What you need in Burlington
Checked November 7, 2026 against Burlington's own pages. "Not published" means the page does not say; call the office.
Municipal lien certificate
Cost$50 residential; $100 commercial or map and parcelLead time10 days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays- Issued by
- Collector's Office, 29 Center St
- How to order
- Written request by mail with a check and stamped envelope; say sale or refinance
Smoke and CO certificate
CostNot publishedLead timeNot published- Issued by
- Fire Department
- How to order
- Read the town's documents, then call for an appointment; Town Hall 781-270-1600
Final water read
CostNot published; a fee may apply to a request under 10 business daysLead time10 business days written notice; 3 weeks preferred- Issued by
- Department of Public Works
- How to order
- Final Water Inspection Form, then call 781-270-1670
Title 5
CostSeptic homes onlyLead timeNot published- Issued by
- Board of Health
- How to order
- Septic page; Town Hall 781-270-1600
What to order when in Burlington
Before you list
Know your house
- Septic or town sewer? If septic, book a Title 5 inspector first. The inspection must be at or within 2 years before the sale.
- Built before 1978? Get the lead paint notice ready.
Before the P&S is signed
Give the notices
- Hand the buyer the state lead paint notice for a pre-1978 house. Separately, the federal rule gives the buyer a 10-day period to inspect for lead before being bound.
- Complete the seller disclosure with your attorney.
The day the P&S is signed
Book the inspection
- Book the smoke and CO inspection and replace old alarms first. The certificate is valid for 60 days.
- Your attorney orders the municipal lien certificate: 10 days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
Weeks before closing
Order the water read
- Request the final water read on the town's schedule (the table above has it).
Closing week
Hand over the papers
- Confirm the smoke and CO certificate is still inside its 60 days, and send the final water bill to your attorney.
Municipal lien certificate: Collector's Office
The Collector's Office page says the request must be in writing, with a check payable to the Town of Burlington: $50 for residential, $100 for commercial or map and parcel. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope, say whether it is a sale or a refinance, and for a sale give the closing date and the buyers' names. Mail it to Town of Burlington, Collector's Office, 29 Center St., Burlington, MA 01803. The page links no form. The state limit is 10 days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays (MGL c.60 s.23); the page itself says 10 business days. See our lien certificate guide.
Smoke and CO certificate: Fire Department
The Fire Department's inspection page tells homeowners and real estate agents to read four documents before calling to set an appointment: the inspection procedure, preparing your home, the smoke requirements guide and the smoke and CO permit. The page posts no fee, no lead time and no online booking. Town Hall is 781-270-1600. An older procedure sheet on the town site, written in 2020, names Fire Headquarters at 781-270-1925 and a $25 check; the current page repeats neither, so ask both when you call.
Under the state form (FP-007C) the certificate expires 60 days after it is issued, so call once you have a firm closing date. The state's inspection checklist shows what the inspector looks for, and the 2020 procedure sheet adds that the house number must be clearly posted on the building.
Final water read: Department of Public Works
Burlington's Final Water Inspection Form asks for the address, closing date, buyer and owner names and the email for the final bill. Call the DPW at 781-270-1670 about 30 minutes after you submit it to book the appointment. The form says that because of the volume of sales and limited staff, the town needs a minimum of 10 business days of written notice, and strongly prefers three weeks. A reading needed sooner may carry a fee under the DPW Rules and Regulations; the form does not give the amount.
Final water bills are issued once a week, on Thursdays, after the inspection is done. A late request can therefore push a closing.
Septic or town sewer (Title 5)
Title 5 is the state septic inspection. It applies only to a house with its own septic system or cesspool (310 CMR 15.301); a house on the town sewer does not need one. We did not find a page on the Burlington site that lists which streets are on septic. The Water/Sewer Utilities Division says it maintains more than 156 miles of sanitary sewer; the septic page recommends inspecting a septic system about every 3 years. Ask the Board of Health through Town Hall (781-270-1600) or the DPW (781-270-1670) which you have. If the house does have septic, read the Title 5 guide before you set a closing date, because a failed system changes your price and your options.
Lead paint notice
If the house was built before 1978, you give the buyer the state's Property Transfer Lead Paint Notification before the purchase and sale agreement is signed, and the buyer signs the certification. Deleading itself is only required when a child under 6 lives in the home. See the lead paint guide and what deleading costs.
State rules that set your dates in Burlington
These come from state and federal law, so they are the same in every town.
- Smoke and CO certificate: valid 60 days. The state form (FP-007C) says a certificate issued under MGL c.148 ss.26F and 26F1/2 expires 60 days after the fire department issues it. If your closing slips past that, you need a second inspection.
- Municipal lien certificate: 10 days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. That is how long the collector has after a written application (MGL c.60 s.23). Final water read lead times are set by each town, not by this rule.
- Title 5 (septic houses only): inspect within 2 years before the sale. An inspection up to 3 years old counts if pumping records show the system was pumped at least once a year. If weather prevents an inspection, it can be done as soon as the weather permits and no later than 6 months after the transfer, as long as the seller tells the buyer in writing. The buyer gets a copy of the report (310 CMR 15.301(1)).
- Lead paint, houses built before 1978: the buyer's 10-day right to inspect. Before the buyer is bound by the contract, the seller must allow a 10-day period, or another period both sides agree to in writing, for a lead paint inspection or risk assessment. The buyer can waive it in writing (40 CFR 745.110, a federal rule). Ask your attorney how your purchase and sale agreement handles it.
Order it in this sequence in Burlington
- Before you list: confirm sewer or septic. If the house has septic, schedule Title 5 first.
- As soon as you have a closing date, ideally three weeks out: submit the Final Water Inspection Form and call the DPW to book.
- Read the Fire Department documents, then call to book the smoke and CO inspection.
- Mail the lien certificate request with a $50 check and a stamped envelope.
- If the house was built before 1978, give the buyer the lead notice before the P&S.
Print the one-page Burlington checklist: PDF or image. It repeats the offices, fees and phone numbers on this page and leaves room for your closing date.
