The rule in Somerville
From the City's ISD Building Division FAQ (read 23 October 2026):
| Work | Permit holder in Somerville |
|---|---|
| Gas piping, gas appliances (gas fitting permit) | "A licensed plumber must apply for and obtain all gas & plumbing permits" |
| Plumbing | Same licensed plumber rule |
| Electrical, such as a boiler's or heat pump's wiring | A licensed electrician |
| Building work on a 1 or 2 family house you live in | You may pull it yourself |
State law is the floor: M.G.L. c. 142, s. 3 covers "Master plumbers or gas fitters" and bars the work by anyone not "licensed by the examiners". In the City's open data, gas fitting is a permit type of its own separate from plumbing, so one job can carry both. Somerville does not publish a list of gas work exempt from a permit; ask ISD on (617) 625-6600 x5600.
How to apply and check it
- The plumber or gas fitter files in CitizenServe.
- Inspection. Ask the installer when the gas inspection is booked, and be home for it if the inspector needs access.
- Check the record. Filter the open permit dataset for your address and look for a row of type gas fitting with the installer's name.
- Check the license on the state's eLIPSE lookup, as in the Somerville contractor license lookup.
What 1,368 Somerville gas permits show
| Measure | Somerville gas fitting |
|---|---|
| Permits on homes, October 2023 to September 2026 | 1,368 |
| Plumbers and firms that filed them | 393 |
| With a permit in the last 12 months of our data | 198 |
| Closed (permits a year or more old) | 60.9% |
| Usual days from issue to close | 225 |
| Firms with 5+ permits but none in the last 12 months | 16 |
| Busiest / quietest month | January (index 153) / July (75) |
Gas is the most seasonal Somerville trade: filings in January run at 153 against 75 in July, the heating season. It also closes worst: 60.9% closed, against 89.1% for electrical. Among the 26 gas filers with 10 or more permits, the 10th-percentile one closed 25.4% and the 90th 87.0%; 16 closed fewer than 70%. Gas permits carry no job cost, so we show no prices.
See every Somerville gas fitter by share closed →
Related
The plumbing side: Somerville plumbing permit. Other cities' rules: do I need a permit for a gas line, for a water heater and for HVAC replacement. Somerville counts: Somerville permit statistics. State license rules: checking a contractor's license in Massachusetts.
What this does not tell you
Somerville gas permits record no cost, and Massachusetts publishes no bulk license file, so we show no prices or license status. An open gas permit is more often missing paperwork than a failed job, but on gas it is worth one call to ISD to confirm the final passed. Data ends September 2026.
How we know this
The permit rule is quoted from the City of Somerville ISD Building Division FAQ, read 23 October 2026, and the license rule from M.G.L. c. 142, s. 3. Counts are issued City of Somerville gas fitting permits on homes from the City's open permit dataset, October 2023 to September 2026. "Closed" uses permits a year or more old; days run from issue to the City's close date.
Numbers come from City of Somerville permit applications (issued permits only), data through October 15, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Can a homeowner pull a gas permit in Somerville?
No. Somerville's ISD FAQ says 'A licensed plumber must apply for and obtain all gas & plumbing permits.' Massachusetts also bars gas fitting by anyone not licensed by the state examiners (M.G.L. c. 142, s. 3).
- Do I need a gas permit to replace a gas stove or dryer in Somerville?
Expect one. Somerville files gas fitting as its own permit type, and its ISD says all gas permits go to licensed plumbers. Ask the installer whether the job needs a gas fitting permit and get the permit number before the old appliance comes out.
- How long does a gas permit take to close in Somerville?
The usual Somerville gas fitting permit in our file closed 225 days after issue, and only 60.9% of gas permits a year or more old were closed, the lowest share of the main Somerville trades.
- When is the busiest time for gas permits in Somerville?
January. Gas permit filings in that month run at 153 on an index where 100 is an average month, against 75 in July, so boiler and furnace work is easier to book in summer.
- How much is a gas permit in Somerville?
Somerville's ISD pages we read publish no gas permit fee table. CitizenServe shows the fee when the plumber pays, and ISD answers on (617) 625-6600 x5600.
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 Cambridge, MA? Licensed gas fitters only, the per-appliance fees and why finals lag
- Somerville building permit search: CitizenServe and the open permit file
- Somerville, MA contractor license lookup: HIC, construction supervisor, trade licenses and the permits
- Cambridge building permit search: the Permit Finder, OpenGov and public records
For one city
- Somerville demolition review and local historic districts: the 75-year rule, the Historic Permit, and what it means for windows, roofs and additions
- Do I need an electrical permit in Somerville, MA? Yes, and only a licensed electrician can pull it
- Home improvement costs in Somerville, MA (2026): what 10 kinds of jobs were filed at
- ISD Building Division (FAQ: Can a property owner obtain a plumbing or gas permit?) — City of Somerville (accessed 2026-10-23)
- M.G.L. c. 142, s. 3 Master plumbers or gas fitters; licensing (2026-10-22)
- Licenses and Permits (CitizenServe) — City of Somerville (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Applications for Permits and Licenses — Somerville open data (2026-10-23)