Plastic bag rules in Massachusetts and Boston: what stores can hand out

Key takeaways

• Massachusetts has no statewide plastic bag ban as of November 13, 2026. Checkout bag rules are set city by city and town by town.
• Boston’s plastic bag ordinance (City of Boston Code, Chapter 17-19) took effect on December 14, 2018 and allows only three kinds of handled checkout bag: reusable, recyclable paper and compostable plastic.
• Boston retailers must charge at least 5 cents for every checkout bag with handles. The store keeps the money and lists it on the receipt as a “checkout bag charge.”
• The Massachusetts Senate passed a statewide bag ban in bill S.3064 on April 15, 2026, with a 10-cent paper bag fee. The House version left it out, and the bill has sat with a conference committee since July 1, 2026.
• Cambridge’s updated Bring Your Own Bag Ordinance takes effect on February 3, 2027: no plastic checkout bags of any type, and a minimum charge of 10 cents per bag.

This guide is for owners and managers of shops, restaurants, pharmacies and other businesses that hand customers a bag at the register. The phrase “Massachusetts plastic bag ban” is misleading: Massachusetts has no statewide ban as of November 13, 2026. A plastic bag ban in Massachusetts is a local ordinance or bylaw that limits which carryout bags a store may give out at checkout. In Boston, the city ordinance bars thin single-use plastic bags with handles and sets a minimum charge of 5 cents for every permitted bag.

The sections below cover the state picture, Boston’s requirements, fee, exceptions and penalties, the stricter rules in Cambridge, and the state bill that would replace local rules if it becomes law.

Is there a statewide plastic bag ban in Massachusetts?

A statewide plastic bag ban does not exist in Massachusetts as of November 13, 2026. No chapter of the General Laws restricts checkout bags, so the rule that applies to your store is the ordinance or bylaw of the city or town where the store sits.

Local rules cover most of the state. A Massachusetts Senate press release dated June 20, 2024 reported that, as of May 2023, 162 Massachusetts cities and towns with nearly 70 percent of the state’s population already regulated single-use plastic bags. Ask your city or town clerk for the current local bylaw before you order bags for a new location.

What does the Boston plastic bag ordinance require?

The Boston plastic bag ordinance requires that any checkout bag a retail establishment provides be a reusable bag, a recyclable paper bag or a compostable plastic bag. The ordinance defines a checkout bag as a carryout bag with handles provided to a customer at the point of sale. The Boston City Council passed it in 2017 as Chapter 17-19 of the City of Boston Code, and the City of Boston says it went into effect on December 14, 2018.

The City of Boston’s guide for retailers lists four duties for a store that offers bags:

• Stock only compliant bags with handles. Single-use plastic bags with handles are not allowed.
• Charge at least 5 cents per bag.
• Post a sign within five feet of each register telling customers about the bag charge. The city offers free signs in eight languages.
• Show the charge on each receipt as a “checkout bag charge.”

The ordinance defines retail establishment to include restaurants, pharmacies, convenience and grocery stores, liquor stores, seasonal and temporary businesses, jewelry stores and household goods stores. No store has to offer bags at all, the City of Boston states.

Which bags can a Boston store hand out?

A Boston store can hand out three types of checkout bag with handles, each defined in the text of the Boston ordinance.

Bag type	Standard in City of Boston Code 17-19.2	Labeling
Recyclable paper bag	100 percent recyclable, with at least 40 percent post-consumer recycled paper content	“Recyclable” and “made from 40% post-consumer recycled content” (or the applicable amount) printed visibly on the outside
Compostable plastic bag	Conforms to the ASTM D6400 standard	Certified and labeled as meeting ASTM D6400 by a recognized verification entity
Reusable bag	Made for multiple reuse from polyester, polypropylene, cotton or other durable material, or from durable plastic at least 3.0 mils thick	None in the ordinance; the city’s guide says to advertise and sell it as reusable

The ordinance sets the minimum thickness at 3.0 mils (a mil is one thousandth of an inch), while the city’s retailer guide says “3.0 millimeters.” The ordinance text is the law, so confirm the specification with the Environment Department at 617-635-3850 before a large order.

How much is the Boston bag fee, and who keeps it?

The Boston bag fee is a minimum of 5 cents per checkout bag, and the retail establishment keeps all of it. Section 17-19.3 of the ordinance says a store that provides any type of checkout bag “shall sell them for no less than five cents ($0.05) per bag,” and that the money collected is retained by the store. You may charge more, as long as the receipt shows the amount charged.

