What you need in Malden
Checked November 7, 2026 against Malden's own pages. "Not published" means the page does not say; call the office.
Municipal lien certificate
Cost$25 for 1 to 3 family; $100 for 4+ family; $150 commercialLead timeWithin 10 days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays- Issued by
- Treasurer's Office, Room 210, 215 Pleasant St
- How to order
- Request form by mail or in person; cash, check or money order
Smoke and CO certificate
Cost$50 single-family, $100 two-family; $150 for 3 to 6 unitsLead timeTue and Thu; no lead time published- Issued by
- Fire Prevention
- How to order
- Online permitting portal, then the clerk calls; 781-397-7383
Final water read and lead-free water line certification
Cost$25 read fee, added to the final billLead timeAt least 10 business days before closing- Issued by
- Engineering and Treasurer
- How to order
- Email Leadinfo@cityofmalden.org and Treasurer@cityofmalden.org; info sheet
Title 5
CostSeptic homes onlyLead timeNot published- Issued by
- Not published
- How to order
- Not published
What to order when in Malden
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: Treasurer's Office
Malden's lien certificate page lists $25 for a residential single- to three-family property, $100 for residential four-family or more, and $150 for commercial, industrial or public utility property. The city says a certificate will be prepared within 10 days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
Fill in the request form and mail or deliver it to the Treasurer's Office, Room 210, 215 Pleasant Street, Malden 02148, with the property address and the Assessors map and parcel ID. Pay by cash, check or money order to the City of Malden. Enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope if you want it mailed; otherwise the office contacts you for pickup. Email treasurer@cityofmalden.org. See our lien certificate guide.
Smoke and CO certificate: Fire Department
Malden does this online. The Fire Department page says to apply through the city's Energov permitting system. Install and test your alarms first, apply and pay online, and the Fire Prevention clerk then calls to schedule. Fees: $50 single-family, $100 two-family, $150 for 3 to 6 units and $500 above six. Inspections run Tuesday and Thursday, mornings for one- and two-family homes and afternoons for multi-family. Phone 781-397-7383.
The page says to schedule with plenty of time before closing but gives no number of days. The state form (FP-007C) says the certificate expires 60 days after it is issued.
Malden's own rules, from the city page
- A smoke alarm inside every bedroom, plus smoke and CO alarms within 10 feet of each bedroom. The city page calls the in-bedroom alarm a Malden requirement.
- Photoelectric, UL-stamped alarms, ceiling-mounted. Battery units need a sealed 10-year battery (9-volt and AA units are not authorized). No alarm older than 10 years.
- No keyed locks on interior doors and no double-keyed deadbolts on entry doors.
- Street number visible from the street.
- An optional layout and placement service is available before the inspection: $25 single-family, $50 two-family.
This is stricter than the generic list in our smoke and CO guide, so read the city page before you buy alarms.
Final water read and the water service certification
Malden's final water and sewer info sheet says to email both Leadinfo@cityofmalden.org and Treasurer@cityofmalden.org with the closing date, property address, a contact name, phone and email for the read appointment, and the buyer's name. Allow at least 10 business days before closing. The final reading costs $25, included in the final water and sewer bill.
This is not the lead paint notice. Under Malden ordinance 9.24.010, an owner must certify that the property gets its water through lead-free service lines when ownership transfers (also for building permits over $30,000 and, in a multi-family, when a tenant changes). That is the Water Service Certification, and the sheet warns that without it in good order you may not get your final bill by closing. Engineering: 781-397-7040, LeadInfo@cityofmalden.org (215 Pleasant Street). Treasurer: 781-397-7090.
If the house still has a lead service line
The city asks owners who expect to sell to email Engineering at LeadInfo@cityofmalden.org early for the property's water service record and the forms. If the line cannot be replaced right away, the certification must set out a replacement plan with a firm date, approved by the City Engineer. Replacement needs an Engineering permit, plus a Public Works street opening permit if the street is dug up. The city notes a winter shutdown of street excavation from November 15 to April 1, so a winter closing usually means the plan route. Ask your attorney how the buyer and lender want that handled in the P&S.
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 Malden site that lists which streets are on septic. We found no Malden health page on Title 5. Ask your closing attorney, or call City Hall at 781-397-7000. 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. Do not confuse it with the lead-free water line certification above, which is a separate Malden step. See the lead paint guide and what deleading costs.
State rules that set your dates in Malden
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 Malden
- Before you list: confirm the house is on town sewer; if it is not, schedule Title 5 first.
- As soon as you decide to sell: email LeadInfo@cityofmalden.org to find out whether the water service line is lead-free. If it is not, start the replacement or the replacement plan now.
- Once you have a closing date: email Engineering and the Treasurer for the final read and the Water Service Certification. They want 10 business days.
- Check the alarms against Malden's rules (bedroom alarm, 10-year battery, locks), then apply for the smoke and CO inspection online.
- Let your attorney order the lien certificate ($25, 10 days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays).
- The Thursday before closing: the final water bill should be available once Engineering is satisfied.
Print the one-page Malden checklist: PDF or image. It repeats the offices, fees and phone numbers on this page and leaves room for your closing date.
