Massachusetts Jaywalking Laws: Fines, Crosswalks, and Liability

Massachusetts jaywalking laws are set locally under state authority, and the fine is just $1 for the first three offenses in a calendar year and $2 for any after that. The bigger consequence is civil, not criminal: if a jaywalking pedestrian is hit by a car, Massachusetts comparative negligence rules can shrink or wipe out an injury claim depending on the pedestrian’s share of fault.

What Counts as Jaywalking in Massachusetts

There’s no single statewide statute that lists exactly where you can and can’t cross. Chapter 90, Section 18A of the Massachusetts General Laws instead gives cities and towns the power to write their own pedestrian rules. Boston’s traffic and parking commission, town traffic commissions, city councils, and boards of selectmen each adopt the rules that apply within their borders, and every local rule has to be approved in writing by the state Department of Transportation before it takes effect.¹

The specifics vary from city to city, but the pattern is consistent. Local rules generally require you to use a marked crosswalk when one is available and to obey traffic signals at intersections. Crossing mid-block on a busy downtown street, stepping off the curb against a red signal, or crossing outside a designated zone are the behaviors that typically draw a citation.

The statute defines “pedestrian” broadly. Anyone using a human-powered conveyance other than a bicycle falls under the same rules, so skateboards, wheelchairs, and kick scooters are all covered.¹

Fines and How to Pay

Jaywalking carries one of the smallest fines on the books in Massachusetts. Offenses are counted per calendar year within each district court’s jurisdiction, and the counter resets January 1.

First, second, or third offense in a calendar year: $1
Fourth and any later offenses that same year: $2

Those amounts come straight from the statute and are confirmed by the state’s online payment portal.¹²

When an officer writes you up, you have 21 days to appear before the clerk of the district court or Boston Municipal Court with jurisdiction over the location. Paying the fine within that window closes the case. No hearing, no criminal record, no license points.²

One part of the encounter does carry a real penalty. If an officer asks for your name and address during a jaywalking stop and you refuse or give false information, the fine is $20 to $50.¹ That’s up to fifty times the jaywalking fine itself.

What Drivers Owe Pedestrians at Crosswalks

Jaywalking rules regulate pedestrians, but a separate statute puts serious obligations on drivers, and those obligations don’t disappear just because a pedestrian is somewhere they shouldn’t be. Under Chapter 89, Section 11, when traffic signals aren’t operating, drivers must yield to any pedestrian in a marked crosswalk who is on the driver’s half of the road or within 10 feet of it.³

No driver can pass another vehicle stopped at a marked crosswalk to let a pedestrian cross. You also can’t enter a marked crosswalk while someone is still crossing, even with a green light, unless there’s enough space beyond the crosswalk for your vehicle. Violations carry fines of up to $200, and when a pedestrian is injured in a marked crosswalk the statute requires police to investigate and issue any applicable citations or criminal complaints.³

What Happens if a Jaywalking Pedestrian Is Hit by a Car

The dollar fine is close to meaningless on its own. Jaywalking’s real financial weight shows up if there’s a collision, because Massachusetts follows a modified comparative negligence rule under Chapter 231, Section 85.

The rule works like this. Your negligence can’t be greater than the combined negligence of the people you’re suing. If your share of fault is more than 50%, you recover nothing. If it’s 50% or less, your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault.⁴ A pedestrian found 30% responsible for a crash with $100,000 in damages recovers $70,000. A pedestrian found 51% responsible recovers zero.

The statute also handles the question of what violating a law does to your case. Breaking a criminal statute, ordinance, or regulation is treated as evidence of negligence, but it does not automatically bar recovery.⁴ Being cited for jaywalking when a car hit you doesn’t end your claim. It’s one factor a jury weighs against everything else, including whether the driver was speeding, distracted, or failed to keep a proper lookout. Drivers still owe pedestrians reasonable care outside marked crosswalks.

This is where the stakes actually sit. The ticket is a dollar. The exposure, if jaywalking contributes to an accident and an adjuster or jury assigns you a large share of fault, can run into tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost compensation.

How Enforcement Works Day to Day

Police departments enforce jaywalking selectively, and the pattern reflects the low fine. Officers often give verbal warnings or use stops as part of broader pedestrian safety efforts rather than writing tickets. The 21-day notice system reinforces the light touch: you get a written notice to appear before a court clerk during business hours, not an arrest or an immediate court date, and paying the dollar ends it.¹

Enforcement does pick up in specific circumstances. After a pedestrian fatality at a particular intersection, during a seasonal safety campaign, or in dense areas around universities and hospitals, citations become more likely. Boston, Cambridge, and other urban centers write more jaywalking tickets than suburban or rural communities.

1
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Code Chapter 90 Section 18A – Pedestrians, Use of Ways; Rules and Regulations; Violations; Notice
2
Mass.gov. Pay a Jaywalking Ticket
3
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Code Chapter 89 Section 11 – Marked Crosswalks; Yielding Right of Way to Pedestrians; Penalty
4
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Code Chapter 231 Section 85 – Comparative Negligence