Do you need a permit to replace siding in Massachusetts?

In Massachusetts, most permits are pulled by the licensed contractor doing the work, not the homeowner. For one- and two-family homes the state building code requires a licensed construction supervisor or a registered design professional to oversee construction, and for existing owner-occupied one- to four-family homes the contractor must also be registered with the Home Improvement Contractor program.

The homeowner exception is narrow. The building code lets an owner-occupant of a one- or two-family home apply for a building permit for work on their own home, but it applies to building permits only: electrical work may only be done by a master or journeyman electrician licensed by the state, and plumbing and gas work only by a licensed plumber or gas fitter, each under a permit issued to that licensee. It also has a cost the state warns about directly: a homeowner who pulls the building permit themselves may not be eligible for the Guaranty Fund if the contractor's work goes wrong.

Sources: When is a Construction Supervisor License required?; Massachusetts State Building Code, 780 CMR; HIC Homeowner Resources; Electricians consumer fact sheet; Plumbers and gas fitters consumer fact sheet.

Residing a house is not on the list of work the Massachusetts building code exempts from a permit, so in your town plan on a building permit for siding replacement. The code's "ordinary repairs" exemption is meant for patching what is there, not stripping and recladding the envelope, and your building department decides where that line falls; the contractor pulling the permit is expected to ask.

On an existing owner-occupied one- to four-family home the siding contractor must be registered as a Home Improvement Contractor, and the state's guidance is that the registered contractor applies for the permit rather than the homeowner. A written contract is required by law for any home improvement job over $1,000, with no more than one-third of the price collected up front.

If your town has a local historic district, a change of siding material or profile on a building inside it usually needs the historic district commission's approval before the building permit issues. That is a town rule, not the state code, so check with the building department.

Sources: Massachusetts State Building Code, 780 CMR; HIC Homeowner Resources; When is a Construction Supervisor License required?.