Massachusetts blue laws: Sunday and holiday opening rules for retailers

Key takeaways

• Massachusetts blue laws are in Chapter 136 of the General Laws, and the Attorney General’s Fair Labor Division enforces them.
• Retail stores in Massachusetts may open at any time on Sunday without a permit, but most retailers cannot require an employee to work that day.
• Sunday and holiday premium pay for retail workers ended on January 1, 2023, according to the Department of Labor Standards. Overtime at 1.5 times the regular rate after 40 hours in a week still applies.
• Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day are restricted retail holidays. The Department of Labor Standards said on August 11, 2026 that it will not issue statewide approval for openings on November 26 or December 25, 2026.
• Opening before 12:00 noon on Columbus Day or before 1:00 p.m. on Veterans Day takes a permit from the local police chief, and the permit fee cannot exceed $10 under Chapter 136, Section 15.

Massachusetts blue laws are the state statutes that limit which businesses may open on Sundays and on some legal holidays, and that let many retail employees refuse to work those days. If you run a shop in Boston, Cambridge, Somerville or any other Massachusetts city or town, the short answer is this: you may open on Sundays and on most holidays without a permit, you may not open on Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day unless a statutory exemption covers your business, and you owe no premium pay in 2026.

This guide covers the Sunday rule, the three groups of retail holidays, the police permit, the exemptions in Chapter 136, alcohol sales, the pay rules and the penalties. Every rule here is state law; the local police chief only issues the permits.

What are the Massachusetts blue laws?

The Massachusetts blue laws are the Sunday and holiday business restrictions in Chapter 136 of the Massachusetts General Laws. Section 5 sets the starting point: keeping a shop, warehouse or factory open on Sunday is an offense, except for works of necessity and charity. Section 6 lists what Section 5 does not prohibit, and Section 13 extends the Sunday rules to certain legal holidays.

Two state agencies handle the blue laws. The Attorney General’s Office enforces them through its Fair Labor Division. The Department of Labor Standards (DLS), part of the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, decides each year whether to approve holiday permits statewide. Both publish the same summary, Massachusetts Blue Laws and Working on Sundays and Holidays.

Can a retail store open on Sunday in Massachusetts?

A retail store in Massachusetts can open at any time on Sunday, with no approval from DLS and no police permit. The authority is clause 50 of Chapter 136, Section 6, together with Section 16, which says stores and shops that sell goods at retail may be open at any time on Sundays.

Sunday opening comes with a condition called voluntariness. Voluntariness is the rule that an employee cannot be required to work, and that a refusal cannot be grounds for dismissal, reduced hours or any other penalty. According to the DLS guide, most retailers must follow the voluntariness rule on Sunday no matter how many people they employ or whether staff are hourly or salaried, unless an exemption applies.

In a year when Christmas Day falls on a Sunday, clause 50 does not apply to that Sunday.

Which holidays restrict retail stores in Massachusetts?

Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day restrict retail stores in Massachusetts for the full day, and Columbus Day and Veterans Day restrict them for the morning. DLS sorts the legal holidays into three groups for retailers, shown in the table below.

Group	Holidays	Permit needed	Voluntariness applies
Unrestricted	Martin Luther King Day, Presidents’ Day, Evacuation Day, Patriots’ Day, Bunker Hill Day	No	No
Partially restricted	New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day after 12:00 noon, Veterans Day after 1:00 p.m.	No	Yes
Restricted	Columbus Day before 12:00 noon, Veterans Day before 1:00 p.m., Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day	Yes: statewide DLS approval plus a local police permit	Yes, for the Columbus Day and Veterans Day morning hours if a permit is granted

The statute adds a size test that the DLS table leaves out. Under Section 16, the bar on requiring work on Memorial Day, Juneteenth, July Fourth and Labor Day applies to a store that qualifies under clause 25, 27 or 50 of Section 6 and employs more than 7 persons, including the proprietor. Ask the Fair Labor Division how it applies that test.

The Secretary of the Commonwealth publishes the legal holiday dates for each year and states that holidays falling on Sunday are observed on Monday. Independence Day falls on Sunday, July 4, 2027, so confirm the observed date.

Can a store open on Thanksgiving or Christmas in Massachusetts?

A store cannot open on Thanksgiving or Christmas in Massachusetts in 2026 unless an exemption in Chapter 136 covers the business. Opening would take statewide approval from DLS and a local police permit. In a notice to police chiefs dated August 11, 2026, DLS Director Michael Flanagan wrote that the department will not issue statewide approval for Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day 2026.

