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A Massachusetts Homeowner's Guide to Siding, Windows, Doors and Decks
Our exterior referrals cover three parts of the state: Greater Lowell; Andover, Lawrence and Haverhill; and Woburn, Reading and Melrose. Contractor rules, contract terms, lead paint and asbestos siding are matters of state law, while permits come from the local building department, which is why every town page spells out that office's requirements and any local extras. Phone (978) 788-0374 or use the form. A person reads every request and replies with what happens next.
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- Lowell to Melrose
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Where we work
Our Massachusetts towns
One state building code applies statewide, yet permits are handled by each town's own building department, and local historic districts, demolition delay bylaws, deck setback rules and wetland buffers can look very different a few miles apart. Where a town has its own page, that page describes the permit office, the exterior work it lists as needing a permit, historic review for siding, windows and porches, and what applies close to wetlands. Towns not yet given a page are still covered, and requests from them are welcome.
Greater Lowell
Andover, Lawrence & Haverhill
Woburn, Reading & Melrose
Massachusetts law
Registration, contracts, deposits and permits
Registration. Anyone who will "solicit, bid on, or perform" work on an existing one- to four-unit home that its owner lives in needs a Massachusetts Home Improvement Contractor registration (OCABR contractor resources). Covered work includes repairing, renovating, improving or removing parts of such a home or of structures adjacent to it (M.G.L. c.142A §1). Outside the program are new construction, properties with five or more units, and investment, vacation or second homes; certain small jobs below $500 are also exempt (OCABR homeowner resources). A homeowner working on their own house needs no registration (201 CMR 18.01). Look a company up through the state's Contractor Hub search.
Contract contents. Once a home improvement job tops $1,000, it needs a written contract showing the contractor's registration number, when work starts and when it will be substantially complete, the work and materials involved, the full price, how payments are scheduled, signatures from both parties and the notices the law requires (M.G.L. c.142A §2).
Deposit limit and the right to cancel. A contractor can collect up front no more than a third of the price, unless the real cost of special-order or custom materials is higher. Custom-sized windows and special-order doors are what usually push a deposit past that third. Sign anywhere but the contractor's own place of business and you have until midnight on the third business day afterward to back out (M.G.L. c.93 §48).
When a job goes bad. Every registered contractor has to accept arbitration. If you win a judgment against a registered contractor and go unpaid, the Guaranty Fund can cover as much as $25,000 in actual losses (figure current November 2026). Use an unregistered contractor and neither the fund nor state arbitration is open to you; pulling the building permit yourself can also cost you fund eligibility, and arbitration requires, among other things, that the contractor pulled the permit (OCABR).
What the permit chart says. For outside work, OCABR's chart lists siding and window installation or replacement as needing a building permit plus at least a Window/Siding construction supervisor license; decks, outside stairs, structural carpentry and installing a new door as needing a permit and a construction supervisor license; swapping an existing door as needing a permit "if an exit door or for public safety concerns"; and gutters as needing a permit and a supervisor where they pierce the building envelope. Porches have no row of their own, so they fall under deck, stair or structural work. The state describes the chart as general guidance and says to check with the building official (HIC contractor resources).
Who supervises. Construction on a one- or two-family home has to be overseen by a person holding a construction supervisor license or by a registered design professional (state guidance on supervisor licenses). Homeowners doing permitted work on their own houses are exempt from those licensing rules (780 CMR 110.R5). Supervisor licenses can be confirmed through the OPSI lookup.
Which code applies. Massachusetts's 10th edition building code began on October 11, 2024 and became the sole code in effect on June 30, 2025 (state building and energy code page); the residential volume is the 2021 International Residential Code as amended by Massachusetts (10th edition handbook). No permit is needed for painting and similar finish work, for window awnings sticking out 54 inches or less, or for certain small, low decks (200 square feet or less and 30 inches or less above grade, plus other conditions). Ordinary repairs need no application either, though taking out or altering a required means of egress does (780 CMR R105.2). Because the code gives no definition of "ordinary repairs," check with the building department before treating a job as one.
Last verified November 2026. Fees, restrictions and deadlines on this page are due for re-checking by March 2027.
Before work starts
Windows, decks, old paint and old siding
Windows and energy. Statewide, the base energy code is the 2021 IECC as amended for Massachusetts, and a town may choose to adopt the Stretch Code or the Specialized Code instead (Building energy code); the state posts which town follows which, current as of October 27, 2026 (adoption by municipality). In Stretch and Specialized towns, alterations and repairs to existing homes follow the code's chapter for existing buildings, and the insulation table lists a window U-factor of 0.30 for Climate Zone 5 (225 CMR 22). Ask the installer for the NFRC label on the windows you're buying.
