The Cambridge rule
| Question | Cambridge answer | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Who can pull it? | "These permits are issued to Massachusetts licensed plumbers, gasfitters, or electricians" | ISD permit FAQ |
| Under what law? | "MGL 142-13 in the case of plumbing and gas permits" | ISD permit FAQ |
| Homeowner permit? | No; the homeowner exception is for building permits on one- or two-unit homes | ISD permit FAQ |
| Work started without one? | Fee "shall be tripled" (Section 15.04.010) | Gas Fees |
| Final not called within 5 days of completion | $50.00 | Gas Fees |
| Re-inspection | $50.00 | Gas Fees |
All read 23 October 2026. State law requires gas fitters to be "licensed by the examiners" (M.G.L. c. 142, s. 3). In the City's own Gas Permits file most gas permits are filed under a master plumber's license (1,426 "Master Plumber" and 519 "Plumbing Master", against 39 master gas fitter entries, October 2023 to September 2026, all building types), so your plumber may well be the one who files it.
How to apply
The fitter files the "MA Uniform Application - Gas Fitting Work" from the City's Electric, Plumbing, & Gas Permits page, which opens the gas record type in the City's OpenGov portal. The application counts each appliance, which sets the fee. A furnace or boiler change is also on the mechanical fee table, and a kitchen that moves walls needs a building permit too.
What Cambridge gas permits cover, counted from the City's open data on 23 October 2026 (2,460 gas permits issued October 2023 to September 2026, all building types; a permit can list several items):
| Item on the permit | Permits listing it |
|---|---|
| Water heater | 520 |
| Cook stove | 487 |
| Boiler (direct vent or chimney vented) | 579 |
| Furnace (direct vent or chimney vented) | 406 |
| Pressure test | 186 |
| New gas piping | 174 |
| Dryer | 131 |
| Fireplace insert log | 95 |
The "work type" on 1,627 of them was Replacement, 526 Renovation, 157 Demolition only and 150 New. Of the 2,460, 1,089 were on one- or two-family dwellings.
What it costs
From the City's Gas Fees page (no effective date printed):
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Cook stove; dryer | $20.00 each |
| Water heater | $50.00 |
| Furnace or boiler, chimney vented or direct vent | $50.00 |
| Gas piping, new | $50.00 per floor |
| Gas meter; test | $25.00 each |
| Fireplace insert log; outdoor fire pit; generator; pool heater | $50.00 each |
| Grill | $40.00 |
| Disconnect/reconnect | $50.00 |
| Chimney liner | $50.00 |
A gas range on an existing line is $20.00. A new boiler and indirect water heater on one permit is $100.00 on the gas side, before the mechanical and plumbing lines. Triple it if work started first.
What 2,057 Cambridge gas permits show
| Measure | Cambridge gas fitting |
|---|---|
| Permits on homes, October 2023 to September 2026 | 2,057 |
| Licensed fitters or firms on them | 543 |
| With a permit in the last 12 months of the window | 270 |
| Marked Complete (permits a year or more old) | 54.3% |
| Usual days from issue to Complete (estimated) | 46 |
| Fitters with 10+ permits under 70% Complete | 24 of 36 |
| Complete share, 10th / 90th percentile (10+ permits) | 34.8% / 76.3% |
| Busiest / quietest month | October (131) / June (77) |
Gas permits close quickly when they close, 46 days in our estimate, but two in three busy fitters (24 of 36) had under 70% marked Complete; even the 90th-percentile fitter reached only 76.3%. Filing peaks in October (index 131) and is quietest in June. An Active gas permit on a stove swap is common here; before the last payment, ask whether the inspector signed off. Counts by year are on Cambridge permit statistics.
See every Cambridge gas fitter by permits completed →
Before you hire
Check the fitter's or plumber's license on the state's Occupational Board lookup and look them up on the Cambridge gas fitter list. Plumbing permits are in Cambridge plumbing permit, heating equipment in Cambridge HVAC permit, other licenses in Cambridge contractor license lookup, and other cities' rules in do I need a permit for a gas line.
What this does not tell you
Cambridge publishes a status but no completion date, so days to Complete are estimates, and many permits stay Active after the work is done. Permits name the licensed fitter, often a person. The open-data counts above include commercial and multi-family buildings; our trade figures are residential only.
How we know this
Permit rules are quoted from the Cambridge Inspectional Services permit FAQ and fees from its Gas Fees page, read 23 October 2026; worked examples apply that table. Appliance, work-type and license counts are from the City's Gas Permits open data, counted 23 October 2026. Our figures are City of Cambridge gas fitting permits on residential parcels, October 2023 to September 2026; Complete share uses permits a year or more old, and days to Complete are estimated.
Numbers come from City of Cambridge Inspectional Services permits (the city's per-type open-data permit files), data through October 16, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Do I need a permit to install a gas stove in Cambridge?
Yes. Cambridge's gas fee table lists a cook stove at $20.00, and the permit goes to a Massachusetts-licensed gas fitter or plumber, not the homeowner. A new gas line to the kitchen adds $50.00 per floor of new piping.
- How much is a gas permit in Cambridge, MA?
Cambridge charges per appliance: $20.00 for a cook stove or dryer, $50.00 for a water heater, a direct-vent or chimney-vented furnace or boiler, $50.00 per floor of new gas piping, $25.00 for a gas meter and $25.00 for a test. Work started without a permit pays triple.
- Can a homeowner pull a gas permit in Cambridge?
No. Inspectional Services says plumbing, gas and wiring permits 'are issued to Massachusetts licensed plumbers, gasfitters, or electricians', under M.G.L. c. 142. Its homeowner exception covers building permits only.
- How long does a gas permit take to close in Cambridge?
Our estimate for the usual Cambridge gas permit is 46 days from issue to Complete, but only 54.3% of permits a year or more old were marked Complete, against 67.8% for plumbing.
- Does a new boiler need a gas permit and a mechanical permit in Cambridge?
A boiler appears on both of the City's fee tables: $50.00 on the gas table (direct-vent or chimney-vented) and $50.00 on the mechanical table. Ask your installer which permits they will file; the gas fitter files the gas one.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Do I need a gas permit in Somerville, MA? Yes, for gas piping and appliances, and only a licensed plumber pulls it
- Cambridge building permit search: the Permit Finder, OpenGov and public records
- Cambridge, MA contractor license lookup: HIC, construction supervisor, trade licenses and the permits
- Cambridge demolition delay and historic district review: the 50-year rule, the 12-month delay, and which certificate you need
- Do I need an HVAC permit in Eugene? The mechanical permit, owner installs, 2026 fees and 5,394 permits
- Do I need a plumbing permit in Eugene? Pipes in the wall, water heaters, owner permits, fees and 2,926 permits
For one city
- Building / Electric / Plumbing Permits FAQ — Cambridge Inspectional Services (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Gas Fees — Cambridge Inspectional Services (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Electric, Plumbing, & Gas Permits (applications) — Cambridge Inspectional Services (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Gas Permits — Cambridge Open Data (appliance and license counts) (counted 2026-10-23)
- M.G.L. c. 142, s. 3 Master plumbers or gas fitters; licensing (2026-10-22)
- Check an Occupational Board license — Mass.gov (2026-10-22)