Exempt businesses are the exception. The DLS guide says restaurants, pharmacies and hotels may generally operate on Sundays and holidays if they fall within an exemption. A food store with no more than three people working at any one time, including the proprietor, is exempt under clause 2 of Section 6.

How do you get a permit to open early on Columbus Day or Veterans Day?

A permit to open early on Columbus Day or Veterans Day comes from the police chief of the city or town where the store is located. In Boston, Chapter 136, Section 7 names the Police Commissioner of the City of Boston, or a designated officer ranked captain or higher.

DLS must first approve these permits on a uniform statewide basis. For 2026 it did: the August 11, 2026 notice on Columbus Day and Veterans Day approved all permits issued by local police chiefs for openings before 12:00 noon on October 12, 2026 and before 1:00 p.m. on November 11, 2026. Chiefs are not required to grant a permit and may attach reasonable terms and conditions.

Section 7 and Section 15 set the permit terms:

• A permit covers not more than one day.
• You apply within 60 days before the day the permit will be used.
• Under Section 7, the permit is issued or denied within 15 days of the application.
• The mayor of a city or the selectmen of a town set the fee, which cannot be greater than $10.

Which businesses are exempt from the Massachusetts blue laws?

Businesses exempt from the Massachusetts blue laws are the ones listed in Chapter 136, Section 6, which the DLS guide counts as 55 exemptions. The retail examples DLS gives include:

• food stores with no more than three people working at one time, including the owner
• art galleries, and shops selling gifts, souvenirs, antiques or handcrafted goods
• fuel and automotive services, and emergency tires, batteries and parts
• plant nurseries, cut flowers and pet stores
• baked goods, and restaurants, including take-out

Selling an exempt item does not make a store exempt. According to DLS, the business must be exclusively engaged in the exempt activity. Grocery stores, supermarkets, pharmacies and drug stores generally must follow the voluntariness rule.

DLS says a non-retail business generally cannot operate on Sunday unless an exemption applies, and a manufacturer generally needs a permit.

Do you have to pay time and a half on Sundays and holidays in Massachusetts?

Time and a half on Sundays and holidays is no longer required in Massachusetts for the day itself. Premium pay was the higher hourly rate that certain retailers had to pay certain hourly employees on Sundays and some holidays. According to the Department of Labor Standards, premium pay requirements were eliminated effective January 1, 2023, and that remains the status in 2026.

Overtime is a separate rule and still applies. DLS states that retail employers must pay hourly employees 1.5 times their normal rate for hours over 40 in a week, and Sunday or holiday hours count toward the 40.

Can you sell alcohol on Sundays and holidays in Massachusetts?

Alcohol sales on Sundays and holidays in Massachusetts follow separate rules set by Chapter 138 and the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC), a state agency. Clause 52 of Section 6 lets package stores licensed under Section 15 of Chapter 138 sell on Sunday, but not before 10:00 a.m., and lets a city council or board of selectmen vote to prohibit Sunday sales.

The ABCC 2026 holiday calendar says package stores may not sell or deliver alcohol on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 2026, or Christmas Day, December 25, 2026. On Memorial Day, the calendar bars sales before 12:00 noon.

What are the penalties for breaking the Massachusetts blue laws?

Penalties for breaking the Massachusetts blue laws start with the fine in Chapter 136, Section 5: not less than $20 and not more than $100 for a first offense, and not less than $50 and not more than $200 for each subsequent offense. Each unlawful act or sale is a separate offense.

Voluntariness violations are handled as employment matters. Section 13 says the Attorney General enforces the rule and that Section 180A of Chapter 149 applies to a violation. An employee can file a workplace complaint with the Fair Labor Division online or call its hotline at (617) 727-3465, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

What should you recheck before you act?

Each item below was checked on November 13, 2026 and can change:

• DLS statewide approvals. The Thanksgiving, Christmas, Columbus Day and Veterans Day notices are issued each year. The 2026 notices are dated August 11, 2026. Look for the 2027 notices on the DLS blue laws guide, or call DLS at (617) 626-6951, the number on the 2026 notice.
• Premium pay. DLS reports none required since January 1, 2023. Confirm on the DLS guide.
• Holiday dates. Confirm 2027 dates and observed days with the Secretary of the Commonwealth.
• Local permit fee and process. Chapter 136 caps the fee at $10. Ask your police department how to apply.
• Alcohol rules. Check the ABCC holiday calendar for the year, or call the ABCC at (617) 727-3040.
• Your exemption. Read Section 6 on malegislature.gov, or call the Fair Labor Hotline.

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules and fees change; confirm the current requirements with the agency named before you file or pay.

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