Public Improvement Commission
The Boston Public Improvement Commission (PIC) is the owner and regulator of the City's rights of way. The PIC plays an integral role in the City's development and permitting process. From the restaurant that wants to add a seasonal cafe on the public sidewalk, to the developer who wants to construct an underground parking garage for a new housing development, or the homeowner who wants to add an architectural feature to a house that juts into the public space, each must seek approval from the PIC to have its private venture occupy public space, either permanently or on a licensed basis.
About the Public Improvement Commission:
The Public Improvement Commission (PIC) was established in accordance with Section 57, Chapter 2, of the 1954 City Ordinances. The Mayor of Boston appointed the PIC. It is an independent body located in the Public Works Department.
The PIC was assigned the majority of the powers and duties of the former Board of Street Commissioners under a Reorganization Plan of the City of Boston in 1954. The Board of Street Commissioners was established in 1870 by the City’s Board of Aldermen and state statute.
The PIC consists of the Commissioner of the Public Works Department, the Commissioner of Property Management (formerly Real Property Department), the Commissioner of Inspectional Services (formerly Building Department), the Commissioner of the Transportation Department (formerly the Traffic and Parking Department), the Executive Director of the Boston Water and Sewer Commission (formerly part of the public works department), the Executive Secretary, and Administrative Personnel. The Public Works Department augments the PIC with engineering support. The Commissioner of Boston Public Works also acts as Chairman of the PIC. More information about PIC members.
Functions of the Public Improvement Commission
Functions of the PIC include the authority to lay out, widen, relocate, alter, discontinue or rename public highways, and to order the making of specific repairs; to ¹order the construction of sanitary sewers and storm drains; ²to take land by eminent domain for municipal purposes (except housing and off-street parking); to establish line and grade of all private ways; to levy assessments for street, sidewalk, and ¹sewer betterments; and to issue permits for the location of wire carrying poles, conduits, pipes, tracks, and similar uses of the public ways.
¹ These functions were assumed by the Boston Water and Sewer Commission upon its establishment in 1977.
² These functions were assumed by the Public Facilities Commission upon its establishment in 1966
Categories of Authorization
In general, the PIC authorizes development activity in the following categories:
| Category | Description / Example |
| Discontinuance (public way) / Abandonment (private way) | Request that the City discontinue its claim to certain public space - roof cornices, underground garages. |
| License | Request license to use a public right of way or space - sidewalk cafe, marquee, canopy, areaway, earth retention systems, and monitoring wells. |
| Specific Repair | Request specific changes to a public right of way - use of brick instead of concrete or paver for sidewalk. |
| Street Layout / Approval of Line & Grade | PIC ensures that the line and grade of a private development compliments that of the public way it borders. |
| Telecommunication and Utility Grant of Locations | PIC regulates how telecom and utility companies access and occupy the underground and above ground cable networks. |
| Easement / Widening and Relocation | Shift the public way in on private property in exchange for the right to occupy sidewalk space - sidewalk landscaping. |
More Information
For further information regarding the PIC and the necessary forms for approval, please contact the Executive Secretary of the Public Improvement Commission at 617-635-4961.
For Permits contact the Permit Division Supervisor of the Public Works Department at 617-635-4910.
