SECTION 12. Charter and charter amendments and revisions; deposit of certificates; judicial notice; reprints for distribution

Certificates in quadruplicate shall be prepared setting forth any charter that has been adopted or revised and any charter amendments approved and shall be signed by the city or town clerk. One such certificate shall be deposited in the office of the state secretary and shall be kept under the custody of the archivist of the commonwealth, one shall be deposited in the office of the director of housing and community development, one shall be deposited in the office of the attorney general and the other shall be recorded in the records of the city or town and deposited in its archives. All courts may take judicial notice of charters and charter amendments of cities and towns.

The city council of each city, and the board of selectmen of each town, shall, at intervals of not greater than ten years, cause the charter of said city or town as revised or amended to be reprinted for distribution to such registered voters of said city or town as may apply therefor at the office of the city or town clerk. Acts of the general court which are included in such charter may be referred to by appropriate subject headings and statutory citations instead of being set forth at length. Copies of said document may be sold at a price not to exceed the cost of paper, printing and binding thereof, plus mailing charges if any, as determined by said clerk.