Building Safety in Massachusetts (2026)

Owners of Boston rental units built before 1978 must comply with the Massachusetts Lead Law (MGL Ch. 111 §§189A-199B)…

Lowell's historic housing stock triggers the Massachusetts Lead Law requiring full de-leading of pre-1978 homes where…

Under MGL c.111 s.197A, pre-1978 Newton homes with children under 6 must be de-leaded; sellers and landlords must…

Under MA Lead Law (MGL c.111 s.197A), Somerville owners must delead or apply interim control to any pre-1978 unit where…

Waltham rental properties built before 1978 must comply with the Massachusetts Lead Law (MGL c.111 s.197A), requiring…

Lawrence requires anyone removing, scraping or deleading lead paint in a structure to get a permit from the board of…

Springfield adopts the Massachusetts State Lead Poisoning and Control Code, 105 CMR 460, by reference as controlling…

Boston charges separately for installing a sprinkler system and for the mandatory annual retest. The Commissioner of…

Brockton's fire prevention code requires automatic sprinkler systems in basements over 2,500 square feet used to store…

In the City of Everett, Massachusetts, every building erected or raised by alterations or additions to five or more…

Revere accepted G.L. c. 148, § 26I on June 13, 1996, requiring automatic sprinkler systems in newly built or…

Somerville accepted Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 148, § 26I, requiring automatic sprinklers in any new or substantially…

A child care facility in Brockton serving more than ten children, as defined under state law, must clear far larger…

In the City of Everett, Massachusetts, Section 30 of the Zoning Ordinance puts Day Care Centers and school age child…

The City of Haverhill's Fire Department charges a $100 annual fee for day-care and educational facilities under City…

In Medford's Mixed Use Zoning District, a child care use is only permitted if an outdoor play area is provided meeting…

Newton treats a day care center serving more than 10 children as a distinct land use under Sec. 6.3.4, subject to…

In Southborough, a child care center is a permitted use in the Downtown District under § 174-8.12(A)(6), and subsection…

Boston requires every vacant, unguarded building open to unauthorized entry to have all door and window openings closed…

Framingham's lodging house code requires every licensed rooming house to keep egress doors, including any installed…

Southborough limits how much house fits on a lot through a maximum floor area ratio: 0.18 in the Residence A district…

New construction and major renovations in Somerville must go fossil fuel-free under the city's Specialized Energy Code…

Boston's Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO) forces large buildings to report energy and…

Newton requires any large redevelopment triggering a special permit to design to a recognized green building rating…

Brockton has adopted the Massachusetts Stretch Energy Code, 780 CMR Appendix 115.AA, as Article V of Chapter 4, making…

Cambridge requires large development projects to meet a certified green building standard before they can get a permit…

In the City of Everett, Massachusetts (Middlesex County), Section 4-4 incorporates the Stretch Energy Code into the…

Framingham adopted the Massachusetts Stretch Energy Code as Chapter 220 of its City Code, requiring residential and…

The City of Haverhill has adopted the Massachusetts Stretch Energy Code, 780 CMR Appendix 115.AA, as Haverhill City…

Lawrence has locally adopted the Massachusetts Stretch Energy Code, 780 CMR Appendix 115.AA, as the energy-efficiency…

The City of Medford, Massachusetts requires new and substantially renovated buildings to meet 780 CMR Appendix 120 AA…

Revere adopted the Massachusetts Stretch Energy Code, 780 CMR Appendix 115.AA, as its own local requirement effective…

Quincy, Massachusetts requires every sober house in Norfolk County to certify functioning carbon monoxide detectors…

Boston Code § 9-1.4(B)(4) requires every property owner to provide and maintain a functioning carbon monoxide detector…

Fall River requires short-term rental operators to submit a Fire Department Certificate of Compliance confirming smoke…

In the City of Haverhill, properties are certified for combination smoke and carbon monoxide detector compliance…

Springfield law makes it unlawful to operate a short-term rental without a working smoke detector, carbon monoxide…

Worcester caps what the fire department can charge for the carbon monoxide alarm inspection state law requires, from…

Boston requires a building permit before any roof deck on a residential structure can be used, backed by a structural…

Before any building or structure in Brockton is erected, constructed, altered or moved, the owner must file a permit…

Chelsea requires a building permit before construction work begins, with fees set by the director of municipal…

In the City of Chicopee, Massachusetts, the State Building Code (780 CMR 100.00 et seq.) is adopted by ordinance and…

Fall River requires a permit before starting most building work, and doubles the standard fee if construction…

Erecting, altering or repairing a building or structure in the City of Haverhill requires a permit from the Inspector…

Leominster charges twenty-two dollars for the first thousand dollars of estimated building work and seven dollars per…

No building or structure in Lynn can be erected, moved, added to, or structurally altered without a Building Permit…

A Medford building permit costs $15 per $1,000 of estimated construction cost for new construction, additions…

