Department of Fire Services Launches Hot Work Violation Database
STOW, Mass. — The Department of Fire Services has launched a new, public-facing database to document violations of the State Fire Code and Massachusetts General Laws regarding welding, grinding, and other hot work processes.
On June 26, 2026, Governor Maura Healey signed into law Chapter 114 of the Acts of 2026, An Act Relative to Violation of Regulation Regarding Hot Work Processes.
The law, which took effect earlier in September, is one of several pieces of legislation that arose out of the 2014 fire that claimed the lives of Boston Fire Lieutenant Edward J. Walsh and Firefighter Michael Kennedy. The blaze started with unpermitted hot work, with sparks or slag igniting a nearby shed and growing to nine alarms. More than a dozen other firefighters were injured.
Local fire departments can impose a variety of sanctions in connection with hot work violations. In accordance with the new law, DFS now collects information on these violations from local departments, notifies property owners and the violators’ insurance providers, and makes the violations public in a searchable database. It was developed with input from the DFS Code Compliance & Enforcement Unit, Executive Office of Public Safety & Security, and Fire Prevention Association of Massachusetts.
The database will be populated in the weeks and months to come as local departments submit their enforcement actions to DFS. It can be viewed on the DFS website, along with other hot work safety information.
Since 2018, anyone seeking a municipal permit to perform, supervise, or delegate hot work must first demonstrate that they have completed a training program approved by the State Fire Marshal’s office. The training identifies the safety and prevention practices necessary to comply with the State Fire Code. Performing hot work without a permit, without the necessary training, or without complying with the Fire Code can lead to notices, citations, tickets, or other forms of enforcement. Local fire departments will notify the Department of Fire Services of these sanctions, which are automatically provided to stakeholders and uploaded weekly into the database.
