[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Meeting of the Town of Belmont as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted as Art. 1 of the 1981 Bylaws]
A. 
The bylaws of the Town of Belmont shall consist of two parts, as follows:
(1) 
Part I, General Bylaws.
(2) 
Part II, Zoning Bylaw.
B. 
The Zoning Bylaw, as amended, in force on the effective date of this codification of the General Bylaws, shall remain in force and shall not be affected by any provisions of the General Bylaws except as may be specifically provided therein.
All bylaws of the Town in force prior to the effective date of these General Bylaws, except the Zoning Bylaw, are hereby repealed, subject to the provisions of the following § 10-110.
The repeal of any bylaw shall not affect any act theretofore done, any liability incurred, any right accrued or established, any action, suit or proceeding commenced, or any punishment, penalty or forfeiture incurred under such repealed bylaw. The repeal of a bylaw shall not have the effect of reviving any bylaw previously in force.
A. 
If any of the provisions of the General Bylaws shall affect matters addressed in a statute to which the Town is subject, a reasonable effort shall be made to construe such provisions consistently with the statute. In case of conflict between the provisions of a statute and any provision of the General Bylaws, the statute shall control, but only to the extent of such conflict.
B. 
Words importing the singular number may extend and be applied to several persons or things, words importing the plural number may include the singular, and words of one gender may be construed to include the other gender and the neuter.
[Added 5-29-2013 STM, approved 10-8-2013]
C. 
Headings and captions are for reference purposes only as an editorial aid to the reader and are not substantive provisions of the bylaws. They are not legally adopted parts of the bylaws as voted by Town Meeting and shall not be used in the interpretation of the bylaws.
[Added 5-29-2013 STM, approved 10-8-2013]
D. 
Historical information (adoption and approval dates) and cross-references appearing in brackets and footnotes are not part of the bylaws and have been inserted for reference purposes only.
[Added 5-29-2013 STM, approved 10-8-2013]
E. 
The General Bylaws may be adopted, repealed, or amended at any Town Meeting in accordance with law. At the direction of the Bylaw Review Committee, the Town Clerk shall assign appropriate alphanumeric references to chapters, articles, sections, subsections, paragraphs, and subparagraphs of the General Bylaws and, in each case, the assignment of references shall be identified by a footnote or other convention.
[Added 5-4-2015 ATM, approved 8-2-2015]
[Added 4-30-2019 ATM,[1] approved 9-5-2019]
The "Board of Selectmen" referred to in MGL c. 41 shall be known in Belmont as the "Select Board," and "Selectmen" shall be known as "Members" of the Select Board, and the Select Board and its Members shall have all the powers and duties conferred upon Boards of Selectmen and Selectmen, respectively, by the General Laws or any special law pertaining to the Town of Belmont.
[1]
Editor's Note: Pursuant to this Town Meeting article, the General Bylaws were amended to change the word "Selectmen" and the phrase "Board of Selectmen" to "Select Board" wherever they appear.
[Amended 5-29-2013 STM, approved 10-8-2013]
Any person violating any provision of the General Bylaws shall be subject to a fine of $100 for each offense, unless the bylaw specifically provides for a different amount.