SENATE DOCKET, NO. 44        FILED ON: 1/11/2021

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1006

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Diana DiZoglio

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to statutes of repose.

_______________

PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 44        FILED ON: 1/11/2021

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1006

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 930 OF 2019-2020.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)

_______________

An Act relative to statutes of repose.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Section 2B of chapter 260 of the Massachusetts General Laws is hereby amended:-

In the first paragraph, in the phrase, “no more than six years after the earlier date”, the number ten shall replace six:

“Action of tort for damages arising out of any deficiency or neglect in the design, planning, construction or general administration of an improvement to real property, other than that of a public agency as defined in section thirty-nine A of chapter seven shall be commenced only within three years next after the cause of action accrues; provided, however, that in no event shall such actions be commenced more than six years after the earlier of the dates of: (1) the opening of the improvement to use; or (2) substantial completion of the improvement and the taking of possession for occupancy by the owner.”

In the second paragraph, in the phrase, “more than six years”, the number six shall be replaced with the number ten:

“Actions of tort for damages arising out of any deficiency or neglect in the design, planning, construction, or general administration of an improvement to real property of a public agency, as defined in said section thirty-nine A shall be commenced only within three years next after the cause of action accrues; provided, however, that in no event shall actions be commenced more than six years after the earlier of the dates of: (1) official acceptance of the project by the public agency; (2) the opening of the real property to public use; (3) the acceptance by the contractor of a final estimate prepared by the public agency pursuant to chapter thirty, section thirty-nine G; or (4) substantial completion of the work and the taking possession for occupancy by the awarding authority.”

SECTION 2. Chapter 114 is hereby amended to add after section 92:-

SECTION 92A. Any extension of a statute of repose or limitations related to filing claims pursuant to a state or local building code shall enlarge the opportunity for any person either to raise a timely claim based upon a violation of that code in court or to file a timely complaint against any contractor who performed the act or omission which is the subject of said building code or both.