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Under Massachusetts General Laws chapter 44B section 8, real property conveyance documents recorded at the Registry of Deeds are subject to a Community Preservation Act surcharge. This law was amended by chapter 41 sections 29 and 30 of the Acts of 2019. Effective December 31, 2019, the $20 surcharge will increase to $50 for documents, and the recording fee for a municipal lien certificate will be raised from $10 to $25. The surcharges are forwarded to the Massachusetts Community Preservation Trust Fund which is used for historic preservation, open space and recreational land acquisition, and affordable housing by cities and towns that have accepted the statute. Participating municipalities receive distributions from the fund on a sliding scale basis.
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Portraits in Massachusetts Law: Lucy Stone posted on Nov 13

Portraits in Massachusetts Law is a regular feature of Massachusetts Law Updates. These pages provide links to biographical information abut people who have been particularly important in legal history in Massachusetts, as our government took shape in the cauldron of the American Revolution and grew and changed throughout …Continue Reading Portraits in Massachusetts Law: Lucy Stone
Word(s) of the month – suffrage posted on Nov 1

Words of law is a regular feature of Massachusetts Law Updates, highlighting a particular word or phrase and its meaning in law. Today’s word is suffrage. suffrage (sәf-rji). (14c) 1. the right or privilege of casting a vote at a public election. – Also termed right to vote. …Continue Reading Word(s) of the month – suffrage
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