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Do I need a plumbing permit in Cambridge, MA? Licensed plumbers only, the fixture-count fee and the final

Yes: Cambridge requires a plumbing permit for plumbing work, and only a Massachusetts-licensed plumber can take one out; the fee is counted by fixture and tripled if work starts first. The City issued 2,906 plumbing permits on homes from October 2023 to September 2026, and our estimate for the usual one is 69 days from issue to Complete.

By Contractor Records · data through October 16, 2026

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? Only building permits, for "one or two unit dwellings where they reside or intend to reside" ISD permit FAQ
Work started without one? "the fee specified shall be tripled" (Section 15.04.010) Plumbing Fees
Final not called? $50.00 for "Failure to call for final inspection within 5 days of completion" Plumbing Fees
Re-inspection $50.00 Plumbing Fees

All read 23 October 2026. State law backs the license rule: plumbers must be "licensed by the examiners" (M.G.L. c. 142, s. 3). Cambridge publishes no list of plumbing work exempt from a permit, so assume anything beyond clearing a clog needs one and ask Inspectional Services (617-349-6100) if in doubt.

How to apply

The plumber files the "MA Uniform Application - Plumbing Work" listed on the City's Electric, Plumbing, & Gas Permits page; the link opens the plumbing record type in the City's OpenGov permitting portal. The application counts fixtures floor by floor, which is how the fee is worked out. A renovation that moves walls also needs a building permit; gas appliances need a separate gas permit.

What Cambridge plumbing permits are for, counted from the City's Plumbing Permits open data on 23 October 2026 (permits issued October 2023 to September 2026, all building types):

"Type of work" on the permit Permits
Renovation 1,813
Replacement 1,570
New 354
Demolition only 203

Most permits listed a master plumber's license (2,237 "Master Plumber" and 764 "Plumbing Master"); 355 listed a journeyman.

What it costs

From the City's Plumbing Fees page (no effective date printed):

Item Fee
Fixtures (bathtub, dishwasher, disposal, kitchen sink, lavatory, shower stall, toilet, washing machine and others) $50.00 for 5 fixtures, $5.00 each additional
Water heater, electric, gas or indirect $50.00
Water heater, tankless $100.00
Water piping, new $50.00 per floor
Sanitary waste and vent $50.00 per floor
Back water valve $25.00
Hose bib $25.00
Sewer ejector $50.00
Re-inspection; failure to call final within 5 days $50.00 each

A bathroom with a toilet, lavatory and tub is $50.00. A kitchen and bath together (sink, dishwasher, disposal, toilet, lavatory, shower: six fixtures) is $55.00, plus $50.00 per floor if the drain and vent lines are new. Starting first triples it.

What 2,906 Cambridge plumbing permits show

Measure Cambridge plumbing
Permits on homes, October 2023 to September 2026 2,906
Licensed plumbers or firms on them 802
With a permit in the last 12 months of the window 415
Marked Complete (permits a year or more old) 67.8%
Usual days from issue to Complete (estimated) 69
Complete share, 10th / 90th percentile (10+ permits) 35.8% / 89.4%
Plumbers with 10+ permits under 70% Complete 24 of 64
Share held by the five busiest 7.1%
Busiest / quietest month July (113) / May (89)

Cambridge plumbing is a market of individual licensees: the five busiest hold only 7.1% of permits, and 50.9% of names appear once. Follow-through varies widely; the 10th-percentile busy plumber had 35.8% of permits marked Complete and the 90th 89.4%. The $50.00 missed-final charge exists for a reason: ask your plumber to book the final and confirm it shows Complete. The file carries no job values; national labor rates are in plumbing labor cost, and counts by year are on Cambridge permit statistics.

See every Cambridge plumber by permits completed →

Before you hire

Check the plumber's license on the state's Occupational Board license lookup; the name on the permit should match. Then look them up on the Cambridge plumber list, and see the other licenses a renovation needs in Cambridge contractor license lookup. Gas work is in Cambridge gas line permit; past permits on your address in Cambridge building permit search; other places' rules in do I need a permit for plumbing repairs.

What this does not tell you

Cambridge publishes a status but no completion date, so our days to Complete are estimates, and many permits stay Active after the work is done. Permits name the licensed plumber, often a person rather than a company. The open-data counts above include commercial 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 Plumbing Fees page, read 23 October 2026; the worked examples apply that table. Type-of-work and license counts are from the City's Plumbing Permits open data, counted 23 October 2026. Our figures are City of Cambridge plumbing permits on residential parcels, October 2023 to September 2026; Complete share uses permits a year or more old, and days to Complete are estimated because no completion date is published.

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

  • Can a homeowner pull a plumbing permit in Cambridge, MA?

    No. Cambridge Inspectional Services says plumbing, gas and wiring permits 'are issued to Massachusetts licensed plumbers, gasfitters, or electricians', under M.G.L. c. 142 for plumbing and gas. The homeowner exception in its FAQ covers building permits only.

  • How much is a plumbing permit in Cambridge?

    Cambridge charges by item: $50.00 for up to five fixtures and $5.00 for each one after that, $50.00 for a tank water heater, $100.00 for a tankless one, and $50.00 per floor for new water piping or sanitary waste and vent. Work started without a permit pays triple.

  • Do I need a permit to replace a water heater in Cambridge?

    Yes. The City's plumbing fee table lists electric, gas and indirect water heaters at $50.00 and tankless at $100.00, and only a licensed plumber can take the permit. A gas water heater also appears on the gas fee table at $50.00.

  • How long does a plumbing permit take in Cambridge?

    Issuing it is quick for a licensed plumber filing online; closing it takes longer. Our estimate for the usual Cambridge plumbing permit is 69 days from issue to Complete, and 67.8% of permits a year or more old were marked Complete.

  • What happens if my plumber does not call for the final inspection?

    Cambridge charges $50.00 for 'Failure to call for final inspection within 5 days of completion', and the permit stays Active. Ask your plumber to book the final and check the status in the City's Permit Finder.

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Sources
  1. Building / Electric / Plumbing Permits FAQ — Cambridge Inspectional Services (accessed 2026-10-23)
  2. Plumbing Fees — Cambridge Inspectional Services (accessed 2026-10-23)
  3. Electric, Plumbing, & Gas Permits (applications) — Cambridge Inspectional Services (accessed 2026-10-23)
  4. Plumbing Permits — Cambridge Open Data (type-of-work and license counts) (counted 2026-10-23)
  5. M.G.L. c. 142, s. 3 Master plumbers or gas fitters; licensing (2026-10-22)
  6. Check an Occupational Board license — Mass.gov (2026-10-22)