About 5 mi from our Waltham shop
Kitchen remodeling in Arlington, MA
An Arlington kitchen can keep its gas range, but if the remodel's work area tops half the house and 1,000 sq ft, the fossil-fuel-free bylaw applies.
Arlington rules that apply
What Arlington requires for kitchen remodeling.
Seven local historic districts
Avon Place, Broadway, Central Street, Jason/Gray, Mount Gilboa/Crescent Hill, Pleasant Street and Russell are local historic districts, covering over 300 properties. