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Window Replacement, Siding, Doors and Decks in Melrose, MA
Melrose is a city of Victorian houses, with siding listed as its own permit type and a triple fee for work started without one. Call (978) 788-0374 or use the form. A person reads every request and replies with what happens next.
- Free for homeowners
- City and state exterior rules on this page
- Melrose Highlands to the East Side
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Exterior work in Melrose
What are you replacing or building?
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.
Victorian house with old clapboards?
(978) 788-0374Tell us roughly when the house was built and what you want to change outside, and we'll connect you with a contractor who knows Melrose's permit and review steps.
Permits
Permits for siding, windows and decks in Melrose
What the guide lists. The Department of Inspectional Services at City Hall, 562 Main Street, 781-979-4135, files permits online (Inspection Services). Its permitting guide lists "Siding" and "Roofing" as permit types, says design plans detail framing and siding materials, windows and door sizes, and requires a permit to "Alter or install a means of egress." The exceptions are ordinary repairs plus "carpeting, sandblasting, floor sanding, painting, wallpapering, pools under 2 feet in height, and swing sets." For decks, "Deck applications shall include: lumber dimensions, column and footing sizes, and type of concrete." The guide says permits must be applied for online, with in-person filing accepted only in extreme circumstances (Permitting Guide). Window and door replacement are not listed as permit types of their own; the state's contractor chart marks window replacement and a replacement exit door as permit work (state HIC chart), so confirm with the department.
Fees. Under the fee ordinance as last amended July 17, 2023, one- and two-family work pays $15 per $1,000 with a $40 minimum plus a $15 administrative fee, and work started without a permit pays a triple fee. The electrical schedule has its own $30 charge to reattach a service after vinyl siding (Inspectional Services fees). Building inspections are booked by phone the same day, Monday to Thursday, at 781-979-4138 between 8:30 and 9:30 a.m. (How to Schedule Inspections).
- Inspectional Services
- City Hall, 562 Main Street, 781-979-4135
- Listed permit types
- Siding, roofing; decks with lumber, footing and concrete details
- Fee, 1–2 family
- $15 per $1,000, $40 minimum, plus $15 admin (amended July 17, 2023)
- Work started without a permit
- Triple fee
- Demolition review
- Built on or before 1899, 50% or more of exterior surface
- Energy code
- Specialized Opt-in Code since July 1, 2024
Energy code. Melrose adopted the Specialized Opt-in Code effective July 1, 2024, after using the Stretch Code since January 1, 2011 (state list dated November 3, 2026). On an existing house, 225 CMR 22 sends alterations and repairs to the code's existing-building chapter (225 CMR 22); ask your installer for each window's NFRC label.
State rules for the job. Exterior contractors on an owner-occupied one- to four-family home must be registered Home Improvement Contractors (Contractor Hub lookup); the state chart sets a "Window/Siding CSL minimum" for siding and windows and a construction supervisor license for decks and exterior stairs (state HIC chart), and on one- and two-family homes a licensed construction supervisor or registered design professional must oversee the construction (construction supervisor rules). Contracts over $1,000 must be written, with the registration number, dates, price and payment schedule; the deposit is capped at one-third unless special-order materials cost more; and a contract signed at home can be cancelled until midnight of the third business day (c.142A §2). Pull the permit yourself and you lose access to the Guaranty Fund, which can pay up to $25,000 (HIC homeowner resources).
Lead and asbestos. Melrose posts no lead guidance of its own. For pre-1978 homes, paid work that disturbs more than 20 square feet of exterior paint needs a licensed lead-safe renovation contractor, with window replacement a trigger of its own (MA lead-safe rules for contractors); the federal rule always covers window replacement (EPA RRP). Cement or "transite" siding is suspect asbestos; on a contractor job MassDEP requires a survey by a DLS-licensed inspector and notice at least ten working days before removal (MassDEP asbestos FAQ).
Last verified November 2026. Fees, restrictions and deadlines on this page are due for re-checking by February 2027. New England Exterior Pros is a referral service. We don't do the work or file permits; the contractor does.
