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Siding Replacement and Repair in Massachusetts and New Hampshire
Clapboards that won't hold paint anymore, vinyl that cracked in a cold snap, a wall where water has been getting behind the siding, or old cement shingles you would like gone. Re-siding a house touches lead paint, asbestos and permit rules along the way. Call (978) 788-0374 or send the form. A person reads every request and replies with what happens next.
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Off with the old, on with the new
Replacing or repairing the siding on your house
What's under it. Many older New England houses carry two or three generations of siding: original clapboards, cement or asphalt shingles nailed over them, then vinyl or aluminum over that. Whether the old layers come off, and what turns up underneath, shapes the whole job. A crew that opens the wall will often find sheathing or trim that needs repair before anything new goes on.
Old paint. In a home built before 1978, paid work that disturbs more than 20 square feet of exterior paint falls under the federal lead renovation rule (EPA RRP for contractors). Massachusetts runs its own program with the same exterior threshold and requires a state lead-safe renovation license (MA DLS); New Hampshire uses the federal program directly (EPA RRP).
Cement shingles. Cement or "transite" siding is suspect asbestos in Massachusetts, where it must not be broken, sawed, sanded or drilled and comes off whole and intact as far as possible; New Hampshire regulates its removal under its own asbestos rules (MassDEP asbestos FAQ, NH Env-A 1800). Tell the contractor if you think your house has it, so the plan and the price account for it from the start.
Massachusetts
New siding in Massachusetts
Registered and supervised. Siding work on an existing owner-occupied home of one to four units is home improvement work, so the contractor must be registered with the state. OCABR's chart marks siding as needing a building permit and at least a Window/Siding construction supervisor license, while calling the chart general guidance that depends on the project (HIC contractor resources). Check both on the Contractor Hub and the OPSI verification site.
Lead-safe crews. Paid renovation, repair and painting in pre-1978 housing that disturbs more than 20 square feet of exterior paint must be done by a licensed lead-safe renovation contractor, with a certified supervisor on site whenever work is under way (DLS for homeowners).
Cement asbestos siding. MassDEP requires an AQ 04 notification at least ten working days before cement siding is removed or disturbed, and a survey by a DLS-licensed asbestos inspector for every project except an owner working alone on non-friable material at their own owner-occupied single-family home (MassDEP asbestos FAQ). MassDEP sends questions about whether a licensed asbestos contractor must do the removal to the Department of Labor Standards.
The contract. A siding job over $1,000 needs a written contract with the registration number, dates, materials, total price and payment schedule, and the deposit is capped at one-third unless special-order materials cost more (M.G.L. c.142A §2). Let the contractor pull the permit so you keep access to the Guaranty Fund and state arbitration (OCABR).
New Hampshire
New siding in New Hampshire
Your town's permit. Building permits come from the town or city, which may keep codes stricter than the state's (RSA 155-A:2), so ask the building department whether your siding job needs one. The state building code moved to the 2024 editions on July 1, 2026; either code set may be used through December 31, 2026, and the new codes apply to every permit request from January 1, 2027 (Town of Merrimack code page).
Lead paint. Anyone paid to disturb paint in a pre-1978 home must be EPA-certified, sole proprietors included; minor exterior work of 20 square feet or less is excluded (EPA RRP, EPA RRP for contractors).
Cement asbestos siding. If you hire it out, a qualified asbestos inspector must inspect first and a state-licensed asbestos contractor must do the removal (NHDES asbestos management). An owner may do the work personally on a single-family home the owner lives in that isn't rented, except within six months of selling it; the owner still has to keep the material wet, lower it rather than drop it, and package, report and dispose of the waste under the state rules (Env-A 1800).
The contract. The Attorney General says "contractors do not need to be licensed" in New Hampshire and advises a written contract with the scope, materials, total price and payment schedule before any work or payment (NH Attorney General). On a contract over $5,000, the contractor must give you the RSA 359-G notice; for a defect claim, you serve written notice at least 60 days before suing and the contractor has 30 days to respond (RSA 359-G).
New Hampshire exterior rules and the towns we cover.
Last verified November 2026. Fees, restrictions and deadlines on this page are due for re-checking by January 2027. New England Exterior Pros is a referral service. We don't install siding or pull permits.
FAQ
Siding questions
Does new siding need a building permit?
In Massachusetts, the state's contractor chart lists siding as building permit work, done under at least a Window/Siding construction supervisor license. In New Hampshire, your town building department decides which jobs need a permit, so ask it before work starts.
My house was built before 1978. Does that change anything?
Yes. Anyone paid to disturb old paint must follow the lead renovation rules. In Massachusetts, paid work disturbing more than 20 square feet of exterior paint must be done by a licensed lead-safe renovation contractor. In New Hampshire, the contractor must be EPA-certified once the work goes beyond minor exterior jobs of 20 square feet or less.
Can the new siding go right over my cement shingles?
That is a question for the building department and your contractor. What the rules do say is that cement siding is treated as suspect asbestos and must not be broken, sawed, sanded or drilled, so any plan that disturbs it has to follow the state asbestos rules.
Can I remove old cement asbestos siding myself?
In New Hampshire, an owner may personally remove it from a single-family home the owner lives in that isn't rented, unless the work is done within six months of selling the house, and still has to follow the state rules on wetting, packaging and disposal. In Massachusetts, MassDEP still requires an AQ 04 notification at least ten working days ahead and refers questions about whether a licensed contractor is needed to the Department of Labor Standards. Ask the state agency before you start.
What does it cost me to use New England Exterior Pros?
Nothing. The request and the referral are free; the contractor prices the work.
Town guides
Local rules for siding by town
Each town page covers that town's permits for exterior work, historic review and the homes you'll find there. Towns with a local guide so far: Greater Lowell, MA (Lowell, Chelmsford, Dracut, Tewksbury, Billerica, Westford, Tyngsborough and Pepperell), Andover, Lawrence & Haverhill, MA (Methuen, Lawrence, Andover, North Andover and Haverhill), Woburn, Reading & Melrose, MA (Woburn, Lexington, Burlington, Wilmington, North Reading, Reading, Wakefield, Melrose, Stoneham and Winchester), Nashua Region, NH (Nashua, Hudson and Merrimack), Salem, Derry & Londonderry, NH (Pelham, Salem, Windham, Derry and Londonderry), Manchester & Bedford, NH (Manchester and Bedford) and Portsmouth, Dover & Rochester, NH (Portsmouth, Dover and Rochester). We add towns across New England as we can cover them properly.