Bathroom, Kitchen and Home Remodeling in Haverhill, MA

Permits

Remodeling permits in Haverhill

Inspectional Services. Building permits come from Inspectional Services at City Hall, 4 Summer Street, and are filed through the city's OpenGov portal. The Building Inspector's line is 978-374-2338, and the city asks you to call it if you're unsure whether a project needs a permit. Its building permit page lists the interior work that does: replacing drywall, kitchen and bathroom remodels, and installing flooring on the subfloor. Painting and rugs do not. Additions need a plot plan from the Engineering Department in Room 300 (Haverhill building permits).

The fee math. The same page, which carries no effective date, charges a remodel permit $50 for work up to $2,000 and $14 for each additional $1,000; the city's own example puts a $5,000 project at $92. Permits run six months and renew for $25 per six months, the permit card has to be on site before work starts, and in-office payments are by check or money order only. Foundations and new construction are priced by the office on request.

Who can pull it. A homeowner may take out their own building permit only for an owner-occupied one- or two-family house. Contractors on owner-occupied one- to four-family jobs upload the owner's contract, their license, their Home Improvement Contractor registration and proof of workers' compensation. Under state law, a homeowner who pulls the permit is excluded from the Home Improvement Contractor Guaranty Fund, which can pay up to $25,000 of actual losses when a registered contractor doesn't pay a judgment, and hiring an unregistered contractor shuts you out of it too (Mass.gov HIC homeowner resources).

Plumbing, gas and wiring. Only Massachusetts-licensed plumbers, gas fitters and electricians do this work. The Plumbing & Gas Inspections office in Room 214 posts an undated schedule of $50 per dwelling unit plus $10 per fixture for residential plumbing and $50 plus $10 per appliance for gas, and doubles all fees when work starts before the permit; same-day inspection requests go in by 9 AM (Plumbing and gas). The wiring inspector's page also doubles fees for early starts and requires the electrician at every inspection (Electrical).

State contract rules. Remodeling an existing owner-occupied one- to four-family home is residential contracting under M.G.L. c.142A. A job over $1,000 needs a written contract with the contractor's registration number, start and completion dates, the price and a payment schedule; the deposit can't exceed one-third of the price unless special-order materials cost more; and a contract signed away from the contractor's place of business can be cancelled until midnight of the third business day (c.142A §2). Structural work on a one- or two-family home has to be overseen by a licensed construction supervisor or a registered design professional (Construction supervisor license).

Alarms and energy code. Massachusetts requires listed photoelectric smoke alarms and a CO alarm on every story, basements included (780 CMR R314 and R315). Haverhill has used the Stretch Energy Code since July 1, 2018 and is not a Specialized Code city, per the state's November 2026 adoption list (Energy code adoption by municipality). Under the Stretch Code, an addition over 1,000 square feet or more than 100% of the existing conditioned floor area needs a HERS rating, while finishing a basement or attic without changing the footprint or roofline does not (225 CMR 22).

Office

Inspectional Services, City Hall, 4 Summer Street

Portal

OpenGov

Named permit work

Kitchen and bath remodels, replacing drywall, flooring on the subfloor

Remodel fee

$50 up to $2,000, then $14 per $1,000 (page undated)

Permit life

Six months; $25 renewal

Starting early

Plumbing, gas and wiring fees double

Energy code

Stretch Code since July 1, 2018

Last verified November 2026. Fees, restrictions and deadlines on this page are due for re-checking by May 2027. New England Remodeling Pros is a referral service. We don't design or build; the contractor you hire files the permits.

Historic review

Old houses and historic review in Haverhill

Three local historic districts. Rocks Village (adopted October 8, 1974), Bradford Common and Washington Street (adopted August 28, 1979) are local historic districts under City Code Chapter 54. Exterior changes inside them need a certificate first, and the code says the Building Inspector cannot issue a permit without one; window air conditioners, antennas, storm doors and windows and paint color are exempt, and the commission has 60 days to decide (Ch. 54). That puts dormers, porches, additions and window replacements on a historic house in these districts in front of the commission before Inspectional Services.

The Historic Commission. Outside the districts, the Haverhill Historic Commission acts in an advisory role and liaises with the Massachusetts Historical Commission; its page mentions no demolition delay (Haverhill Historic Commission).

Lead paint. In a home built before 1978, Massachusetts requires a licensed lead-safe renovation contractor for renovation, repair or painting work (Mass.gov lead-safe renovation). Window replacement and demolition of painted surfaces are always covered under the federal rule, regardless of size (EPA RRP for contractors).