All States / Massachusetts
Permit Fees in Massachusetts
1 city tracked. 1 verified from published fee schedules.
1
Cities
$270.00
Avg Building
1
Verified
| City | Bathroom | Kitchen | Roof | HVAC | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | $270.00 | $395.00 | $140.00 | $25.00 | ✓ |
How permits work in Massachusetts
Massachusetts runs one code statewide: 780 CMR, the State Building Code, now in its 10th Edition built on amended 2021 I-codes. It took first effect October 11, 2024 and has been the only code in force since June 30, 2025, when the 9th Edition expired. Chapter 51, the Massachusetts Residential Code, carries the 2021 IRC with state amendments. State law requires every city and town to employ a building inspector to enforce it, so the rulebook never changes at a town line. The fees still do.
Boston runs some of the gentlest big-city permit fees we track: $270 for a bathroom remodel, $395 for a kitchen, $140 for a roof, and $25 for an HVAC changeout.
Two state credentials shape who pulls permits. A Construction Supervisor License is required to oversee construction of new one- and two-family homes and most work on existing one- to four-family homes. Contractors improving existing owner-occupied homes also need Home Improvement Contractor registration, and here's the part homeowners miss: pull your own permit, or hire an unregistered contractor, and you give up access to the HIC arbitration program and Guaranty Fund if the job goes wrong.
Energy is the one genuinely local variable. A town enforces the base energy code, the DOER Stretch Code, or the Specialized Stretch Code, and the answer changes the insulation and mechanical math on any major project. Ask the building department which one applies before you design.
Sources: 780 CMR editions and dates · 10th Edition handbook · Construction Supervisor License rules · Massachusetts home improvement law · verified 2026-06