Historic review
Historic review of exteriors in Melrose
Local historic districts. The city's historic district ordinance covers the Downtown Melrose Historic District, along Main Street from West and East Foster Streets to the south side of West and East Emerson Streets (adopted 1979, amended 2017), and the Benjamin Lynde House Historic District at 244 Main Street, approved June 15, 2026 and effective once its map is filed with the City Clerk and recorded in the Registry of Deeds. Exterior features visible from a public way need a Certificate of Appropriateness from the commission, which decides within 45 days. Exempt under §131-5(A): "Storm doors and windows, screens, window air conditioners, antennas," at-grade terraces and walks, and paint colors, except "paint proposed for masonry or any materials now not painted" (Historic District Ordinance). Replacement windows, new siding, porches and decks are not on the exempt list.
Demolition review for pre-1900 houses. Chapter 132 applies to buildings built on or before 1899 and National Register buildings, and is triggered by "demolition of 50% or more of the exterior surface area (including walls and roof)." The delay runs up to 12 months, and the application (modified May 2026) carries a $150 fee plus $135 for the legal ad (Demolition Review Application). The city doesn't say whether stripping siding alone counts toward that 50%, so ask the Historical Commission before a full re-side on an 1800s house.
Decks and porches
Decks and porches in Melrose
Floodplain decks. Melrose's floodplain guidelines say a building permit for "new/modified stair structures, porches, and decks" in a floodplain or floodway requires a Request for Determination of Applicability, and "Structures shall be designed to allow for floodwater to flow freely around/through the structure," with lattice suggested. Lost flood storage has to be made up under the ordinance, though a "6-inch x 6-inch (or smaller) porch post" may be disregarded at the commission's discretion, and the commission can take up to 21 days to hold its meeting (Guidelines for Work in the Floodplain). The city's 2023 open space plan names Ell Pond and the Bennetts Pond Brook area near Howard Street as its largest floodplains, both flooding regularly (Open Space and Recreation Plan).
Wetlands. The wetlands ordinance (Chapter 231) reaches 100 feet, with a no-disturbance zone within 15 feet and a no-construction zone within 20 feet; existing structures there may be repaired and maintained but not made larger, and more than 500 square feet of new impervious surface must show no net increase in peak runoff (Chapter 231).
Ledge and footings. The same open space plan notes bedrock at or near the surface in the southeast, southwest and west of the city, where it says construction costs for foundations are "comparatively high." Melrose posts no deck setback table or deck guide; the state code sets frost depth at 48 inches (780 CMR 51, chapter 3), and footing holes need a Dig Safe notice at least 72 hours ahead, weekends and holidays excluded (c.82 §40A; call 811 or use Dig Safe).
Melrose's homes
A railroad suburb of Victorian houses
The city says about 40% of its homes were built before 1900 (Historic Preservation), and its 2022 Housing Production Plan says over half of housing units were built before World War II (Housing Production Plan). Houses that old fall under the state's lead-safe rules for paid paint and window work.
Melrose Highlands
Built up around its railroad depot in the 1890s and 1900s.
Wyoming
The other west-side depot neighborhood where suburban building spread after the railroad.
East Side
Victorian and Colonial Revival houses around Porter and Upham Streets.
Lebanon Street
Two-family houses and three-deckers along the street.
Neighborhood notes come from the state's Melrose reconnaissance report (1981), which describes Melrose growing as a railroad suburb after 1845.
FAQ
Melrose exterior questions
What does a deck permit application need in Melrose?
The city's permitting guide says deck applications must include lumber dimensions, column and footing sizes, and the type of concrete. Applications are filed online; the guide says paper filings are accepted only in extreme circumstances.
Does replacing siding on an old Melrose house go to demolition review?
Demolition review applies to buildings built on or before 1899 and National Register buildings when 50% or more of the exterior surface, walls and roof included, is demolished, with a delay of up to 12 months. The city doesn't say whether removing siding alone counts, so ask the Historical Commission early.
Do I need approval for new windows in a Melrose historic district?
In the Downtown Melrose district along Main Street, and in the Benjamin Lynde House district once its map is filed with the City Clerk and recorded at the Registry of Deeds, exterior features visible from a public way need a Certificate of Appropriateness. Storm doors and windows, screens and most paint colors are exempt; replacement windows are not on the exempt list.
Are there special rules for a deck in a Melrose floodplain?
Yes. The city's floodplain guidelines say a building permit for new or modified stairs, porches and decks in a floodplain or floodway requires a Request for Determination of Applicability, and the structure must let floodwater flow freely around or through it.
What does it cost me to use New England Exterior Pros?
Nothing. Asking is free for homeowners; the contractor prices the job, and the price and contract are between you and them.
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