Saugus is a river town. The Saugus River runs tidal up to the Iron Works, and Rumney Marsh lines the south end. That changes how we handle basements, decks and even paint prep.
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Saugus isn't on the open coast, but the town's 2021 Hazard Mitigation Plan says the Saugus River is tidal from Hamilton Street up to the Saugus Iron Works. That stretch of town sees basement flooding in heavy rain and storms.
East Saugus has it worst, per the plan: residential streets have closed and cellars have flooded, because high tides slow down the stormwater trying to drain out. The plan keeps a whole table of locally identified flooding areas, from Route 1 to the Spring Street culvert below Hawkes Pond.
Then there's Rumney Marsh, about 2,274 acres of salt marsh and tidal flat along the Saugus and Pines Rivers, made a state Area of Critical Environmental Concern in 1988. Lots near it carry wetland and flood rules almost by default.
What Town Hall at 298 Central Street will want from a job like yours. Statewide rules are listed under these.
Saugus Bylaw 508 covers land within 100 feet of wetlands and ponds of any size, and 200 feet of rivers and streams. Under the Conservation Commission's 2011 rules, a 50-foot strip of natural vegetation from wetlands and water bodies, and 100 feet from perennial streams and rivers, stays undisturbed unless you show the work won't harm it. Starting without a permit can double the fees.
[1]Saugus zoning puts every FEMA Zone A and AE area on the Essex County flood maps dated July 3, 2012 into a Floodplain overlay district. In the floodway, new construction and substantial improvements are banned unless a registered engineer certifies they won't raise the base flood level.
[1]Section 10.2 of the Saugus zoning bylaw says a building permit waits on a Certificate of Zoning Compliance, which the Zoning Enforcement Officer issues within 30 days. The application needs a drawn plan of the lot showing existing buildings and where the new work goes.
[1][2]Saugus requires a dumpster permit from Inspectional Services, even for a dumpster on private property. One on the street needs DPW approval, and the debris has to go to a licensed disposal facility.
[1][2]Before a demolition permit is issued, the Building Inspector notifies the Historical Commission by certified letter, with photos of the building. If the commission raises no objection within 21 days, the permit moves ahead; an objection alone isn't legal grounds to deny it.
[1][2]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
Route 1 cuts Saugus in half, and the plan calls the town a family-oriented, working-class community with a small-town feel. Step off the highway and it's neighborhoods, East Saugus down by the marsh among them.
Close to 30% of the town's housing units were built before 1940, per census figures in the same plan. The Saugus Iron Works and Town Hall are both on the National Register. Older houses mean older plaster, old trim, and basements that weren't built to be living space.
One crew for paint, kitchens and baths, carpentry, basements and decks. Each page has the Saugus details.
House PaintingExterior and interior painting in Saugus, MA. Homes near Rumney Marsh and the tidal river live with damp air, so prep comes first.House Painting in Saugus →
Kitchen & Bath RemodelingKitchen and bathroom remodeling in Saugus, MA, with the zoning compliance step and dumpster permit the town requires handled before demo day.Kitchen & Bath Remodeling in Saugus →
Carpentry & Built-InsBuilt-ins, mantels, window seats, trim and cabinet repair for Saugus, MA homes, many of them older houses with original woodwork.Carpentry & Built-Ins in Saugus →
Basement Finishing & FlooringBasement finishing and flooring in Saugus, MA. Along the tidal Saugus River and in East Saugus, we deal with water before we build walls.Basement Finishing & Flooring in Saugus →
Deck Building & RepairDecks built, repaired and refinished in Saugus, MA, planned around the town's 50-foot wetland buffer and its Floodplain overlay district.Deck Building & Repair in Saugus →Photos from DT jobs around Boston and the North Shore. They show how we work; they aren't labeled by town.
Our work around Boston and the North Shore.
Yes. The town's dumpster application covers dumpsters on private property too, and one on the street also needs DPW approval. We pull it as part of the job.
Yes. Interior remodels rarely touch wetland rules. Outside work like decks, grading or additions within 100 feet of a wetland, or 200 feet of a river, goes to the Conservation Commission first.
Look up your address on the FEMA flood map. Saugus zoning uses the Essex County maps dated July 3, 2012, and anything in Zone A or AE falls in the town's Floodplain district.
On Mondays, yes. The inspector keeps evening hours from 5 to 7 p.m. that day, along with early-morning and noon slots during the week.
Area not listed? Call 781-866-6546. We travel for the right job.
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 out to Saugus, look at the job and give you a written price. Free.
