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Massachusetts meeting minutes: what they must include and when they are due

Short answer

Minutes record the date, time and place; the members present or absent; a summary of the discussion on each subject; the documents used; and the decisions made and actions taken, including the record of all votes. Open-session minutes are approved in a timely manner, which generally means within 30 days or by the board's third meeting after this one, whichever is later. If minutes exist, anyone who asks gets them, draft or approved, within 10 days.(G.L. c. 30A, § 22(a) and (c); 940 CMR 29.11(2))

This guide explains the law in plain words; it is not legal advice. For a question about your board, ask your town counsel.
By Clarivis · Checked against G.L. c. 30A, § 22 and 940 CMR 29.11 on Tue, Oct 20, 2026.

Where this fits in your meeting cycle: Clarivis is software that helps a board follow these steps: it counts each meeting's notice deadline, checks each agenda item and drafts the minutes for your board to correct and approve; it does not file or post anything for you.

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Questions on this page

What must the minutes include?

Statute text

“A public body shall create and maintain accurate minutes of all meetings, including executive sessions, setting forth the date, time and place, the members present or absent, a summary of the discussions on each subject, a list of documents and other exhibits used at the meeting, the decisions made and the actions taken at each meeting, including the record of all votes.”

G.L. c. 30A, § 22(a)

In plain terms, for every meeting:

  • When and where: the date, time and place.
  • Who was there: each member, present or absent. For a member who joins by phone or video, the safe course is to note that too; see the remote participation guide.
  • What was discussed: a summary for each subject. A summary, not a transcript, is what the law asks for.
  • What was used: a list of the documents and other exhibits.
  • What was decided: each decision and action, with the record of every vote.

Members of the public who speak do not have to be named in the minutes.

When must minutes be approved?

Statute text

“Minutes of all open sessions shall be created and approved in a timely manner.”

G.L. c. 30A, § 22(c)

The regulations say what "timely" usually means:

Statute text

“will generally be considered to be within the next three public body meetings or within 30 days, whichever is later, unless the public body can show good cause for further delay”

940 CMR 29.11(2)

So the usual limit is whichever comes later: 30 days after the meeting, or the board's third meeting after it. A board that meets every week has 30 days; a board that meets once a month has until its third meeting after this one, counting any special meetings in between.

A deadline on a Sunday or a holiday. When day 30 falls on a Sunday or a legal holiday, it moves to the next business day:

Statute text

“when the day or the last day for the performance of any act, including the making of any payment or tender of payment, authorized or required by statute or by contract, falls on Sunday or a legal holiday, the act may, unless it is specifically authorized or required to be performed on Sunday or on a legal holiday, be performed on the next succeeding business day.”

G.L. c. 4, § 9

A Saturday does not move it.

Who can see the minutes, and when?

Anyone, on request, whether or not the board has approved them yet:

Statute text

“The minutes of an open session, if they exist and whether approved or in draft form, shall be made available upon request by any person within 10 days.”

G.L. c. 30A, § 22(c)

A draft that exists is given out as a draft. The 10 days run from the request, not from the meeting.

Are minutes filed with a state office?

No. The Open Meeting Law has no requirement for a local board to file its minutes with a state office. The board creates, approves and keeps them, and makes them available on request.

What about executive session minutes?

Executive session minutes are kept like any others, but they may be held back for a time:

Statute text

“may be withheld from disclosure to the public in their entirety under subclause (a) of clause Twenty-sixth of section 7 of chapter 4, as long as publication may defeat the lawful purposes of the executive session, but no longer”

G.L. c. 30A, § 22(f), (g)

The board reviews withheld minutes at reasonable intervals and announces the result at its next meeting (§ 22(g)(1)). When someone asks for them, the board responds to the request within 10 days (§ 22(g)(2)). See the executive session guide.

Checklist after each meeting

  • Minutes state the date, time and place.
  • Every member is recorded as present or absent.
  • Each subject has a summary of the discussion.
  • The documents and exhibits used are listed.
  • Every decision and action is recorded, with the record of every vote.
  • Open-session minutes approved within 30 days or by the third meeting after this one, whichever is later.
  • Any request for the minutes, draft or approved, answered within 10 days.
  • Withheld executive session minutes reviewed at reasonable intervals, with the result announced at the next meeting. (§ 22(g)(1))

What the law does not settle

These are questions to take to your town counsel; this guide does not answer them.

  • What counts as good cause for approving minutes later than usual.
  • How much detail a summary of the discussion needs.

How Clarivis helps

Clarivis drafts; people decide. Your board reviews, corrects and approves the minutes.

  • Records and transcribes the meeting, then drafts minutes from the transcript for your Committee Admin or Editor to read, correct and approve.
  • Tracks the approval deadline, counting the board's next meetings as well as the days.
  • Records the approval when your board approves the minutes, so the meeting shows them as approved.
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