The Roofing Book

Permitting Authorities / City of Cambridge - Inspectional Services Department

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Cambridge, MA?

Adopted code

City of Cambridge - Inspectional Services Department

Cambridge's Inspectional Services Department issues building permits for the city, from its office at 831 Massachusetts Avenue. The Massachusetts State Building Code, 780 CMR, applies in Cambridge as it does in every Massachusetts city and town. This listing covers the office's contact details and the rules state law sets for every Massachusetts town; it does not cover Cambridge's own permit rules.

Roof code checklist: Cambridge, MA

ItemAnswerCode citeSourceVerified
Permit to replace a roofNot published
Repair permit thresholdNot published
Layer limit / roof-overNot published
Deck & sheathingNot published
Drip edgeNot published
Ice & water shieldYesR905.1.2mass.gov2026-10-09
Mid-roof inspectionNot published
Impact-resistant (Class 4) roofingNot published
Wind design criteriaPublishedR301.2.1mass.gov2026-10-09
Adopted codePublished§ 98mass.gov2026-10-09
Contractor license / registrationYesmass.gov2026-10-09
Sales & use taxPublishedmalegislature.gov2026-10-09

Each row comes from the sourced record on this page; full wording is in the table below. "Not published" means no official source for that item was found when the record was last verified.

Jurisdiction
City of Cambridge, Massachusetts
Jurisdiction type
city
Address
831 Massachusetts Avenue, 1st Floor, Cambridge, MA 02139
Contact
  • url: https://www.cambridgema.gov/Departments/inspectionalservices
  • phone: 617-349-6100
Permit portal
Permit portal
Contractor registration required
Required
Adopted code
The Massachusetts State Building Code, 780 CMR, Tenth Edition. Its residential volume, 780 CMR 51.00, the Massachusetts Residential Code, adopts the 2021 International Residential Code with Massachusetts amendments (780 CMR 51.00, R101.1). The Tenth Edition took effect on October 11, 2024. Applications filed through June 30, 2025 could use either it or the Ninth Edition; after that date all permit applications "shall comply with 780 CMR as amended effective October 11, 2024 only" (R102). The code is the same in every city and town: "the state building code shall be the code for all buildings and structures within the city or town" (M.G.L. c. 143, section 3A), and "780 CMR applies state-wide. When municipal bylaws and ordinances conflict with 780 CMR, 780 CMR shall govern unless the bylaws or ordinances were promulgated in accordance with M.G.L. c. 143, § 98" (R102.2.2). Under section 98 a mayor or board of selectmen "may recommend to the board the adoption of rules and regulations imposing more restrictive standards than those established by the state building code," and the state Board of Building Regulations and Standards may adopt them for that city or town after a public hearing. Two local choices also bear on roof work. Where a city or town has adopted the Stretch energy code or the Specialized opt-in energy code, 225 CMR 22.00 applies in place of the code's energy chapter (R101.4.6), and the code applies its energy chapter to "roofing and reroofing" (R901.1). Inside a local historic district, "the statute, ordinance or bylaw regulating exterior architectural features within that district shall prevail" where it conflicts with the code (M.G.L. c. 143, section 3A). The Massachusetts changes to the roof assemblies chapter concern its scope, photovoltaic shingles and panels, and one general rule for roof coverings: "Where there is a discrepancy between the requirements of this section and the manufacturer's printed instructions or code evaluation report, the manufacturer's printed instructions or code evaluation report shall govern" (R905.1). The reroofing section, R908, is not amended. Everything above is Massachusetts state law, the same in every city and town. This record did not search the state board's rules for a section 98 rule adopted for this city or town. In Cambridge, the city's Inspectional Services Department is responsible for enforcing the Massachusetts State Building Code, and the city's own page says a building permit is obtained from a building inspector at that department.
Ice & water shield
Required — Required statewide. Massachusetts replaces the code's climatic table with its own Table R301.2(1), and that table's ice barrier underlayment row reads "YES" for the whole state (780 CMR 51.00, Chapter 3). Section R905.1.2, which Massachusetts does not amend, then requires that "an ice barrier shall be installed for asphalt shingles, metal roof shingles, mineral-surfaced roll roofing, slate and slate-type shingles, wood shingles and wood shakes," made of "not fewer than two layers of underlayment cemented together, or a self-adhering polymer-modified bitumen sheet," and extending "from the lowest edges of all roof surfaces to a point not less than 24 inches (610 mm) inside the exterior wall line of the building." On roofs with a slope of 8 in 12 or steeper, "the ice barrier shall also be applied not less than 36 inches (914 mm) measured along the roof slope from the eave edge of the building." Detached accessory structures that contain no conditioned floor area are excepted. On a tear-off, an ice barrier membrane already adhered to the roof deck may stay in place and be covered with an additional layer of ice barrier membrane (R908.3, Exception). Massachusetts adds a rule of its own to Section R905.1: "Where there is a discrepancy between the requirements of this section and the manufacturer's printed instructions or code evaluation report, the manufacturer's printed instructions or code evaluation report shall govern." Everything above is Massachusetts state law, the same in every city and town. About ice & water barrier
Wind design criteria
Cambridge: 120 mph (Vult). Massachusetts sets the design wind speed for every city and town in its own Table R301.2(2), in its ultimate wind speed (Vult) column; it is an ultimate design wind speed, not a nominal one. Table R301.2(1) points to that table for wind speed and marks topographic effects "NO", and Section R301.2.1 says buildings "shall be constructed in accordance with the wind provisions of this code using the ultimate design wind speed in Table R301.2(1) as determined from Table R301.2(2)" (780 CMR 51.00, Chapter 3). Roof coverings "shall be installed to resist the component and cladding loads specified in Table R301.2.1(1), adjusted for height and exposure in accordance with Table R301.2.1(2)" (R905.1). Where the table marks the town with Note 3, the note says: "Specific locations within these municipalities may be within a Windborne Debris Region (with Vult 130 mph or more) as defined in 780 CMR R202.0." Where the table marks the town as a special wind region, Note 2 says: "Specific locations within these municipalities may have conditions that cause higher wind speeds than the tabulated values." Where the ultimate design wind speed is 140 mph or more, "The wind provision of 780 CMR 51.00 shall not apply to the design of buildings," and the house is designed under one of the methods the code lists, such as the AWC Wood Frame Construction Manual, ICC 600 or ASCE 7 (R301.2.1.1). Apart from the town's own figure, everything above is Massachusetts state law, the same in every city and town.
Sales & use tax
6.25% Massachusetts sales and use tax, at one rate set by state law for every city and town. On a reroof the roofer pays the tax when buying the materials. The statute imposes the tax on sales at retail of tangible personal property "at the rate of 6.25 per cent of the gross receipts of the vendor" (M.G.L. c. 64H, section 2). The Department of Revenue says: "The Massachusetts sales tax is 6.25% of the sales price or rental charge of tangible personal property," and, of contractors and subcontractors, "Persons who complete installations as part of a contract for the construction, reconstruction, alteration, improvement, remodeling, or repair of real property. The construction contractor or subcontractor pays tax when they buy materials used to perform the contract." The same treatment covers repair and replacement. Everything above is Massachusetts state law, the same in every city and town.

