What you need in Woburn
Checked November 7, 2026 against Woburn's own pages. "Not published" means the page does not say; call the office.
Municipal lien certificate
Cost$25 for land and 1 to 3 family; $100 for 4+ family; $150 mixed use and commercialLead timeAverage 48 to 72 hours; law allows 10 days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays- Issued by
- Collector's Office, 10 Common Street
- How to order
- Written request with parcel ID, stamped return envelope and check
Smoke and CO certificate
Cost$50 one unit, $100 two units, $150 three to six, $500 over six; check or money orderLead timeNot published- Issued by
- Fire Prevention
- How to order
- Call 781-897-1383; permit fees
Final water read
Cost$50 in the city code (posted 2017), due within 30 daysLead timeAt least 7 days before closing- Issued by
- Water Department (City Code 13.2.32)
- How to order
- Request with the lien certificate; ask at City Hall, 781-897-5800; code
Title 5
CostSeptic homes onlyLead timeNot published- Issued by
- Board of Health
- How to order
- Call 781-897-5920; Health Department
What to order when in Woburn
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
Woburn's lien certificate page asks for a written request identifying the property address and Parcel ID (map, block and lot), a self-addressed postage-paid return envelope and a check payable to the City of Woburn, sent to City of Woburn, Collector's Office, 10 Common St., Woburn, MA 01801. Fees: $25 for land and single, two and three family; $100 for four or more family; $150 for mixed use, public utility, commercial and industrial. The page says the city has accepted MGL c.60 s.23B, which sets this fee schedule. The state limit is 10 days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays (c.60 s.23); Woburn says its average is 48 to 72 hours from receipt of the request and payment, slightly longer in heavy periods. The office cannot give tax information verbally. See our lien certificate guide.
Final water read: required by city code
Woburn's City Code, Title 13 (the copy on the city site was posted in 2017), section 13.2.32, says that every time a lien certificate is requested for the conveyance of real property, a final water reading must also be requested at least 7 days before the closing. The charge is $50, payable within 30 days. It adds that a new owner who fails to notify the Water Department of the change does not escape liability, and outstanding charges stay with the property. Section 13.1.5 makes unpaid water and sewer charges a lien on the real estate. The code names no phone number. Because the posted copy dates from 2017, confirm the $50 charge when you call City Hall (781-897-5800) for the Water Department.
Smoke and CO certificate: Fire Prevention
The permit fee page lists smoke and CO detector inspections at $50 for one unit, $100 for two units, $150 for three to six units and $500 over six, per inspection. The same page says acceptable payment is check or money order made out to the City of Woburn, with no cash or credit cards. Fire Prevention's page lists 781-897-1383 and weekday hours (Monday 8:30 am to 5 pm, Tuesday to Thursday 7:30 am to 5 pm, Friday 7:30 am to 1 pm). It does not describe how to book or a lead time, so call; the certificate's 60-day life comes from the state form (FP-007C). The state's checklist shows what the inspector checks.
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 Woburn site that lists which streets are on septic. The Board of Health (781-897-5920) is the office to ask; its page links septic maintenance information. 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 Woburn
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 Woburn
- Before you list: confirm sewer or septic with the Board of Health (781-897-5920).
- When the P&S is signed: call Fire Prevention (781-897-1383) for the smoke and CO inspection; bring a check or money order.
- At least 7 days before closing: request the final water reading ($50), together with the lien certificate request ($25).
Print the one-page Woburn checklist: PDF or image. It repeats the offices, fees and phone numbers on this page and leaves room for your closing date.
