What you need in Saugus
Checked November 7, 2026 against Saugus's own pages. "Not published" means the page does not say; call the office.
Municipal lien certificate
Cost$50 for 1 to 3 family; $100 for 4+ family; $150 commercialLead timeAllow 10 days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays- Issued by
- Treasurer/Collector, 298 Central St, Suite 5
- How to order
- Request form by mail with a stamped return envelope
Smoke and CO certificate
Cost$50 per unit; re-inspection $50 per unit (fee list)Lead timeLead time not published; certificate good 60 days- Issued by
- Fire Department
- How to order
- Application; payment by check only, payable to Town of Saugus
Final water read
CostNot published; see the rate scheduleLead timeThursdays; book 2 weeks ahead; good 30 days- Issued by
- Water Department / Utility Billing
- How to order
- Phone only: 781-231-4139
Title 5
CostSeptic homes onlyLead timeNot published- Issued by
- Inspectional Services / Board of Health
- How to order
- Not published; Town Hall 781-231-4101
What to order when in Saugus
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/Collector
Saugus's Forms & Fees page lists $50 for a one- to three-family residential parcel, $100 for four-family or more, and $150 for commercial, industrial or public utility property. The request form is posted there. Mail the form, the fee and a self-addressed stamped envelope to the Treasurer's Office, 298 Central Street, Suite 5, Saugus 01906, and allow 10 days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. See our lien certificate guide.
Saugus is in Essex County, so the deed is recorded at the Southern Essex registry, not Middlesex. Unpaid sewer, septic and water charges can appear on the tax bill, which is why the certificate matters. Your attorney handles that at closing.
Smoke and CO certificate: Fire Department
The Saugus Fire Department keeps the application for the smoke detector and CO alarm inspection, a fee list and the requirements on its Forms and Fees page. The page says all payments are check only, payable to the Town of Saugus. The department's fee list puts the smoke detector inspection at $50 per unit, a re-inspection at another $50 per unit, and the certificate's life at 60 days (in line with the state cap in MGL c.148 s.10A). A two-family is two units, so $100. Failing costs a second fee, so check every alarm first. To book, call the Town of Saugus at 781-231-4101 and ask for the Fire Department.
The town does not publish a lead time, and the 60-day life means booking too early can cost you a second inspection if the closing slips. The page links the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detector Requirements; read them before you buy alarms, and see the state's inspection checklist.
Final water read: Thursdays only
The Water Department page is firm. Readings are done on Thursdays only and schedules fill fast. Book about two weeks before closing by phone: 781-231-4139. You cannot schedule a final by email. If you call inside two weeks, the town cannot guarantee a slot, and you may have to escrow an estimated amount at closing. A final is good for 30 days; after that you need a new one.
If the house does not have the town's new SMART meter yet, one has to be installed before the final can be completed. The town arranges it with its installer and a representative of the seller. The invoice is prepared after the reading and emailed to the representative who received it. The page does not list a fee for the read; the town's water and sewer rate schedule is on the same site.
If you miss the Thursday: book the next one and tell your attorney now, since the escrow is the fallback.
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 Saugus site that lists which streets are on septic. Call Town Hall at 781-231-4101 and ask for the Board of Health, or ask your closing attorney. 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 Saugus
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 Saugus
- Before you list: ask the Board of Health (through Town Hall, 781-231-4101) whether the house is on sewer or septic.
- Two weeks before closing at the latest: call 781-231-4139 for a Thursday final read, and ask about the SMART meter.
- Mail the lien certificate request with the $50 fee and a stamped envelope, or let your attorney do it.
- Three to four weeks before closing: send the Fire Department application with a $50-per-unit check and book the inspection (the certificate lasts 60 days).
Print the one-page Saugus checklist: PDF or image. It repeats the offices, fees and phone numbers on this page and leaves room for your closing date.
