The COVID Project
The record
- Jurisdiction
- City of Boston, Massachusetts · Boston · Massachusetts
- Level
- City
- Authority
- Municipal permitting authority over City-permitted construction (building permits, street-opening permits); BPHC public health emergency of Mar. 15, 2020
- Issued
- 2020-03-16 Mar. 16, 2020
- Effective
- 2020-03-17 (all active permitted projects to be secured by Monday, March 23, 2020) (read as 2020-03-17)
- End
- Affirmatively extended 'until further notice' on Mar. 25, 2020 (Ex. 015); phased restart from May 5, 2020 (hospitals, schools), May 18 and May 26, 2020 under the City's COVID-19 construction safety affidavit (City announcements, verified_secondary) (read as 2020-06-30)
- In force
- Mar. 17, 2020 to June 30, 2020
- Quarters
- 2020 Q2
2020 Q22020 Q32020 Q42021 Q12021 Q22021 Q3
- Limitation types
- Business closureWorkplace rules
- Addressees
- all holders of City of Boston construction and street permits
- contractors and building trades
- Functions reached
- JS job sites closed (construction)
- SB subcontractors and trades idled
- OW owners' projects suspended
- SC materials deliveries halted
- PM permits and inspections
- Collection
- Boston MET-BOS
Operative words
On March 16, the City of Boston announced that it would temporarily pause some non-essential construction in the City of Boston.... This policy is effective as of March 17 and will be reviewed at regular intervals. New projects cannot be started at this time, unless they meet the criteria above. Any currently permitted and active construction project must be in a secure situation by Monday, March 23. This policy only applies to projects permitted by the City of Boston.
Enforcement
Exceptions only by the Commissioner of Inspectional Services (building work) or the Commissioner of Public Works (street work) on a case-by-case basis; permits not issued for new projects
Notes
Essential work exempted: emergency utility, road or building work; new utility connections to occupied buildings; mandated building or utility work; work at public health, health-care and shelter facilities; transportation-network reliability; work to render occupied residential buildings habitable.
Retrieval noteStyled 'guidance' but operated as a moratorium enforced through the permitting power; the City itself called it 'the City of Boston's order to pause non-essential construction' and 'the temporary construction moratorium' (Ex. 015).