Massachusetts Permit to Store More Than 10,000 Rounds

if I go inquire about a permit if it may raise more questions and be more of a headache than it’s worth in the event I ever exceed any one of those quantities.
This is how I feel. I initially inquired about it a few years back and no one at the FD (including my friends brother who was the fire inspector at the time) knew what I was talking about and asked me if I'd like them to look into it for me. I said no thanks and hung up.
 
If you haven't cracked the slab yet, keep stacking it.

I used to routinely bring almost 10k rds to the range with me and usually bring home less than half and a couple of buckets of empty brass.

Any limit on ammo is bullshit. Ammo is far less of a hazard than the gallon of olive oil in one's kitchen, the foam in one's couch or the fabric in one's carpets and clothing. Oh, how about that car thats parked under the house with 25 gallons of gasoline in it, Or the lawn mower, snowblower, chainsaw, weed whacker, leaf blower, et al with their gasoline tanks?

don't forget the 4 20# propane tanks for the grill, garage heater, fryer, etc... and the 10 or so 1# cans I have lying around for camping.
 
I've had the explosives permit for about 15 years now. Not because its required, but because if there is a fire at my house the fire department is aware of any potential danger. (As an aside, the police have never come to oppress me or my rights over my explosives.)

Dave
Explosives permit , what are you storing?
 
My advice is to chill and make a personal decision whether it’s worth it or not depending on the nature of your town FD. We know the folks in our town and various of the firefighters and they appreciated the heads up and otherwise don’t have any issues. So as noted above, it was easy to get the permit in my town. I think putting people down for doing it isn’t really constructive, even if we all agree we should not have to comply. YMMV.
 
If you haven't cracked the slab yet, keep stacking it.

I used to routinely bring almost 10k rds to the range with me and usually bring home less than half and a couple of buckets of empty brass.

Any limit on ammo is bullshit. Ammo is far less of a hazard than the gallon of olive oil in one's kitchen, the foam in one's couch or the fabric in one's carpets and clothing. Oh, how about that car thats parked under the house with 25 gallons of gasoline in it, Or the lawn mower, snowblower, chainsaw, weed whacker, leaf blower, et al with their gasoline tanks?

I agree, so don't take this as me sticking up for any hairbrain laws. However...

Little known fact: Some municipalities have flammable storage garage licenses, such as Boston. This is for storage of gasoline in the tanks of vehicles. Anything under 7 gal is exempt. Kind of a scoff law on existing homes, but new construction typically needs to apply for it through ISD, and depending on car count/gallons, might need a separate BFD annual permit as well. The annual BFD permit is the same one someone would use for ammo. Just check off a different box. So yeah, Boston has that covered as well.

Here's the real catch though. On the BFD one, there is a stipulation that they can come in at any time to inspect. Any time for any reason. They also don't say who they will bring and/or report to.
 
Mine permit is good for a lifetime and cost $25, easy to get


It easy to get. My town fire chief asked me what the hell I was talking about...go see the police chief. Police chief said what the hell do I want that for and why do I need it. I then told him and he sent me to the Fire Chief.

Fire chief asked if I was looking for a different answer than he gave me15 minutes ago then said the police chief is the guy...I left
 
Anyone else wonder why the op is even asking about the "permit" when he "knows" the code says it's needed over 25,000 rounds of combined rimfire, centerfire, and shotgun ammo and he says he only has like 3,000 on hand?

Op......3,000 rounds is nothing. .....Absolutely nothing to worry about. That's I pittance of an amount of ammunition. Buy more. Lots more.
 
Anyone else wonder why the op is even asking about the "permit" when he "knows" the code says it's needed over 25,000 rounds of combined rimfire, centerfire, and shotgun ammo and he says he only has like 3,000 on hand?

Op......3,000 rounds is nothing. .....Absolutely nothing to worry about. That's I pittance of an amount of ammunition. Buy more. Lots more.

I'm on the internet... I'm lying to all of you. I don't have 3,000 rounds. Call me paranoid, but I don't tell ANYONE (sorry, even you, my anonymous internet brethren) what I have in my house in the way of firearms, ammunition, 2-ply toilet paper, etc etc. The last part of your post is what I am and will continue to do.

To the folks who attempted to apply for the permit with their local Fire Marshal, and put their feedback here - I thank you! (andrew1220, rep308, LittleCalm, usp45ct, Knob Creek... sorry if I missed anyone)
 
I'm on the internet... I'm lying to all of you. I don't have 3,000 rounds. Call me paranoid, but I don't tell ANYONE (sorry, even you, my anonymous internet brethren) what I have in my house in the way of firearms, ammunition, 2-ply toilet paper, etc etc. The last part of your post is what I am and will continue to do.

To the folks who attempted to apply for the permit with their local Fire Marshal, and put their feedback here - I thank you! (andrew1220, rep308, LittleCalm, usp45ct, Knob Creek... sorry if I missed anyone)
I went by what you stated. Nothing more nothing less. What I meant was.....if you only have 3000 (per your statement) you have nothing to worry about and feel free to buy way more until you do need to worry about it.
 
