This layer represents the outline of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The MassGIS zoning datalayer represents the boundaries of municipal zoning districts. IMPORTANT:This file is useful for regional comparison only. Because zoning is established at the town level, there is no standard district classification across the state. While districts in different towns may have similar or even identical names, their definitions are often quite different. Generalized codes have been added to make these data useful for regional display. If you need detailed zoning for a particular town, a related table contains detailed information about the districts such as setbacks or text descriptions from each town’s zoning bylaws. This table is available for download at http://www.state.ma.us/mgis/ftpzn.htm. Data are available for all communities except Boston.