Beta 2026Open to New England towns
Ask about ordinances, minutes and ZBA decisions. Every answer quotes the page it came from.
The answers are still in the minutes, the decision letters and the amendments. MunicipalWise reads all of them and answers from them.
Upload PDFs of any age. MunicipalWise reads scanned pages by OCR, and a document can be quoted only once your staff approve it.
Every answer ends on its page.
Ask
When does the Whitcomb variance lapse?
“A building permit shall be obtained within 12 months of this decision or the variance shall lapse.”
It lapses if a building permit is not obtained within 12 months of the decision.1
Before an answer reaches you, each quotation in it is compared word for word with the passage it cites. Change one word and the quote is marked unverified, and the answer drops to Partly in the record.
The check covers quotations; read the summary against its sources
Answers come only from documents your staff approved
No matching passage, and the answer says Not in the record
A building permit shall be obtained within 12 months of this decision or the variance shall lapse.
A building permit shall be obtained within 12 months of this decision or the variance shall lapse.verified
A building permit shall be obtained within 18 months of this decision or the variance shall lapse.unverified: 18 is not on the page
Keyword search catches “§ 5.4” and “Map 7 Lot 23”; meaning search catches plain questions.
Each document is public, internal or confidential, and the database enforces who reads it.
| Access level | Board | Staff, admin |
|---|---|---|
| Public | Can read | Can read |
| Internal | Can read | Can read |
| Confidential | No access | Can read |
Administrators see each question, its answer, its sources, who asked and when.
| When does the Whitcomb variance lapse? Tue 9:20 · staff | Answered | 1 source |
| How many short-term rentals are registered? Tue 9:31 · board | Not in record | 0 sources |
| What setback applies to a shed on a corner lot? Mon 19:04 · board | Partly | 2 sources |
A citation opens the PDF at its page. Typed PDFs highlight the passage itself.
§ 5.4 Accessory structures
A. An accessory structure stands on the same lot as the building it serves.
B. Accessory structures shall be set back not less than 10 feet from side and rear lot lines.
Yes. OCR reads pages with no text layer at upload. Exact highlighting works on typed PDFs; a scan opens on the right page.
Not when they are marked confidential. Only staff and administrators can read those, and the database enforces it.
No. It reports what the record says and shows the passage. Interpretation is for town counsel.
Into private storage, apart from other towns. To write an answer, the question and the passages found go to an OpenAI model.
Meeting recordings, precedent lookup, past versions of an ordinance, exports and log retention settings are not built.
Most records software is sold to cities with a procurement office. Tell us about your town and who would use it; the price is on request.
