Massachusetts installation guides.
Stove permits and inspections in Massachusetts run through each city or town’s building department. MassCEC says it is not planning to run its Woodstove Change-Out rebate program in future years, so do not budget for that rebate.
MassCEC: Learn about woodstovesChoose your city.
Amherst
Hampshire County / Pioneer ValleyAmherst’s building fee schedule prices wood stoves and chimneys as their own $30 permit item, and two local historic districts review visible exterior changes.
Read the guideAttleboro
Bristol County / Southeastern MassachusettsAttleboro waives the building permit fee for owners aged 60 or older in owner-occupied one- and two-family homes, and triples the fee when work starts before a permit.
Read the guideBarnstable
Barnstable County / Cape CodBarnstable files wood stoves on an expedited permit application, but if a property has structures over 75 years old or sits in a historic district, historic approval must come before the permit is issued.
Read the guideBeverly
Essex County / North ShoreBeverly requires a separate building permit for every woodstove, even one going into an addition or new home that already has a permit, because the stove gets its own certificate.
Read the guideBoston
Suffolk County / Greater BostonBeacon Hill’s architectural guidelines require historic chimneys to be retained and mechanical equipment kept out of view from a public way.
Read the guideBraintree
Norfolk County / South ShoreBraintree’s Building Division says the contractor is responsible for pulling the building permit on owner-occupied one- to four-family homes, and owners who pull their own lose Home Improvement Contractor program recourse.
Read the guideBridgewater
Plymouth CountyBridgewater charges a flat $75 stove permit, and starting work before the permit card is in hand can cost triple the permit fee.
Read the guideBrockton
Plymouth County / Metro SouthBrockton’s building ordinance adds a surcharge of twice the permit fee when work starts before a permit has been issued.
Read the guideCambridge
Middlesex County / Greater BostonIn Cambridge’s historic and neighborhood conservation districts, a Historical Commission certificate is always needed to get a building permit, even for interior-only work.
Read the guideChelsea
Suffolk County / Greater BostonChelsea’s Certificate of Habitability ordinance has every rental unit inspected at least every five years, while units their landlord lives in are exempt, so a stove here is usually an owner-occupant’s project.
Read the guideEverett
Middlesex County / Greater BostonEverett’s building fee ordinance lists woodstoves as a flat $40 permit, and work started without a permit is charged double the fee as a fine on top of the fee itself.
Read the guideFall River
Bristol County / South CoastFall River’s Historical Commission asks applicants in the Highlands local historic district to show stove pipe locations on their drawings, and no building permit issues there without its certificate.
Read the guideFitchburg
Worcester County / North Central MassachusettsFitchburg’s solid fuel appliance application asks for the stove’s testing lab and label number, a hearth with at least one-hour fire resistance, and whether anything else shares the flue.
Read the guideFramingham
Middlesex County / MetroWestFramingham has its own Solid Fuel Burning Stove Permit Application, which asks for the stove’s maker, model, serial number, testing lab and test date.
Read the guideFranklin
Norfolk CountyFranklin’s Building Department keeps its own woodstove permit packet: two copies of the stove maker’s installation instructions, one stamped and returned to stay on site for the inspector, plus a two-copy installation checklist.
Read the guideGloucester
Essex County / Cape AnnGloucester’s building inspectors keep short office windows, 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. weekdays and 1 to 2 p.m. Monday to Thursday, and every building permit must be filed online.
Read the guideHaverhill
Essex County / Merrimack ValleyHaverhill’s city code sets a flat $30 fee for solid fuel burning stove permits and chimney permits, doubled if work starts before a permit.
Read the guideLawrence
Essex County / Merrimack ValleyLawrence’s one- and two-family permit application carries a City Ordinance Section 25-10 sign-off list: taxes, water and sewer, and trash tickets must be cleared before a permit is issued.
Read the guideLeominster
Worcester County / North Central MassachusettsLeominster charges a flat $40 per wood or pellet stove permit and has its own stove application asking for the chimney, flue size, hearth and installer’s licenses.
Read the guideLowell
Middlesex County / Merrimack ValleyLowell has its own wood stove permit page: every wood stove needs a building permit, filed with the manufacturer’s installation instructions showing clearances.
Read the guideLynn
Essex County / North ShoreLynn’s Inspectional Services charges a $25 administrative fee, in effect since January 1, 2025, to process a permit application filed on paper instead of through its online portal.
Read the guideMalden
Middlesex County / Greater BostonMalden’s building fee schedule lists wood stoves as their own $75 line item and charges triple the fee when work starts without a permit.
