Medford’s City Council withdrew its ADU ordinance proposal on December 16, 2025 (City of Medford, December 2025), leaving the city without updated ADU regulations. The existing ordinance (Section 94-8.2) predates the state ADU law and has not been reconciled with G.L. c. 40A §3 or 760 CMR 71.00.

The risk: local permitting staff may still be applying outdated rules from the old ordinance in practice, even though any provisions inconsistent with state law are preempted by state law. Without an updated ordinance, there’s no clear local framework that reflects the current legal landscape.

Despite the regulatory uncertainty, Medford has processed 22 ADU applications with 19 approved (86% rate), suggesting that the building department is largely processing applications under state law regardless of the stalled local ordinance.

ADU Pulse is monitoring Medford for any renewed effort to update the ordinance. Homeowners should be aware that state law governs their ADU rights regardless of local ordinance status.