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Roofing in Cambridge, MassachusettsCity hub

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Sources

Roofing questions: Cambridge, MA

Is ice & water shield required in Cambridge, MA?

Yes. Required statewide. Massachusetts replaces the code's climatic table with its own Table R301.2(1), and that table's ice barrier underlayment row reads "YES" for the whole state (780 CMR 51.00, Chapter 3). Section R905.1.2, which Massachusetts does not amend, then requires that "an ice barrier shall be installed for asphalt shingles, metal roof shingles, mineral-surfaced roll roofing, slate and slate-type shingles, wood shingles and wood shakes," made of "not fewer than two layers of underlayment cemented together, or a self-adhering polymer-modified bitumen sheet," and extending "from the lowest edges of all roof surfaces to a point not less than 24 inches (610 mm) inside the exterior wall line of the building." On roofs with a slope of 8 in 12 or steeper, "the ice barrier shall also be applied not less than 36 inches (914 mm) measured along the roof slope from the eave edge of the building." Detached accessory structures that contain no conditioned floor area are excepted. On a tear-off, an ice barrier membrane already adhered to the roof deck may stay in place and be covered with an additional layer of ice barrier membrane (R908.3, Exception). Massachusetts adds a rule of its own to Section R905.1: "Where there is a discrepancy between the requirements of this section and the manufacturer's printed instructions or code evaluation report, the manufacturer's printed instructions or code evaluation report shall govern." Everything above is Massachusetts state law, the same in every city and town.

Do roofing contractors need a license or registration in Cambridge, MA?

Yes.

What building code does Cambridge, MA use?

The Massachusetts State Building Code, 780 CMR, Tenth Edition. Its residential volume, 780 CMR 51.00, the Massachusetts Residential Code, adopts the 2021 International Residential Code with Massachusetts amendments (780 CMR 51.00, R101.1). The Tenth Edition took effect on October 11, 2024. Applications filed through June 30, 2025 could use either it or the Ninth Edition; after that date all permit applications "shall comply with 780 CMR as amended effective October 11, 2024 only" (R102). The code is the same in every city and town: "the state building code shall be the code for all buildings and structures within the city or town" (M.G.L. c. 143, section 3A), and "780 CMR applies state-wide. When municipal bylaws and ordinances conflict with 780 CMR, 780 CMR shall govern unless the bylaws or ordinances were promulgated in accordance with M.G.L. c. 143, § 98" (R102.2.2). Under section 98 a mayor or board of selectmen "may recommend to the board the adoption of rules and regulations imposing more restrictive standards than those established by the state building code," and the state Board of Building Regulations and Standards may adopt them for that city or town after a public hearing. Two local choices also bear on roof work. Where a city or town has adopted the Stretch energy code or the Specialized opt-in energy code, 225 CMR 22.00 applies in place of the code's energy chapter (R101.4.6), and the code applies its energy chapter to "roofing and reroofing" (R901.1). Inside a local historic district, "the statute, ordinance or bylaw regulating exterior architectural features within that district shall prevail" where it conflicts with the code (M.G.L. c. 143, section 3A). The Massachusetts changes to the roof assemblies chapter concern its scope, photovoltaic shingles and panels, and one general rule for roof coverings: "Where there is a discrepancy between the requirements of this section and the manufacturer's printed instructions or code evaluation report, the manufacturer's printed instructions or code evaluation report shall govern" (R905.1). The reroofing section, R908, is not amended. Everything above is Massachusetts state law, the same in every city and town. This record did not search the state board's rules for a section 98 rule adopted for this city or town. In Cambridge, the city's Inspectional Services Department is responsible for enforcing the Massachusetts State Building Code, and the city's own page says a building permit is obtained from a building inspector at that department.