In the City of Methuen, Massachusetts, buildings, structures and signs cannot be erected, substantially altered, moved…

No building in New Bedford may be constructed, reconstructed, altered, repaired, removed, demolished or have its use…

Revere Municipal Code § 15.04.010 blocks the inspector of buildings from issuing any building permit until the…

Somerville does not write its own list of permit triggers: City Code § 9-131 adopts the entire Massachusetts State…

In Southborough, it is unlawful to construct, alter, remove, demolish or change the class of occupancy of any building…

Springfield requires a paid permit before erecting, altering, repairing, demolishing, or adding to any building or…

Taunton requires a permit before any construction, addition, alteration, repair, demolition or foundation work covered…

Boston requires the Commissioner of Inspectional Services to approve or disapprove every electrical wiring or fixture…

Brockton requires written permission from the inspector of wires before connecting any interior wiring to an outside…

Cambridge requires an electrical permit before work starts, and starting first triples the fee under Municipal Code §…

Chelsea requires anyone doing electrical work in the city to obtain a permit from the electrical inspector within five…

In the City of Chicopee, Massachusetts, the State Electrical Code (527 CMR 12.00 et seq.) is adopted by ordinance and…

In the City of Everett, Massachusetts (Middlesex County), Section 4-55 requires all persons doing electrical work in…

Fall River requires an individual permit for most electrical installations, issued only to state-certified electricians…

Haverhill adopts the National Electrical Code by ordinance under City Code § 141-1 and requires a written permit from…

Lawrence adopts the National Electrical Code for all wiring work and requires a permit and inspection before any…

Leominster bars anyone from connecting power to a wiring system, moving or adding to wiring, or installing new…

Medford requires anyone installing electrical wiring or fixtures for hire to notify the superintendent of wires before…

Quincy, Massachusetts (Norfolk County) requires a written permit from the Inspector of Wires before any building…

Revere requires an outside electrical disconnection device on new construction, substantial renovations, service…

No one may install, alter, repair, or remove electrical wiring in Springfield without first applying to the Department…

All electrical work in Taunton requires a permit administered under City Code § 250-3, enforced by the Inspector of…

Installing, altering, or repairing plumbing anywhere in Boston requires a permit from the Commissioner of Inspectional…

Brockton charges $75 for a single-family plumbing permit plus $10 per fixture, requires the permit be filed before work…

Cambridge charges permit fees for all plumbing and gas fitting work under City Code Chapter 15.12, with new plumbing…

Chelsea enforces plumbing work under the Massachusetts state plumbing code, 248 CMR 2.00 et seq., which Code of…

In the City of Chicopee, Massachusetts, the State Plumbers and Gas Fitters Code (248 CMR) is adopted by ordinance and…

In the City of Everett, Massachusetts (Middlesex County), Section 4-1 of the Revised Ordinances sets the plumbing and…

Fall River requires a City permit for plumbing and gas work under Code § 10-121, with fees of $43 plus $12 per fixture…

Plumbing work in the City of Haverhill requires a permit under the fee schedule set out in Haverhill City Code §…

Anyone doing plumbing work in Leominster must be registered or licensed by the state examiners of plumbers, and a…

Medford's building commissioner, acting as ex officio inspector of buildings, enforces plumbing regulations under Sec…

Revere Municipal Code § 15.04.020 bars the plumbing, gas, and electrical inspectors from issuing a permit until the…

Springfield adopts the Massachusetts State Plumbers and Gas Fitters Code, 248 CMR, by reference as the controlling…

Every plumbing job in Taunton needs a permit under City Code § 250-1, and the Inspector of Plumbing appointed under §…

Boston forces periodic structural inspection of exterior walls on buildings over 70 feet or classified high-rise, and…

Cambridge's Inspectional Services Department follows a fixed repair-and-reinspection cycle for State Sanitary Code…

Before any building permit issues in Brockton, the superintendent of buildings must route the application through…

In the City of Chicopee, Massachusetts, subsection N of § 122-2 sets a schedule for periodic inspection of existing…

In the City of Everett, Massachusetts, Section 10 of the Zoning Ordinance makes it unlawful to use any part of a newly…

Fall River requires anyone finishing permitted work to notify the Inspectional Services Division, which must inspect…

The City of Haverhill's Inspector of Buildings must examine every building under construction, alteration, or reported…

Medford charges $75 for a certificate of inspection under Section 108.5.1 of the Massachusetts State Building Code…

In the City of Methuen, Massachusetts, no new, relocated or substantially changed building can be occupied until the…

In Revere, the building inspector examines plans, buildings and premises to check zoning-title compliance, and can…

Somerville's inspector of buildings and assistants may enter any building or premises on showing a badge of office to…

In Southborough, the Inspector of Buildings inspects all building operations and all buildings under construction, has…

Springfield charges 150% of the state code's Table 106 fee for a certificate of inspection and will not let a building…