What you need in Reading
Checked November 7, 2026 against Reading's own pages. "Not published" means the page does not say; call the office.
Municipal lien certificate
Cost$50 for 1 to 3 family or open land; $100 for 4 family; $150 commercialLead timeWithin 10 days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays- Issued by
- Collector's Office, Town Hall, 16 Lowell Street
- How to order
- Letter with a stamped return envelope; 781-942-9023
Smoke and CO certificate
Cost$50 single family; $100 two units; $150 for 3 to 6 units; $50 re-inspectionLead timeNot published- Issued by
- Fire Department, Fire Prevention
- How to order
- Online system, apply and pay; Fire Prevention 781-942-6733; re-inspection 781-944-3132
Final water and sewer read
CostNot publishedLead timeRequest within 14 days of closing; read 2 business days before- Issued by
- Water billing (Finance)
- How to order
- Online request form; 781-942-6623
Title 5
CostSeptic homes onlyLead timeNot published- Issued by
- Public Health Department, Town Hall
- How to order
- Septic page; 781-942-9061
What to order when in Reading
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
Reading's Real Estate FAQs say to send a letter requesting a municipal lien certificate to Collector's Office, Town of Reading, 16 Lowell Street, Reading, MA 01867, with the property address and the current owner's name. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope if you want it mailed. Fees: $50 for single, two or three family, $50 for all open land, $100 for four family, $150 for commercial. The town says it will be completed within 10 days of receipt, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays (MGL c.60 s.23). Collector's Office: 781-942-9023. See our lien certificate guide.
Smoke and CO certificate: Fire Department
The Fire Prevention page says smoke detector inspections for the sale of a home are signed up for in the town's online system: you apply and pay online and print the permit once it is approved. For a re-inspection call 781-944-3132. The fee schedule lists Smoke/Carbon Monoxide Permits at $50 for a single family, $100 for two units, $150 for three to six units and $500 for seven or more, with a $50 re-inspection fee. The pages post no booking lead time. The state form (FP-007C) gives the certificate 60 days, so check the date offered against your closing. The state's checklist shows what the inspector looks for.
Final water and sewer read
Use the town's Final Water & Sewer Bill Request Form. It states that requests are accepted only within 14 days of closing, the final read is scheduled two business days before closing, and reads run Monday to Thursday. You get an email confirmation within two business days. The office is closed Fridays, so a Friday closing needs a Thursday or earlier read. Questions: waterbilling@readingma.gov or 781-942-6623. The form posts no fee.
Septic or town sewer (Title 5)
Reading's septic page states in capitals that all systems must be inspected upon sale and title transfer of a home, which matches 310 CMR 15.301. A house on town sewer has no septic system to inspect. The same page covers abandoning a septic system after a sewer connection: you apply to the approving authority within 14 days before you stop using it, the tank is pumped by a licensed hauler, and it is removed or filled. The Public Health Department is at Town Hall, 16 Lowell Street, 781-942-9061. The Sewer Division is 781-942-9092. We found no list of unsewered streets, so ask the Health Department if you are unsure. Then read the Title 5 guide.
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 Reading
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 Reading
- Before you list: confirm sewer or septic with the Public Health Department (781-942-9061). Septic houses need the inspection on sale.
- When the P&S is signed: apply and pay for the smoke and CO inspection in the online system.
- Mail the Collector a lien certificate request ($50, 10 days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays).
- Within 14 days of closing, not before: submit the Final Water & Sewer Bill Request Form. Avoid Fridays.
Print the one-page Reading checklist: PDF or image. It repeats the offices, fees and phone numbers on this page and leaves room for your closing date.
