Permit Office (AHJ)
City of Boston Inspectional Services Department (ISD)
Boston, MA · Licensed Professional Engineering
Structural systems designed to the loads your state actually imposes — gravity, seismic, wind, and snow — with drawings built to get approved the first time.
Boston structural work is frequently existing-building work: masonry bearing walls, timber, steel, and historic fabric require field verification before new rooftop equipment, lab exhaust, transfer framing, or change-of-use loads are assumed. ISD reviews under 780 CMR, including its existing-building provisions, while dense parcels demand a deliberate approach to underpinning, excavation support, adjacent foundations, and special inspections. Snow and wind loads, frost effects, and coastal flood exposure can govern additions and waterfront work even where seismic demand is comparatively modest.
Code adoptions and local amendments change on multi-year cycles. The state source verification date is 2026-07-28; we verify the governing editions with City of Boston Inspectional Services Department (ISD) at project kickoff.
Boston ISD accepts building-permit applications and design documents through its online permitting system; commercial work is routed for zoning, building, fire, and other agency reviews as applicable. Projects in historic districts, on the waterfront, or involving public ways can also require Boston Landmarks Commission, Boston Planning & Development Agency, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, or other separate approvals.
Boston enforces the statewide 10th-edition code rather than a separate municipal building code; 780 CMR 34 supplies the existing-building provisions. Its Specialized Energy Code adoption and BERDO 2.0 emissions rules are separate but consequential overlays for new construction, major renovation, and covered existing buildings.
Eversource coordinates new electric service and distributed-generation interconnection, while the Boston Water and Sewer Commission provides local water, sewer, and storm-drain service. Electrical-service capacity, gas policy, and street-opening coordination should be resolved early in dense downtown and neighborhood retrofit work.
Boston's work is concentrated in life sciences, academic and hospital campuses, multifamily housing, and conversion or modernization of older commercial buildings. The city’s aging masonry, brownstone, and warehouse stock makes occupied renovation, utility upgrades, and existing-building-code analysis recurring engineering work, while BERDO 2.0 increases the importance of operational carbon planning for covered buildings.
Reviewed 2026-09-11. Code editions and local requirements can change; confirm the current requirements with the authority having jurisdiction before design.
With a team of licensed PEs and a multi-discipline engineering team, we're ready to take on projects of any size — and we turn quotes around fast. Send us your scope and get a clear proposal: deliverables, timeline, and fee.
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