Revere's Building Safety: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles building safety a little differently. In Revere, Massachusetts, there are 6 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Plumbing Permits

Revere Municipal Code § 15.04.020 bars the plumbing, gas, and electrical inspectors from issuing a permit until the applicant pays the fee to the city collector under the schedule set out in Table I of the Revised Ordinances, mirroring the building permit fee rule in § 15.04.010.

Key details: Governing section: Revere Municipal Code § 15.04.020. Covers: Plumbing, gas, and electrical permits. Fee payee: City collector, before permit issuance. Fee schedule: Table I of the Revised Ordinances. Related rule: Separate meter for common areas, § 15.04.035.

As with the building permit fee rule, nonpayment simply blocks issuance, the plumbing, gas, or electrical inspector cannot lawfully hand over the permit until the city collector receives the fee. Once a permit issues, failing to meet the trade-specific wiring, meter, or circuit rules elsewhere in Chapter 15.04, or violating the incorporated state plumbing, gas, or electrical codes, is punishable under the city's general penalty chapters, 1.12 and 1.16.

Green Building Code

Revere adopted the Massachusetts Stretch Energy Code, 780 CMR Appendix 115.AA, as its own local requirement effective January 1, 2012, under Municipal Code § 15.04.151. The building inspector enforces it, and violations carry the same penalties as any other building code breach under Chapters 1.12 and 1.16.

Key details: Adopted code: 780 CMR Appendix 115.AA (Stretch Energy Code). Effective date: January 1, 2012. Enforcer: Building inspector. Cross-referenced violation: Title 8, § 8.04.22A. Penalty ceiling: $300 per offense under Chapters 1.12/1.16.

A Stretch Energy Code violation is treated as a violation of § 15.04.151 itself and of the city's separate nuisance provision at Title 8, § 8.04.22A. That doubles up the enforcement path but funnels into the same penalty: fines under Chapters 1.12 and 1.16, up to $300 per offense or $25 to $250 per day under the noncriminal disposition procedure, with the building inspector responsible for enforcement.

Electrical Permits

Revere requires an outside electrical disconnection device on new construction, substantial renovations, service alterations, and occupancy changes under Municipal Code § 15.04.155. The wire inspector enforces the requirement, which lets responders cut power to the structure in an emergency, and it applies to anyone applying for an electrical permit.

Key details: Governing section: Revere Municipal Code § 15.04.155. Trigger: New construction, major renovation, service alteration, use change. Required device: Outside electrical disconnection device. Enforcer: Wire inspector. Default penalty: Up to $300 per offense, § 1.16.010.

Section 15.04.155 doesn't list its own dollar penalty. Because it's a city ordinance without a specific fine attached, a violation falls back on the citywide general penalty at § 1.16.010, liability of not more than $300 for each offense, and the wire inspector, who is named as the enforcing official for the disconnect requirement, is positioned to flag noncompliance before or during the electrical permit process.

Building Inspections

In Revere, the building inspector examines plans, buildings and premises to check zoning-title compliance, and can withhold or revoke permits found in violation. Violators face up to three hundred dollars a day, and the inspector must detail the violation, remedy and appeal rights in writing within fourteen days.

Key details: Enforcing officer: Building inspector, appointed by the mayor. Inspection duty: Examine plans, buildings and premises for compliance. Notice deadline: 14 days to detail violation, remedy and appeal rights. Penalty: Up to $300 per day per violation. Complaint process: Any person may file a written complaint, § 17.60.100.

Violating any provision of Revere's zoning title carries a fine of up to three hundred dollars per day per violation under Section 17.60.090. The building inspector can also withhold permits and certificates under Section 17.60.040, revoke ones already issued under Section 17.60.050, and the City can seek a court injunction to stop a continuing violation under Section 17.60.110.

Fire Sprinkler Requirements

Revere accepted G.L. c. 148, § 26I on June 13, 1996, requiring automatic sprinkler systems in newly built or substantially rehabilitated residential buildings with four or more dwelling units, including apartments, lodging houses and hotels. The acceptance, codified in Appendix B, § B.020 of the Revere Municipal Code, also fixes a local definition of 'substantially rehabilitated.'

Key details: Local acceptance date: June 13, 1996. Governing statute: M.G.L. c. 148, § 26I (local option). Coverage threshold: 4+ dwelling units, new or rehabbed. Local definition added: 'Substantially rehabilitated' = new-construction equivalent. Enforcing agency: Revere Division of Fire Prevention.

Owners who fail to install or maintain the required sprinkler system face enforcement action from the Division of Fire Prevention, charged under Revere Municipal Code § 2.54.030 with enforcing 'all laws of the commonwealth' bearing on fire prevention. The chief inspector or an assistant inspector checks compliance during inspections required under § 2.54.050, at least twice yearly for ordinary buildings and four times yearly for specially hazardous occupancies, and the fire chief may order an alternative suppressant system installed where the water supply cannot support sprinklers.

Building Permits

Revere Municipal Code § 15.04.010 blocks the inspector of buildings from issuing any building permit until the applicant pays the required fee to the city collector, under the fee schedule set out in Table I. The requirement runs alongside Section 118.0 of the Massachusetts State Building Code.

Key details: Governing section: Revere Municipal Code § 15.04.010. Fee payee: City collector, before permit issuance. Fee schedule: Table I of the Revised Ordinances. State cross-reference: Mass. State Building Code § 118.0. Code enforcer: Inspector of buildings.

Because the fee requirement is a precondition to issuance rather than a standalone offense, the practical consequence of nonpayment is that the inspector of buildings simply will not issue the permit. Once a permit is issued and work is underway, violating the incorporated State Building Code or State Fire Code is separately punishable under Chapters 1.12 and 1.16 of the Revere ordinances, the city's general penalty provisions, which top out at $300 per offense with each day of continuing violation.

The Bottom Line

Revere's building safety rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Revere is broadly strict or permissive.

These rules come from Revere's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.