Massachusetts H5487: An Act to establish a surcharge on specific residential development activities for the purpose of funding the creation of community housing

What the bill says

From the introduced text, June 8, 2026:

SECTION 1: In order to mitigate the continued loss of moderate-income housing by the demand for buildable parcels of land, a residential fee, hereafter referred to as "the residential development community housing surcharge" or "the surcharge," shall be added by the town of Lexington to all new single- and two-family residential construction building permits issued by said town on parcels where an existing single- or two- family dwelling has been demolished to create a single buildable lot or multiple buildable lots. SECTION 2: The select board of the town of Lexington shall determine the amount of the surcharge, which shall be applied on a dollars-per-square-foot basis on the total gross floor area of the structure or structures permitted by an applicable building permit. The surcharge shall apply only to newly-constructed single-family and two-family structures larger than gross floor area thresholds defined by the select board. The surcharge shall not apply to structures permitted for the creation of community housing, and to permits for reconstruction provided the new structure has the same or less gross floor area. The select board shall adjust the rate of the community housing surcharge annually for inflation. SECTION 3: The town manager of the town of Lexington or their designee shall prepare a study at least every seven years, which may be conducted as part of …

Read the full official text

Sponsors

• Michelle Ciccolo (D, 15th Middlesex) · primary sponsor
• Cindy Friedman (D)

Latest actions

1. July 6, 2026: Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Steering, Policy and Scheduling
2. June 15, 2026: Hearing scheduled for 06/25/2026 from 09:00 AM-05:00 PM in Written Testimony Only
3. June 11, 2026: Senate concurred
4. June 8, 2026: Referred to the committee on Revenue

Votes

• Committee Vote - Joint Committee on Revenue (July 1, 2026): 9 yea, 0 nay, passed

Common questions

What is H5487?

H5487 is a bill in the Massachusetts Legislature (194th General Court): An Act to establish a surcharge on specific residential development activities for the purpose of funding the creation of community housing.

What is the status of H5487?

In committee as of July 6, 2026. Latest action: Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Steering, Policy and Scheduling (July 6, 2026).

Who sponsored H5487?

Michelle Ciccolo (D, 15th Middlesex), with 1 co-sponsor.

Where is the official record for H5487?

On the Massachusetts Legislature website: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H5487