The rule in Somerville
The City's ISD Building Division FAQ (read 23 October 2026) answers it in one line: "A licensed plumber must apply for and obtain all gas & plumbing permits". The same page says a building permit "is required for all interior and exterior work EXCEPT: Painting, tiling and flooring", and that a homeowner of a 1 or 2 family dwelling who lives there may obtain the building permit. A bathroom remodel run by the owner is therefore two permits: the owner's building permit, and the plumber's plumbing permit.
State law backs the license side. M.G.L. c. 142, s. 3 bars plumbing and gas fitting by anyone not "licensed by the examiners", and c. 142, s. 13 has the state Board require "a uniform application for a permit to perform plumbing work" in every city and town. Somerville's pages we read list no plumbing exemptions and no plumbing fee table; for small repairs, ask ISD on (617) 625-6600 x5600 before assuming none is needed.
How to apply and check it
- The plumber files in CitizenServe.
- Inspections are booked by the plumber; ask which ones (rough and final) the job needs before the walls close.
- Check the record. Filter the open permit dataset for your address. Plumbing rows show the status, issue date and contractor, but no job cost.
- Check the license on eLIPSE, as in the Somerville contractor license lookup.
What 1,810 Somerville plumbing permits show
| Measure | Somerville plumbing |
|---|---|
| Permits on homes, October 2023 to September 2026 | 1,810 |
| Plumbers and firms that filed them | 489 |
| With a permit in the last 12 months of our data | 261 |
| Closed (permits a year or more old) | 67.5% |
| Usual days from issue to close | 196 |
| Plumbers with 10+ permits | 40 |
| Busiest / quietest month | January (index 125) / June (80) |
Two things stand out. Plumbing permits close far less often than electrical ones (67.5% against 89.1%), and the spread between plumbers is wide: among the 40 with 10 or more permits, the 10th-percentile plumber closed 35.7% and the 90th 87.4%, and 18 closed fewer than 70%. Filing peaks in January, the heating and frozen-pipe season. Somerville plumbing permits carry no cost, so we show no prices.
See every Somerville plumber by share closed →
Related
Gas lines and appliances have their own permit: Somerville gas permit. Other rules: do I need a permit for plumbing repairs and for a water heater. National prices: plumbing labor cost. Somerville counts: Somerville permit statistics. State license rules: checking a contractor's license in Massachusetts.
What this does not tell you
No job cost is recorded on Somerville plumbing permits, and Massachusetts publishes no bulk license file, so we show neither prices nor license status. A permit still Issued may be paperwork rather than a failed job; ISD can say whether the final was done. 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 and uniform-application rules from M.G.L. c. 142, ss. 3 and 13. Counts are issued City of Somerville plumbing 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 plumbing permit in Somerville?
No. Somerville's ISD FAQ says 'A licensed plumber must apply for and obtain all gas & plumbing permits.' You can pull a building permit for a one- or two-family house you live in, but the plumbing goes on the plumber's permit.
- How long does a plumbing permit take to close in Somerville?
The usual Somerville plumbing permit in our file closed 196 days after issue, and only 67.5% of plumbing permits a year or more old were closed at all, so ask the plumber to book the final inspection.
- Do I need a permit to replace a water heater in Somerville?
Plan on it. Somerville's ISD lists only painting, tiling and flooring as work that needs no building permit, and says all plumbing and gas permits go to licensed plumbers. Somerville's records keep gas fitting as a separate permit type from plumbing, so for a gas-fired heater ask the plumber which permits it will file.
- How do I check a Somerville plumber's license?
On the state's eLIPSE lookup for Occupational Board licenses. Under M.G.L. c. 142, s. 3, plumbers may not work unless licensed by the state examiners. Then search the plumber's name in the contractor columns of Somerville's open permit dataset.
- Who are the busiest plumbers in Somerville?
In the 12 months to September 2026, Wellington Plumbing & Heating, Inc filed 21 Somerville plumbing permits, the most of any firm, but the five busiest together held only 11.2% of all plumbing permits in our three-year file.
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 plumbing permit in Arlington, VA? The like-for-like rule, gas, and timing
- Austin building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
- Do I need a plumbing permit in Austin? What is exempt, who can pull it, and the fees
- Do I need a plumbing permit in Bellevue, WA? Fixtures, showers, water heaters and the homeowner rule
For one city
- Somerville building permit search: CitizenServe and the open permit file
- Somerville, MA contractor license lookup: HIC, construction supervisor, trade licenses and the permits
- Somerville demolition review and local historic districts: the 75-year rule, the Historic Permit, and what it means for windows, roofs and additions
- 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)
- M.G.L. c. 142, s. 13 Regulations (uniform plumbing permit application) (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Licenses and Permits (CitizenServe) — City of Somerville (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Applications for Permits and Licenses — Somerville open data (2026-10-23)