Read the guideMarlborough
Middlesex County / MetroWestMarlborough charges a flat $50 for a solid fuel stove permit and asks whoever installed it to sign a certification covering clearances, hearth size, venting and fresh air intake.
Read the guideMedford
Middlesex County / Greater BostonMedford’s fee schedule sets a $50 wood burning stove installation inspection fee with no application fee, and charges four times the fee when building work starts without a permit.
Read the guideMelrose
Middlesex County / Greater BostonMelrose lists solid and pellet fuel burning appliances as their own permit type, and its fee schedule charges triple when work starts without a permit.
Read the guideMethuen
Essex County / Merrimack ValleyMethuen’s building fee schedule charges a flat $50 for each wood stove, while chimney, fireplace and pellet stove work is billed at $13 per $1,000 of stated construction value.
Read the guideNew Bedford
Bristol County / South CoastInside the Bedford-Landing Waterfront Historic District, the New Bedford Historical Commission must approve all exterior changes before Inspectional Services can issue a building permit.
Read the guideNewton
Middlesex County / Greater BostonNewton’s Historical Commission must review partial demolition of any building 50 or more years old, which the city defines as removing or enclosing half or more of a roof or exterior wall.
Read the guideNorth Attleborough
Bristol CountyNorth Attleborough’s 2024 fee schedule prices a solid fuel burning appliance or masonry chimney permit at $50, but unpermitted work costs the permit fee plus $500, or double, whichever is higher.
Read the guideNorthampton
Hampshire CountyNorthampton’s April 2026 fee schedule prices a solid fuel burning appliance as a flat $65 specialty permit, and the city has charged a $50 processing fee for paper applications since online permitting began in June 2026.
Read the guidePeabody
Essex County / North ShorePeabody’s building permit fee for one- and two-family homes is $15 per $1,000 of construction value with a $75 minimum, and work done without a permit is charged double.
Read the guidePittsfield
Berkshire County / The BerkshiresPittsfield’s fee schedule lists stoves and wood, pellet, coal and fireplace inserts as their own $45 residential permit items, and its building FAQ says chimney liners need a permit too.
Read the guideQuincy
Norfolk County / South ShoreQuincy’s two local historic districts, Quincy Center and Adams Birthplace, need a Historical Commission certificate before the city issues a building permit for visible exterior changes.
Read the guideRandolph
Norfolk County / South of BostonRandolph’s fee ordinance gives wood, coal and pellet stoves their own line, a $50 solid fuel appliance permit, and charges double the permit value for work done without one.
Read the guideRevere
Suffolk County / Greater BostonRevere’s Building Division takes permit applications online only, and its 2025 fee ordinance charges three times the permit fee when work starts before a permit is obtained.
Read the guideSalem
Essex County / North ShoreSalem files wood stoves under building permits and bills them at $20 per $1,000 instead of $15 when the building has three or more units.
Read the guideSomerville
Middlesex County / Greater BostonIn Somerville, an owner-occupant can pull a building permit for a one- or two-family home, but a three-family or larger building needs a licensed contractor to apply.
Read the guideTaunton
Bristol County / Southeastern MassachusettsTaunton’s Historic District Commission lists chimneys as architectural features, so a visible chimney change around Church Green needs its certificate before a building permit.
Read the guideWaltham
Middlesex County / Greater BostonWaltham’s permit checklist has its own entry for pellet and wood-burning stoves and says they must be installed by a certified installer.
Read the guideWatertown
Middlesex County / Greater BostonWatertown’s permit portal lets an owner apply for a one- or two-family building permit only if they live in the home or will once the work is done; other buildings need a licensed construction supervisor.
Read the guideWestfield
Hampden County / Western MassachusettsWestfield’s residential building fee schedule, effective July 1, 2024, lists wood, pellet and coal stoves as a flat $75 permit, and fees double if work starts before the application is on file.
Read the guideWeymouth
Norfolk County / South ShoreWeymouth’s building permit page lists wood stoves by name among the jobs that need a building permit, and its sheet metal permit form has a checkbox for metal chimneys and vents.
Read the guideWoburn
Middlesex County / north of BostonWoburn’s Inspectional Services FAQ names wood stoves and chimneys among work needing a building permit, and says the fee is doubled when work starts without one.
Read the guideWorcester
Worcester County / Central MassachusettsWorcester’s Fire Prevention Division sends wood, pellet and coal stove permit questions to the Building & Zoning Division of Inspectional Services.
Read the guide
We add guides as local research is completed. Rules and business coverage vary by address. Explore national planning guides for areas not yet covered.