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April 26, 2024 Clear | 33°F
The 193rd General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Section 31D: Articles of clothing or household goods; cleaning or storing

Section 31D. Any person engaged in cleaning, pressing, glazing, washing, dyeing or performing similar work on articles of clothing or household goods, or, with or without furnishing materials or supplies, in making alterations or repairs thereon, or placing any of such articles in storage at the request of the owners thereof, for a price shall have a lien upon any such articles coming into his possession for such purposes for the amount of any account that may be due for such work or storage. Such lien shall also include the value or agreed price, if any, of all materials furnished by the lienor in connection with such work, or storage, whether added to such article or articles or otherwise. If any such account remains unpaid for ninety days after the completion of the work, or after the expiration of the agreed term of storage, if any, or in the absence of such agreement, after the expiration of one hundred and twenty days from the date of storage, the lienor, upon notice in writing to the owner specifying the amount due and informing him that payment of such amount within thirty days will entitle him to redeem the article or articles covered by such lien, may, at the expiration of thirty days from the date of said notice, give said article or articles to a duly organized charitable corporation, or sell the same or any part thereof, at public or bona fide private sale to satisfy the account. The proceeds of the sale, after paying the expenses thereof, shall be applied in satisfaction of the indebtedness secured by such lien, and the balance, if any, shall be paid over to the owner on demand. Such notice may be served by mail, directed to the owner's last known address, or, if the owner's address be unknown, it may be posted in two public places in the town where he resided at the time such articles were delivered to the lienor. The word ''owner'' as used herein shall mean the person causing such articles to come into the possession of the lienor. The remedy herein provided to enforce such lien shall be in addition to any other provided by law.