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H3909 • 2025

An Act authorizing the Provincetown year-round market rate rental housing trust to acquire year-round housing occupancy restrictions

An Act authorizing the Provincetown year-round market rate rental housing trust to acquire year-round housing occupancy restrictions

Housing
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Luddy, Hadley
Last action
2026-06-11
Official status
Referred to Senate Committee on Bills in the Third Reading
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details about enforcement mechanisms or penalties for violations, which were included in the candidate explanation.

Act Allowing Provincetown Housing Trust to Acquire Year-Round Rental Restrictions

This act allows a specific housing trust in Provincetown to purchase rules that limit how long people can rent or own homes as primary residences.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows the Provincetown Year-Round Market Rate Rental Housing Trust to acquire restrictions on year-round occupancy of rental and ownership housing.
  • Requires these restrictions to be recorded with local land records offices.
  • Specifies that any acquisition needs approval from the town's Select Board before it can happen.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Provincetown Year-Round Market Rate Rental Housing Trust
  • Homeowners and renters in Provincetown who are subject to year-round occupancy rules.
  • The Select Board of the Town of Provincetown

Terms To Know

Year-Round Housing Occupancy Restriction
A rule that requires people living in a home to use it as their main residence for at least 11 months out of every year.
Select Board
The elected governing body of the Town of Provincetown responsible for making decisions and approving actions.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Does not specify how long these restrictions will last or if they can be changed.
  • Does not detail what happens if someone violates a year-round occupancy restriction.
  • The act's effectiveness depends on further approval steps in the legislative process.

Bill History

  1. 2026-06-11 Senate

    Read second and ordered to a third reading

  2. 2026-04-30 Senate

    Read; and placed in the Orders of the Day for the next session

  3. 2026-04-28 House

    Read third and passed to be engrossed

  4. 2026-03-26 House

    Committee reported that the matter be placed in the Orders of the Day for the next sitting

  5. 2026-03-26 House

    Rules suspended

  6. 2026-03-26 House

    Read second and ordered to a third reading

  7. 2026-03-12 House

    Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Steering, Policy and Scheduling

  8. 2026-01-15 House

    Reporting date extended to Wednesday, March 18, 2026

  9. 2025-11-10 Joint

    Hearing scheduled for 11/10/2025 from 12:00 PM-12:00 PM in Written Testimony Only

  10. 2025-04-10 Senate

    Senate concurred

  11. 2025-03-17 House

    Referred to the committee on Housing

Official Summary Text

An Act authorizing the Provincetown year-round market rate rental housing trust to acquire year-round housing occupancy restrictions
By Representative Luddy of Orleans and Senator Cyr, a joint petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3909) of Hadley Luddy and Julian Cyr (by vote of the town) relative to year-round housing occupancy restriction in the town of Provincetown. Housing. [Local Approval Received.]
Status:
Referred to Senate Committee on Bills in the Third Reading

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
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Bill H.3909

SECTION 1. As used in this Act the following words shall, unless a different meaning clearly appears from the context, have the following meanings:

Select Board- the duly elected Select Board of the Town of Provincetown.

Town- the Town of Provincetown.

Year-Round Housing Occupancy Restriction- is a right, either in perpetuity or for a specified number of years, whether or not stated in the form of a restriction, easement, covenant, condition in any deed, mortgage, will, agreement or other instrument executed by or on behalf of the owner of the land appropriate to (a) limiting the use of all or part of the land to residential housing occupancy by persons or families who occupy either rental or ownership housing as their primary residence for not less than 11 months during any 1-year period, or (b) in any way limiting or restricting the use or enjoyment of all or any portion of the land for the purpose of encouraging or assuring creation or retention of rental and ownership housing for occupancy to persons or families who occupy either rental or ownership housing as their primary residence for not less than 11 months during any 1-year period.

SECTION 2. Notwithstanding any special or general law to the contrary in the Commonwealth, the Provincetown Year-Round Market Rate Rental Housing Trust created pursuant to Chapter 305 of the Acts of 2016 of the General Court, or an authorized municipal board or agency approved by the Select Board, may acquire a year-round housing occupancy restriction for rental or ownership housing.

SECTION 3. The year-round housing occupancy restriction shall be recorded with the Barnstable County Registry of Deeds, or if on registered land, filed with the Barnstable Registry District of the Land Court, and contain a description of the land upon which the restriction is to be imposed provided it specifies that the land lies in the Town and is shown on a recorded or registered plan in the Barnstable County Registry of Deeds or the Barnstable Registry District of the Land Court, gives the boundaries of the land by metes and bounds, with reference to said plan or instrument and if the land is registered, specifies the certificate or certificates of title thereof. The restriction imposed shall run with the title of the land on which it is imposed.

SECTION 4.

The acquisition of a year-round housing occupancy restriction must be approved by a vote of the Select Board prior to its acquisition.

SECTION 5. The year-round housing occupancy restriction may be enforced by the holder of the restriction, by injunction or other proceeding, and shall entitle representatives of the holder to enter the land in a reasonable manner and at reasonable times to assure compliance. If the court in any judicial enforcement proceeding, or the decision maker in any arbitration or other alternative dispute resolution enforcement proceeding, finds that there has been a violation of the restriction then, in addition to any other relief ordered, the petitioner bringing the action or proceeding may be awarded reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs incurred in the action proceeding.

The restriction may be released, in whole or in part, by the holder for consideration, if any as the holder may determine, in the same manner as the holder may dispose of land or other interests in land, but only after a public hearing upon reasonable public notice, by the Select Board, whose approval shall be required. The release of the restriction must be recorded or registered in the Barnstable County Registry of Deeds or the Barnstable Registry District of the Land Court, as applicable.

SECTION 6. Acceptance of the restrictions and releases shall be evidenced by certificates of approval or release and executed by the holder of the restriction and the Select Board, and duly recorded or registered.

SECTION 7. This act shall take effect upon its passage.

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