Somerville, Mass., Code of Ordinances ch. 7, art. VII (2026) § 7-154
Report and statistics supplied to the city
Operative Text
Each and every school shall supply a report with required statistics to the city . This report shall be based on the most current information in the directory . The information in the report shall be compiled by the school within 45 calendar days of the beginning of each semester or quarter that information is gathered. The report required by this section shall include, but not be limited to: (a) The total number of students enrolled at the school as of the date of collection of the directory information; (b) The total number of students enrolled at the school as of the date of collection of the directory information that reside on the campus of the school; (c) The total number of students enrolled at the school as of the date of collection of the directory information that reside off the campus of the school in the city; (d) An anonymous breakdown of the number of students enrolled at the school as of the date of collection of the directory information that reside off the campus of the school, organized by address and unit number, and also including ZIP code, student status (i.e. undergraduate or graduate, part-time or full-time) and expected graduation date; the breakdown shall further include, from the following list, the type of off-campus housing each student resides in: (1) Property owned, leased, rented, or operated by the school; (2) The home of a family member; or (3) Other private housing; and (e) A complete list of the addresses of all properties currently owned, leased, rented, or operated by the school at which students are housed. Each and every school shall forward within 45 calendar days of the beginning of each semester or quarter that information is gathered the report required by this section to the clerk of the city and the clerk shall forward the report to the mayor of the city and the superintendent of the office of inspectional services. The clerk also shall docket the report and include the docket on the agenda of the next-occurring meeting of the city council . The failure or refusal of a school to forward the report shall be deemed an event of non-compliance with the provisions of these sections.
Somerville Code of Ordinances ch. 7, art. VII § 7-154 requires every school operating in Somerville to compile and submit a statistical report about its student population to the city within 45 calendar days of the start of each semester or quarter. The report must cover total enrollment, how many students live on campus versus off campus in the city, an anonymized address-level breakdown of off-campus housing types, and a full list of school-controlled housing properties. Once received, the city clerk routes the report to the mayor and the superintendent of inspectional services and places it on the city council's agenda. A school that fails or refuses to submit the report is considered in non-compliance with this section.
Plain English — not legal advice.
While § 7-154 places the reporting obligation directly on schools rather than private landlords, property owners who rent to students in Somerville should be aware that anonymized data about their addresses and unit numbers—including ZIP code, student status, and expected graduation dates—may appear in these reports. Compliant schools gather this directory information and submit it to the city on a semester or quarter cycle, meaning housing data tied to rental properties is periodically reviewed by city officials. Landlords who rent to students may find it useful to understand that the city uses this data to monitor off-campus housing patterns and that the superintendent of inspectional services receives each report.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Under Somerville Code of Ordinances ch. 7, art. VII § 7-154, students living off campus in Somerville have their housing information—anonymized by address and unit number—included in reports that their school submits to the city. Because the city clerk dockets these reports and places them on the city council agenda, the data becomes part of the public municipal record, which tenants and advocates can access to understand how student housing is tracked. Students who believe their school has failed to submit the required report, or who have concerns about how their housing information is being handled, may contact the city clerk's office or a local tenant-rights organization for guidance on available options.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated November 11, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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