5,892 permits on homes in ZIP code 02138, October 2023 through September 2026, pulled by 2,251 contractors: 39% of the 15,278 permits we track in the City of Cambridge. Electrical leads with 1,520 permits (26%), then remodel, addition & alteration with 1,368. Counts cover the 11 kinds of home work we track, not every permit filed in 02138.
Each permit is counted at its property's ZIP code. Share here is the trade's part of the 5,892 permits in 02138; citywide is the same for all of Cambridge. Firms are distinct business names with at least one permit here. A trade name opens every Cambridge contractor in that trade.
| Trade | Permits | Share here | Citywide | Firms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical | 1,520 | 26% | 25% | 602 |
| Remodel, Addition & Alteration | 1,368 | 23% | 23% | 687 |
| Plumbing | 1,093 | 19% | 19% | 445 |
| Gas Fitting | 765 | 13% | 13% | 293 |
| HVAC & Sheet Metal | 604 | 10% | 10% | 248 |
| Roofing | 276 | 5% | 5% | 159 |
| Solar | 98 | 2% | 2% | 36 |
| Demolition | 51 | under 1% | under 1% | 43 |
| New Construction | 48 | under 1% | under 1% | 37 |
| Fire Sprinkler | 36 | under 1% | under 1% | 21 |
| Siding | 33 | under 1% | under 1% | 26 |
The firms with the most permits in 02138 for the 3 biggest trades here, October 2023 through September 2026. This is volume, not quality: a busy firm is not a careful one. The compare pages let you pick what you value and build your own list.
The other 1,401 electrical permits here were spread across the rest of the firms. Compare all Cambridge electricians →
The other 1,169 remodel, addition & alteration permits here were spread across the rest of the firms. Compare all Cambridge remodeling contractors →
The other 999 plumbing permits here were spread across the rest of the firms. Compare all Cambridge plumbers →
The middle value contractors wrote on the permit when they applied: half were filed for less, half for more. It is not a quote and not the final bill. Shown where the trade carries a value and 02138 has at least 20 priced permits.
| Trade | Usual here | Usual citywide | Priced permits here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical | $4,500 | $3,800 | 1,512 |
| Remodel, Addition & Alteration | $30,000 | $24,805 | 1,365 |
| Roofing | $19,697 | $18,000 | 276 |
| Solar | $28,229 | $30,074 | 98 |
| Demolition | $20,000 | $20,000 | 50 |
| New Construction | $732,250 | $850,000 | 48 |
| Siding | $33,797 | $37,120 | 33 |
We publish counts by ZIP code and by contractor, not a list of permits by street address. The full record for one property, with every permit, its status and its inspections, is kept by the office that issued the permits; our source here is City of Cambridge Inspectional Services permits (the city's per-type open-data permit files). Ask that permit office for a property's permit history, or search its public records by address.
For a contractor you are about to hire, open their page from the lists above to see every permit they pulled across Cambridge. Cambridge permit statistics → · How the records work in Cambridge →
Source: City of Cambridge Inspectional Services permits (the city's per-type open-data permit files). The window is October 2023 through September 2026. Each permit is placed by its property's ZIP code (the address on the permit, or the parcel's when the permit has none).
Counted: permits on homes for the 11 kinds of work we track (electrical, remodel, addition & alteration, plumbing, gas fitting, HVAC & sheet metal, roofing, solar, demolition, fire sprinkler, new construction, siding) where the record names a contractor. Not counted: commercial work, trades we don't read, and permits with no contractor (owner-pulled work). So this is not the city's count of every permit in 02138.
A ZIP code does not follow city or county lines; these count only permits in the City of Cambridge. Counts are permits, not jobs: one job can need several permits.
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