The charge applies to all three permitted bag types, including paper. According to the City of Boston, the 5-cent charge is subject to Massachusetts sales tax; confirm the treatment with the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. A store whose register cannot print the line may write it on the receipt by hand, the city’s guide says.

Which bags are outside the Boston ordinance?

Bags without handles are outside the Boston ordinance, according to the City of Boston Environment Department. The ordinance also excludes four kinds of bag from its definition of checkout bag:

• Bags a customer uses inside the store to carry loose produce or products to the register.
• Laundry and dry-cleaner bags.
• Newspaper bags.
• Bags used to contain or wrap produce, frozen foods, meat or fish to prevent or contain moisture.

Restaurant takeout is not an exception. The city says every handled bag a restaurant gives a customer, including one for leftovers, has to be recycled paper, compostable or reusable. Bazaars and festivals run by nonprofit organizations or religious institutions are the one group the ordinance removes from the definition of retail establishment.

How does a Boston store get a temporary exemption?

A Boston store gets a temporary exemption by filing the city’s exemption form and showing undue hardship. Under Section 17-19.5, the Chief of Environment, Energy and Open Space may exempt a retail establishment for one year. The ordinance recognizes hardship where a store has no reasonable alternative to noncompliant bags, where compliance would deprive a person of a legally protected right, or where the store needs time to use up existing single-use plastic bags.

The City of Boston’s exemption instructions give three steps:

1. Complete the exemption form, explain the hardship and attach supporting documents.
2. Send the form by email or mail to the Weights and Measures Division of the Inspectional Services Department, 1010 Massachusetts Avenue, 5th floor, Boston, MA 02118.
3. If the reason is leftover inventory, file monthly reports that show the stock going down.

What are the penalties for breaking the Boston bag ordinance?

Penalties under the Boston bag ordinance start with a warning notice for the first violation. If another violation occurs within one year of that warning, Section 17-19.4 directs the Chief of Environment, Energy and Open Space to issue a notice of violation with a penalty of no more than $50 for the first offense and no more than $100 for the second and each later offense.

Do Cambridge and other nearby cities have different bag rules?

Cambridge and other nearby cities and towns write their own bag rules, and Cambridge’s are stricter than Boston’s. The Cambridge City Council updated the city’s Bring Your Own Bag Ordinance on August 3, 2026, with the changes taking effect on February 3, 2027, according to the Cambridge Department of Public Works. From that date, plastic bags of any type are not allowed at checkout in Cambridge, stores may provide only paper or compostable bags, and every checkout bag must cost at least 10 cents.

A thick reusable plastic bag that is legal at a Boston register will not be legal as a checkout bag in Cambridge after that date. Somerville and Brookline are separate municipalities whose rules this guide did not confirm; check with each before you standardize bags across locations.

What would the pending state bill change for stores?

The pending state bill, Senate No. 3064 (the Mass Ready Act), would replace local bag rules with one statewide standard if its bag section becomes law. As passed by the Senate on April 15, 2026, it would add a Chapter 21P to the General Laws with these terms:

• A retailer could provide only a recycled paper bag or a reusable bag as a carryout bag, and the bill’s definition of reusable bag excludes plastic film of any thickness.
• The customer would pay at least 10 cents per recycled paper bag, with 5 cents sent to the Department of Revenue and the rest kept by the store.
• A business with one location, no more than 4,000 square feet of retail selling space, no more than 10 employees and no more than 10,000 carryout bags in the previous year would not have to collect the fee.
• A municipality could not keep an ordinance or bylaw inconsistent with the state chapter.

None of that is law. The House passed its own version on June 17, 2026 without the bag language, the Senate refused to concur on June 23, and the Legislature’s bill history for S.3064 shows the appointment of a conference committee on July 1, 2026 as the latest action.

What should you recheck before you act?

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

• State law: none, with S.3064 in conference. Look at the bill history on malegislature.gov for a conference report or a signed act.
• Boston minimum charge and fines: 5 cents per bag, and up to $50 or $100 after a warning. Confirm on the Environment Department’s plastic bag page on boston.gov, last updated May 29, 2026.
• Reusable bag thickness: 3.0 mils in the ordinance, “3.0 millimeters” in the city’s guide. Ask the Environment Department at 617-635-3850.
• Sales tax on the bag charge: the City of Boston says the charge is taxable. Confirm with the Massachusetts Department of Revenue.
• Cambridge: no plastic checkout bags and a 10-cent minimum from February 3, 2027. Confirm with Cambridge Recycling at the Department of Public Works.

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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