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Bathroom, Kitchen and Home Remodeling in Burlington, MA
Burlington's sewer allocation page says the town's sewer system has been under a MassDEP consent order since 2001, and it lists a $500-per-bedroom charge for bedroom additions. Call (978) 951-4644 or use the form. A person reads every request and replies with what happens next.
- Free for homeowners
- Town and state remodeling rules on this page
- Mill Pond to the Woburn line
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Remodeling in Burlington
What are you changing?
Kitchen Remodeling
New layouts, cabinets and counters, with licensed trades for any plumbing, gas and electrical work.
Bathroom Remodeling
Tub-to-shower conversions, full gut renovations and added bathrooms, permitted the way your town requires.
Additions & Whole-Home
Additions, dormers, second stories and whole-house renovations, with the structural permits and zoning they bring.
Attic & Basement Finishing
Turning an attic or a dry basement into living space, with the building department involved from the start.
Adding a bedroom?
(978) 951-4644Tell us what you want to add and where the house sits, and we'll help you sort out the permit, sewer and wetland steps before a contractor prices it.
Permits
Remodeling permits in Burlington
Building Department. The Building Department is in Town Hall, 29 Center Street, 781-270-1615; Town Hall stays open until 7 on Wednesdays. The department says "most projects require a building permit before work begins," asks you to allow at least two weeks for review and issuance, and says to contact Conservation before applying if the work is near wetlands. Applications go through the town's OpenGov portal, which also carries a Floodplain Development Permit Application for projects in the floodplain (Permits & Applications).
Fees as of August 2026. The town's "Building Permit Fees as of August 2026" sheet charges residential building permits $13 per $1,000 with a $50 minimum, a demolition permit $1,000, and plumbing and gas $75 for the first three fixtures plus $20 for each fixture above three (Building permit fees).
What the state requires. The state building code requires a permit to construct, alter, repair, remove or demolish a building, and specifically for substantially cutting away a wall, removing or cutting a beam or load-bearing support, or changing a required means of egress (780 CMR R105). Plumbing and gas work need a permit issued to a licensed plumber or gas fitter (248 CMR 3.05), and electrical work needs a state-licensed electrician.
Hiring a contractor. Check the Home Improvement Contractor registration on the state's Contractor Hub and the construction supervisor license on the state verification site; structural work on a one- or two-family home must be overseen by a licensed construction supervisor or a registered design professional (Construction supervisor license). A contract over $1,000 must be written and list the registration number, dates, price and payment schedule; the deposit can't exceed one-third unless special-order materials cost more; and you can cancel a contract signed at home until midnight of the third business day (c.142A §2). Pulling the permit yourself, or hiring an unregistered contractor, rules out the state Guaranty Fund (Mass.gov HIC homeowner resources).
Alarms and energy code. Massachusetts requires photoelectric smoke alarms and a CO alarm on each story, basement included (780 CMR R314 and R315). Burlington has used the Stretch Code since July 1, 2019 and is not a Specialized Code town as of the state's November 2026 list (Energy code adoption by municipality); an addition over 1,000 square feet or more than 100% of the existing conditioned area needs a HERS rating, and a basement or attic conversion that keeps the footprint and roofline doesn't (225 CMR 22).
- Office
- Building Department, Town Hall, 29 Center Street
- Portal
- OpenGov
- Review time
- Allow at least two weeks
- Building fee
- $13 per $1,000, $50 minimum (as of August 2026)
- Plumbing and gas
- $75 first three fixtures, $20 each above three
- Bedroom additions
- $500 per bedroom sewer allocation (undated town page)
- Energy code
- Stretch Code since July 1, 2019
Last verified November 2026. Fees, restrictions and deadlines on this page are due for re-checking by February 2027. New England Remodeling Pros is a referral service. We don't design or build; the contractor you hire files the permits.
Zoning
Adding on in Burlington
Setbacks. A 2025 Planning Board article quoting the existing bylaw gives the RO one-family district a 25-foot front yard and 15-foot side and rear yards, and says accessory uses may not occupy the required front or side setbacks or more than 20% of the rear yard (Setback clarification article). The 2019 open space plan describes single-family zoning on half-acre (20,000-square-foot) lots. Residential accessory structures under 200 square feet need no building permit but still have to meet setbacks (Permits & Applications).
Nonconforming houses. We didn't find Burlington's own rules for extending a nonconforming single-family house. State law lets a one- or two-family home be altered or extended without a detriment finding when the change doesn't increase its nonconforming nature (M.G.L. c.40A §6); the Building Department can tell you how that applies to your lot.