Bedroom windows and doors. When an existing single- or double-hung window serves as an emergency escape opening, the Massachusetts code calls for a net clear opening of 3.3 square feet or more, measuring no less than 20 by 24 inches in either direction. The primary exit door must be side-hinged with a clear width of at least 32 inches (780 CMR Chapter 3). Your building official checks egress on the permit.
Mass Save window rebate. Mass Save offers $75 per window when ENERGY STAR Most Efficient windows replace single-pane windows. It covers purchases from January 1 through December 31, 2026, with applications postmarked or submitted by February 28, 2027; the existing windows must be verified before installation, and you must complete the weatherization recommendations from your home energy assessment (Mass Save windows). It is open to customers of the participating utilities.
Decks, porches and stairs. Massachusetts sets frost depth at 48 inches. Exterior stair risers can be no more than 8¼ inches and treads no less than 9 inches deep, and the landing outside a door can, where a step down is allowed, sit no more than 8¼ inches below it (780 CMR Chapter 3). The state's amendments don't change the model code's deck section, so footings, ledgers, joists and guards follow the 2021 IRC as adopted and are checked by your local building official (780 CMR Chapter 5 amendments). Footing holes are excavation under the Dig Safe law, which lists digging and augering (M.G.L. c.82 §40); Dig Safe says no digging project is too small to notify it first, and the law requires notice 72 hours or more in advance, weekends and legal holidays excluded, but not over 30 days ahead (M.G.L. c.82 §40A). The call to 811 is free (Dig Safe).
Lead paint. Once paid renovation, repair or painting in pre-1978 housing disturbs more than 20 square feet of painted exterior surface, the work belongs to a lead-safe renovation contractor licensed by the state, with a certified supervisor present any time work is going on (DLS for homeowners). The state lists window replacement as its own trigger (DLS contractor guide), and the federal rule always covers it regardless of size (EPA RRP for contractors). The Department of Labor Standards takes questions at (617) 626-6030 (DLS lead-safe renovation).
Cement asbestos siding. MassDEP lists cement or "transite" shingles, siding and panels as suspect asbestos. They must never be broken, sanded, sawed or drilled, should come off whole and intact, and can't be bulk loaded. An AQ 04 notification must be filed at least ten working days before removal or disturbance starts, and every project except an owner working alone on non-friable material at their own owner-occupied single-family home needs a survey by a DLS-licensed asbestos inspector; MassDEP sends questions about whether a licensed asbestos contractor is required to the Department of Labor Standards (MassDEP asbestos FAQ).
What we refer
Exterior projects, explained for Massachusetts homeowners
Siding
Vinyl, fiber cement and wood siding replaced or repaired, with the lead-safe rules older houses bring.
Window Replacement
Replacement and new-construction windows, sized and installed to the energy and egress rules your town uses.
Exterior Doors
Entry, storm, patio and sliding doors, swapped in existing openings or framed into new ones.
Decks & Porches
New decks, rebuilt porches and stairs, with the footings, setbacks and permits they usually need.
FAQ
Common Massachusetts exterior questions
What deposit can a siding or window company require before starting?
A third of the contract price at most, except when special-order or custom materials such as made-to-measure windows cost more than that. This cap comes from the home improvement law and applies to registered contractors on owner-occupied homes with one to four units.
Do replacement windows need a building permit?
The state's contractor chart lists window installation or replacement as building permit work, done under at least a Window/Siding construction supervisor license. The chart is general guidance, so confirm with your town building department.
My house has old cement shingle siding. What should I know?
Treat it as suspect asbestos. MassDEP says cement siding must never be broken, sanded, sawed or drilled and should come off whole, an AQ 04 notification is due at least ten working days before removal, and every project except an owner working alone on their own owner-occupied single-family home needs a survey by a licensed asbestos inspector. Ask the Department of Labor Standards before planning to do it yourself.
How deep do deck footings go?
The Massachusetts residential code sets frost depth at 48 inches. The rest of the deck design is checked by your local building official under the code as adopted, and the footing holes need a Dig Safe ticket first.
Do I pay anything to New England Exterior Pros?
No. Sending a request and getting a referral cost you nothing; pricing the job is up to the contractor.