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Gloucester landlords who skip rental registry face court, $500 a day

About 32 Gloucester rentals were still unregistered Oct. 8. Owners get one last letter. Also: what kratom is, an Eastern Point septic OK and Take Back Day.

Gloucester

By Kerry Jane · Monday, October 19How we work

Trust Check: Checked against public records

Gloucester landlords who still have not renewed their rental registration may soon face a judge.

On Thursday, Oct. 8, the city's Board of Health voted to send one last letter to owners who missed the Sept. 21 deadline. The letter warns that if they still do not register, the city will file a complaint in Gloucester District Court and seek fines of up to $500 a day.

1,200+properties signed up in the first year
394notices sent in September to owners who had not renewed
About 32properties still not registered on Oct. 8
Up to $500a day in fines the city may seek in court

The Board of Health sets the city's local health rules and decides how to enforce them. The rental registry is how the city keeps track of who rents out homes and makes sure landlords know the basic rules for safe housing.

What happened

Gloucester used to require an inspection before anyone could rent out a unit. Health staff said few owners followed that rule. So the board switched to a yearly registration. Owners pay $30 per building, down from $90 per unit. They also sign a form saying they understand the state's housing code and lead paint law, and the city's septic rules if they have a septic system.

More than 1,200 properties signed up in the first year. Renewals were due this year. In September, the health department sent notices to 394 properties that had not renewed. Staff said 170 of them then signed up. Final notices of a hearing went to 93. By meeting night, about 32 were left.

Staff could prove that only six of those owners had signed for the certified letter, so staff started calling owners that day. Many said they forgot, had trouble with the online form or had stopped renting and never told the city.

What is the rental registry?

It is the city's yearly list of homes that are rented out. It replaced an old rule that required an inspection before anyone could rent out a unit.

Cost: $30 per building, down from $90 per unit.

The form: Owners sign that they understand the state's housing code and lead paint law, and the city's septic rules if they have a septic system.

Renew every year: This year's renewals were due by Sept. 21.

Why the board acted

Chair Joseph Rosa said staff had gotten the vast majority of landlords to follow the rule. He said it would be "patently unfair" to let the rest skip it with no action.

Board member Jesse Dole made the motion and board member Eric Kaplan seconded it. It passed with no one voting against it.

Public Health Director Dominique Hurley said the board cannot hand out the fine itself. Based on advice from the city's lawyers, the board can only vote to send cases to court, and a judge decides any penalty.

Monday, Oct. 12, was a holiday, so the letters were set to go out Tuesday, Oct. 13. Hurley asked that the letter tell owners who no longer rent, or who have a problem, to call or visit the health department.

What happens to a landlord who still does not register

  1. Sept. 21The deadline to renew passed.
  2. Oct. 13The city mails one last letter warning the owner to register.
  3. Court complaintIf the owner still does not register, the city files a complaint in Gloucester District Court.
  4. A judge decidesThe court, not the board, sets any fine. The city may seek up to $500 a day.

Owners who no longer rent, or who have a problem, can call or visit the health department. Steps as described at the board's Oct. 8 meeting.

Kratom pulled from store shelves

The health department asked every tobacco and nicotine shop to pull kratom from its shelves. Hurley said nearly all have complied so far.

She said she and staff have visited about half of the shops in person. They found kratom at only one, and that shop removed it right away. Next, the department plans to send letters to other places that might sell it, such as gas stations.

What is kratom?

Kratom comes from the leaves of a tree that grows in Southeast Asia. Its scientific name is Mitragyna speciosa. It has been sold as powders, capsules, tablets, gummies and drinks, often in smoke and vape shops, corner stores and gas stations.

The FDA says kratom has no approved medical use. Health officials warn it can cause seizures, liver damage and addiction. Some products are made much stronger with a chemical called 7-OH. The FDA moved to restrict 7-OH products in 2025.

In Massachusetts: In August, the state health department used an emergency order to put all forms of kratom in Schedule 1 under state law for up to a year. That restricts its sale across the state and gives local health boards more power to act.

Sources: FDA, NIDA, Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

Get rid of old medicines safely

Drug Take Back Day: Saturday, Oct. 24, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Rose Baker Senior Center, 6 Manuel F. Lewis St., with Gloucester Police.

Any time: Use the drop box at the Gloucester Police station, 197 Main St. It is open 24 hours a day.

The event is on our events calendar.

New septic system on Rouse Road

The board approved a new septic system for an oceanfront home on Rouse Road, off Eastern Point Boulevard, with several waivers from the usual distance rules. A septic system cleans a home's wastewater on its own land when the home is not on the city sewer. Staff said the new system moves out of the flood zone and adds extra treatment.

Map of the Eastern Point area of Gloucester showing Rouse Road highlighted in teal near the southern tip, off Eastern Point Boulevard, with Gloucester Harbor to the west, the Atlantic Ocean to the east and Eastern Point Light at the point.
Rouse Road, off Eastern Point Boulevard, where the board approved a new septic system. The map shows the street, not the home. Map: Cape Ann Current, from MassGIS data.

Also at the meeting

  • Eastern Waste Services: The board agreed the company has met a condition to study whether rock on its site can be blasted. But it sent the company back to answer a question it skipped: how more trucks would affect people walking and biking on Magnolia Avenue and Essex Avenue.
  • Tobacco appeals were moved to the board's November meeting.

What comes next

The board meets next in November.

How you can take part: Board of Health meetings are open to the public at the City Hall Annex, 3 Pond Road, second floor, and on Zoom. The link is on the agenda on the city's website. Each meeting starts with time for anyone to speak for up to three minutes on topics not on the agenda.

How we did this: Cape Ann Current watched the meeting online and checked names against the agenda and the board's roster. This story was produced with the help of AI tools and checked against the documents listed below. If you see an error, tell us at [email protected].

Sources

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