Did a little research and answered my own question. Sorry, jk, but you were wrong on this one...
MGL Chapter 142A, Section 17 states: "The following acts are prohibited by contractors or subcontractors: violation of the building laws of the commonwealth or of any political subdivision thereof" and "Violations of any of the provisions of this chapter shall constitute an unfair and deceptive act under the provisions of Chapter 93A" (Chapter 93A being Massachusetts' Consumer Protection Act, which provides relief and/or treble damages for such acts).
According to Mass building code, specifically the Board of Fire Prevention Regulations 527 CMR, Section 10.03.13, "The means of egress from each part of the building, including stairways, egress doors... shall at all times be maintained in a safe condition and shall be available for immediate use and free of all obstructions." Further, "All exterior stairways and fire escapes shall be kept free of snow and ice"
So it seems pretty clear that the contractor should have been put on notice of 93A by the property manager, with a demand for relief by means of clearing the obstruction from the egress doors. Rather, management took the situation as an opportunity to gouge the association of several thousand dollars by clearing the decks themselves and billing us internally.

