Built-ins, mantels, window seats and trim in Medford, including exterior trim on houses in the city's two local historic districts.
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In the Hillside Avenue and Marm Simonds historic districts, work that affects exterior architectural features needs a certificate from the Historic District Commission before the Building Department can issue a permit. Paint color, roof color, storm windows and storm doors are outside the Commission's review.
[1][2]Medford's noise ordinance bars excessively noisy work before 7 a.m. or after 6 p.m. on any day unless the police chief issues a permit for it.
[1]One statewide building code. Massachusetts uses a single building code for every town: 780 CMR, now in its tenth edition. Your local building department enforces it and issues the permits. source
Dig Safe before digging. State law requires notice to Dig Safe at least 72 hours before digging, not counting weekends and legal holidays. That includes holes for deck footings. Call 811. source
Interior work isn't the Historic District Commission's business. Its certificates cover exterior architectural features, so a bookcase or window seat in a Hillside Avenue house goes ahead like anywhere else.
Exterior carpentry inside a district needs a certificate first. Applications are due three weeks before the Commission meets, and the Commission does a final inspection before the building permit can close.
No. The Historic District Commission only reviews work affecting exterior architectural features. Built-ins, mantels and window seats inside the house don't need a certificate.
Our work around Boston and the North Shore.
Local rules change. We link the official pages so you can check the current version, and we confirm what your job needs when we come look.
Send a request or give us a ring. We'll come to Medford, look at the job and give you a written price. Free.