ADUs. State law since February 2, 2025 allows one ADU by right in single-family districts, up to half the main house or 900 square feet, with no owner-occupancy or special permit requirement (Mass.gov ADU page). Burlington's Planning Board held a hearing on November 21, 2024 on replacing the town's accessory apartment section to align with the state law (Planning Board hearing notice), and a drafted Article 9, a Protected Use ADU bylaw amendment, would make ADUs as of right, keep them off separate sale and short-term rental, and require both units to connect to public water and sewer (Article 9 text). We could not confirm that Town Meeting adopted it, so treat those terms as proposed and ask the Building Department, especially if the house is on septic.
The sewer allocation charge. The town's sewer allocation page says the system has been under a MassDEP Administrative Consent Order since 2001. It prices new allocation at $2.50 per gallon with 5:1 inflow and infiltration removal, lists bedroom additions at $500 per bedroom, and offers a flat $1,000 to existing single-family homes converting from septic when the owner is 55 or older and has lived there 10 or more years (Sewer Allocation). The page is undated, so confirm the charge before you plan around it. Part of town remains on private septic in the residential Zone II and watershed areas, per the 2019 open space plan (2019 Open Space and Recreation Plan).
Wetland setbacks. Burlington's wetland regulations, amended March 14, 2024 and effective April 1, 2024, presume that filling, excavating or grading within 20 feet of a resource area on an existing residential lot, or building within 40 feet (or closer than the existing dwelling), alters the resource area. Work within 50 feet is in the inner buffer, runoff from new impervious surface in the buffer has to be infiltrated on site to the maximum extent possible, and a Request for Determination for buffer work on an existing single-family lot costs $50 (Wetland regulations).
Historic review
Old houses and historic review in Burlington
Demolition permit delay. We found no local historic district in Burlington. The General Bylaws, compiled through September 2024, include a Demolition Permit Delay section (Article XIV, §8.0) covering procedure, alternatives, expiration, emergencies and enforcement, but the delay length and which buildings it covers weren't readable in the posted copy (Burlington General Bylaws). If a remodel takes down a large share of an older house, ask the Building Department whether the bylaw applies before you apply for the $1,000 demolition permit.
Lead and asbestos. In a home built before 1978, Massachusetts requires a licensed lead-safe renovation contractor for renovation, repair or painting (Mass.gov lead-safe renovation). MassDEP also requires a thorough asbestos survey before demolition or renovation on a structure of any age, and removal is filed by a licensed abatement contractor at least ten working days ahead (MassDEP asbestos survey guide).
Burlington's homes
Subdivisions that grew with Route 128
Burlington's 2019 open space plan describes how Route 128 turned the town's farmland into subdivisions, and a 2022 housing needs assessment prepared for the town found 65% of homes are detached single-family houses (Burlington Housing Needs Assessment). The town's published plans don't give a year-built breakdown, so check your own house's age before scoping a remodel; it decides whether lead-safe rules apply.
Neighborhoods sit next to large open spaces, including the 270-acre Landlocked Forest, the Mill Pond conservation land and Mary Cummings Park on the Woburn border (2019 Open Space and Recreation Plan). Before planning an addition toward any of them, check with Conservation.
FAQ
Burlington remodeling questions
Does a bedroom addition in Burlington add a sewer charge?
The town's sewer allocation page, which carries no date beyond the 2001 consent order, lists $500 per bedroom for bedroom additions. The same page sets new allocation at $2.50 per gallon with 5:1 inflow and infiltration removal. Confirm the current charge with the town before you budget.
How close can an addition be to a wetland in Burlington?
Under the wetland regulations effective April 1, 2024, filling, excavating or grading on an existing residential lot within 20 feet of a resource area, or building within 40 feet (or closer than the existing house), is presumed to alter the resource area. The Building Department asks you to contact Conservation before applying for a permit near wetlands.
Can I build an ADU in Burlington?
State law has allowed one ADU of up to 900 square feet, or half the main house if smaller, by right in single-family districts since February 2, 2025. Burlington has drafted a Protected Use ADU bylaw amendment, but we could not confirm on a town page that Town Meeting adopted it, so ask the Building Department which local rules apply.
How long does a building permit take in Burlington?
The Building Department says to allow at least two weeks for review and issuance, and that most projects need a permit before work begins. Applications go through the town's OpenGov portal.
What does it cost me to use New England Remodeling Pros?
Nothing. Asking is free for homeowners; the contractor prices the job, and the price and contract are between you and them.
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