{"data":{"id":"us-ma/mass.-gen.-laws-ch.-81-4","jurisdiction":"us-ma","citation":"Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 81, § 4","heading":"Petition","body":"Section 4. If county commissioners, aldermen or selectmen adjudge that public necessity and convenience require that the commonwealth lay out and take charge of a new or existing way as a highway in whole or in part, in their county, city or town, they may apply, by a written petition, to the department, requesting that said way be laid out and taken charge of by the commonwealth.","path":["Part I","Title XIV","Chapter 81"],"source_url":"https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXIV/Chapter81/Section4","current_through":"amendments passed before May 31, 2026","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-17T05:21:33Z","sha256":"36e5c17adfe2120e0024e4ce5f1582a4ac0f57acc7cb6fc389f3d6396b51dc09","source_id":"us-ma","stale":false,"prev":"us-ma/mass.-gen.-laws-ch.-81-3","next":"us-ma/mass.-gen.-laws-ch.-81-5"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}