Can I Legally Let My Car Idle in Massachusetts? What’s the Law?

There are some days when you have a bunch of errands to do. Things like running to the bank, picking up your child from practice, or running into the convenience store. Some of these errands may be so quick that you'll leave your car running. I know I have done it before when I had a quick errand to get done. But is it worth it?

Get our free mobile app

The "no idle law" isn't to say you can't leave your car idling at all; you can, but if you let it idle for too long, you could be fined. According to mass.gov, the law states the following:

A car cannot be idling more than 5 minutes unless it is being serviced or it is being used to deliver or accept goods where engine assisted power is necessary.  If someone is caught, they can be levied with a $100 fine for the first offense and up to $500 for subsequent offenses.

 

Mass.gov also notes that a regulation from the Department of Environmental Protection mirrors the language in the statute. In addition, extended idling on school grounds warrants the same penalties.

Whether we like it or not, the law makes sense, as we don't need to add more pollution to the environment if we can help it, but I often wonder how strictly this law is enforced. Anyway, if you're in Massachusetts and you turn your engine off after the five-minute mark, you won't have to worry about a fine, and you can't complain about that.