I live in a very small rural town, everybody knows everybody. I once mentioned to a cop that I have guns and ammo in the house. just so they know in case my alarm went off. He said they pretty much assume everybody in "your neck of the woods" is well stocked with guns and ammo. ;)
 
I live in Newton and got a permit from the fire dept. I have a lot more than 10k rimfire. I just went over and asked, filled out a form, and that was it.
I didn't want any extra issue with the insurance company if we had a fire and they
try to weasel out by saying I am not in compliance with some fire regulation.
 
I was on the local FD for 12 years until my wife’s health and a couple of complex projects came up. Something had to give.

I was once asked if I was carrying having lunch in the station and off duty by a friend. I told him to look at me like I was always armed. He gave me a sort of funny look. The Deputy Chief who I was having the lunch with just laughed.
It’s a small town. I know every cop and even being gone from the FD for a while now they still know me and what I am.
The 10k is a joke. Even at 20 it’s questionable.
Loaded cartridges are very simple. They are not going thru turnout gear. Nothing more than a bunch of firecrackers.

My loaded guns are more of a PI threat than ammo.

A search would have easily provided the intel. Having the FD knowing (on file) what’s going on is silly. It’s a MGL requirement. Not a federal one.

If OP wants to single me out that’s fine. The round count is a freaking joke but I don’t need .gov knowing much more than they already do now.

The 25+ gallons of gasoline in Eagle Safety cans plus plus up to 50 gallons in the 2 vehicles in the garage should be more of a concern.
 
If the OP looks in my sub-forum, he should find a locked post with details on this. Local fire chief should know about it and issue the permit. Allowed numbers are for a single family residental address, so external buildings don't multiply quantities.
 
I have one. I really didn't like that I felt I had to, but keep renewing anyhow.

My only reason is a fear that my insurance not paying out if I do end up having a fire & they determine I am not in compliance with fire code. Pro Tip: Insurance companies are in the business of collecting money, not paying out. Have seen this happen a few times in my life - so I'm not willing to put myself & wife in that position.

That said, my Fire Chief the first time had no idea what I was talking about & tried to do some investigation. He came to me w/ a hazmat permit application which I was like.. uh, not sure this is right, but I will do some research on my own.

Got home, did a few searches & called GOAL. They were very helpful (YAY GOAL!) & sent me a copy of the relevant section of fire code which I brought in to the Chief for review & also let him know what the correct permit form is. Took a few weeks, but finally got it after a bit of prodding (guessing there were other pressing matters, but most likely he forgot :) ).

I know that the FD appreciates me doing this (have a close friend who is a Medic with the department). In their eyes, they just want to know what they are up against if they need to go into a fire.

All that said, a little bit of me dies when I renew...
 
Really! This can only happen in the Peoples Republic of Massachusetts. I been shooting close to 55 years and sold and still shoot machine guns. I have never heard of this law. I require lots of ammo, (machine guns are like feeding children) at least two or three hundred rounds worth of ammo every week in the warmer months. So now your insurance company will be sending you a questionnaire and you can expect a homeowner's insurance rate increase. I received a questionnaire for dogs a few years ago with a list of vicious types of dogs. I round filed it! The best part is my ammo quantities fluctuate according to caliber, time of year, powder and bullet pricing.
 
I used to have a permit for that in Westford. It was really simple. Just go to the local Fire Dept and let them know what you want. I may have been asked "why" and I think I just said "I reload and want to make sure I am covered just in case" or something like that. But I really think they didn't bother asking. BTW, I believe the "permit" needs to be posted somewhere but I don't remember where.
 
Insurance can not and will not deny coverage if your house catches on fire and you just so happen to have ammo in the house.
Unless if course your ammo stash was the source of fire, even then they can't deny coverage for the remainder of property that is covered.
In a major catastrophe where everything is burnt you think they'll know whether you had 5,000 or 15000 rounds, it won't matter
 
I went to my local Fire Chief to ask for one and he said "what"? Gave me the permit for free after he looked it up and found there was such a thing.
Aren't you in NB? I went a few years back and they all looked at me like i was nuts. There were three people there. No one knew what i was talking about and after explaining, one of the firefighters said no one needs to know how much ammo you have and we will pretend this convo never happened.
 
I had one of those permits for >40 yrs. Never a hassle or questions, all my fire chiefs over those years were aware of the law and more than willing to issue them (initially they were free for 5 yr terms). The current FF crew in town goes shooting a few times a year as they have some members who are really into the hobby.

When I got into shooting in the mid-1970s, MGL required that showed one of those permits in order to purchase powder for reloading and that was the initial reason I obtained one. Last time I renewed (3 yrs ago) my fire chief told me that I was the only person in town with an active permit . . . yet I know that there are more than a few serious shooters/reloaders in town. I didn't bother renewing last year as I moved all my ammo to the Free State.
 
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