offender Registry Bd., 467 Mass. 598 (Mass. 2014). “See G. L. c. 6, § 178G (authorizing SORB to terminate obligation to register for certain sex offenders under certain circumstances); 803 Code Mass.”

Roe v. Farwell, 999 F. Supp. 174 (D. Mass. 1998). “” Mass.Gen. Laws ch. 6, § 178G. A sex offender may apply to have the registration obligation terminated upon a showing, by clear and convincing evidence, “that [he] has not committed a sex offense within fifteen years following conviction, adjudication, or release from all…”

Doe v. Attorney Gen., 715 N.E.2d 37 (Mass. 1999). “G. L. c. 6, § 178G. Once a sex offender registers with the criminal history systems board (board), the sex offender registry board (sex offender board) must classify him as a level one, two, or three offender, based on the risk that he will reoffend.”

Doe v. Sex Offender Registry Bd., 28 Mass. L. Rptr. 159 (Mass. Super. Ct. 2011). “Notably, the Court found the original statute constitutionally deficient despite former G.L.c. 6, §178G, which allowed a sex offender to apply to be relieved of the obligation to register, but only more than fifteen years after conviction.”

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