Do You Need a Permit to Legally Paint Your House in Massachusetts?

One thing I enjoyed doing when I was a kid was helping my dad paint our house. We lived in a big colonial house in northern Berkshire County, Massachusetts and I remember helping him paint our home maybe once or twice during the time we lived there. Naturally, he had me paint on the lower levels of the house and he took care of the higher levels that required ladders. It was a fun project that we would do together.

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As I got older and moved to Cheshire, Lee, and Pittsfield I never again ended up in a  location where the unit I lived in needed to be painted as the outside of the dwellings were sided. My wife and I did paint our bedrooms and bathroom shortly after we moved into our home in Pittsfield.

Do You Need a Permit to Paint Anywhere Inside or Outside Your Home in Massachusetts? 

You sometimes hear things like "You need a permit for this home improvement project" or "the contractor didn't pull a permit for this job" etc. but in case you have ever wondered if you actually need a permit to legally paint your house, rest assured you don't. As a matter of fact, the Town of Belmont has this statement on its website regarding painting and permits in Massachusetts. The site lists the following question " Do I Need a Building Permit for Painting or Wallpapering?"

No. These activities, as well as minor repairs such as replacing a few shingles on your house, are considered "ordinary repairs" by the Massachusetts State Building Code and do not require a building permit. The Code defines ordinary repairs as "Any Maintenance which does not affect the structure, egress, fire protection systems, fire ratings, energy conservation provisions, plumbing, sanitary, gas, electrical or other utilities."

Feel free to paint as much as you like inside and outside your home without worrying about hunting down a permit.