Commonly Requested Records
Before making a public records request, we highly encourage you to check out this page for links to existing publicly available records. This is not an exhaustive list, however the City's open data hub, Analyze Boston, is a great resource to search for records.
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Still have questions? Contact:
Public Records
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1 City Hall Square
Second Floor, Window 19Boston, MA 02201
I'm looking for...
| Record | Description | Resource |
| Property Assessment | Gives property, or parcel, ownership together with value information, which ensures fair assessment of Boston taxable and non-taxable property of all types and classifications. | Property Assessment |
| Assessing Online | The Assessing Online application brings direct access for taxpayers, homeowners, real estate and legal professionals as well as business owners to property parcel data including assessed value, location, ownership and tax information for each piece of property in the city. | Assessing Online |
| Property Card | Walks through how to obtain the full details of a property (AKA property card, field card, real estate card). | Property Card |
| Records | Description | Resource | Department |
| Traffic-Related Data | Traffic-related data collected by the Boston Transportation Department, as well as other City departments and State agencies. | Traffic Data | Boston Transportation Department |
| Blue Bikes System Data | Blue Bikes (formerly Hubway) is jointly owned and managed by the municipalities of Boston, Arlington, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Medford, Newton, Revere, Salem, Somerville, and Watertown. | Blue Bikes Data | Boston Transportation Department |
| Sign Shop Completed Work Orders | In keeping with the overall mission of ensuring safe and efficient travel throughout the City, the Boston Transportation Department's (BTD) Sign Shop is responsible for maintaining the signage found on City streets. | Sign Shop Work Orders | Boston Transportation Department |
| 311 Service Requests | This data set includes all channels of engagement in which a service request is created. | 311 Requests | 311 |
| BuildBPS: Facilities and Educational Data for Boston Public Schools | BuildBPS compiles vast amounts of data and allows for ongoing analyses that can be used to guide and inform decisions related to school building investments. | BuildBPS | Boston Public Schools |
| Municipal Lobbying | This dataset contains the list of all persons registered as engaging in lobbying activities. It is updated daily. | Municipal Lobbying | City Clerk |
| Checkbook Explorer | Provides current financial information about the City of Boston's expenditures, allowing users to explore how City funds are spent. | Checkbook Explorer | Finance |
| Income-Restricted Housing Inventory | This data is an inventory of all income-restricted units in the city. | Housing Inventory | Mayor's Office of Housing |
| Public Works Violations | Citations issued by the Public Works Department's Code Enforcement Division. | PWD Violations | Public Works Department |
| Record | Description | Resource |
| Approved Building Permits | Building permits help to establish compliance of construction work with the minimum standards of safety established by the State Building Code to ensure public health and safety for everyone. | Building Permits |
| Food Establishment Inspections | The Health Division of the Department of Inspectional Services ensures that all food establishments in the City of Boston meet relevant sanitary codes and standards. | Inspections |
| Building and Property Violations | Violations on Boston buildings or properties issued by inspectors from the Building and Structures Division of the Inspectional Services Department. | Violations |
| Active Food Establishment Licenses | The Health Division of the Department of Inspectional Services (ISD) creates and enforces food safety codes to protect public health. | Food Establishment Licenses |
| Zoning Board of Appeal Tracker | Each record in this tracker represents an appeal of a denied permit application; the original permit application is known as the “parent application. | ZBA Tracker |
| Simple Search ISD | Contains long form permits, short form permits, certificate of occupancy, site plans and drawings, demolitions, fire escape, sprinklers, gas, plumbing, electrical, inspection records, inspectional violations, permit to work beyond hours, and more. |
| Record | Description | Resource |
| Licensing Board Licenses | This dataset lists all licenses that are currently active. This dataset does not contain void, expired, or closed licenses or establishments. It also does not include applications that are pending approval before the Licensing Board or ABCC. | Licenses |
| Cannabis Active Licenses |
This dataset lists all cannabis licenses that are currently active. |
Cannabis Licenses |
| Section 12 (Alcohol) Licenses | This dataset contains all alcohol licenses that are currently active. | Alcohol Licenses |
| Special One-Day Licenses | The Board issues Special One Day Alcohol licenses for special events with alcohol which include non-profit, for-profit, and charity wine events. | One-Day Alcohol Licenses |
| Records | Description | Resource |
| Boston Zoning Districts | This represents Zoning District boundaries indicating geographic areas subject to specific zoning guidelines. | Zoning Districts |
| Current Zoning Map | Dynamic map that shows the current zoning of any property. | Zoning Map |
| Zoning Reform Impact Tracker | The Zoning Reform Impact Tracker (ZRIT) is intended to help assess the impact of changes to the Zoning Code and to identify trends in permitting and requests for zoning relief. | Impact Tracker |
| Record | Description | Resource | Department |
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City of Boston Contract Award |
The City of Boston reports on our contract awards as part of our commitment to transparency and to growing pathways to equitable procurement for diverse suppliers. | Contract Awards | Procurement |
| Public Works Active Work Zones | The Public Works Department's Construction Inspection Unit (CIU) produces a daily report on all active utility and private sector construction projects taking place in the City, Monday through Friday. | Active Work Zones | Public Works |
| Employee Earnings Report | Each year, the City of Boston publishes payroll data for employees. | Employee Earnings Report | Office of Human Resources |
| Boston Jobs Policy Compliance Reports | Since 1983, the Boston Residents Jobs Policy sets employment standards for City sponsored, privately funded, and federally mandated development projects taking place in the City. | Compliance Reports | Planning |
| Record | Description | Resource | Department |
| City Council Roll Call Votes | Boston City Council Roll Call Votes in a tabular format. | Roll Call Votes | City Council |
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Still have questions? Contact:
Public Records
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1 City Hall Square
Second Floor, Window 19Boston, MA 02201
