Pinecrest Village, Inc. v. MacMillan

The plaintiff, Pinecrest Village, Inc., sought a declaratory judgment in the Superior Court that G. L. c. 148, § 261, did not require the installation of an automatic sprinkler system in townhouse condominium complexes that it was building. The Superior Court granted summary judgment in favor of the defendant, the fire chief of Hopkinton, concluding that the plain language of § 261 requires the sprinkler system. The plaintiff appealed. We transferred the case to this court on our own motion and affirm.

I

In 1988, the plaintiff obtained a permit from the Hopkin*71ton zoning board of appeals to…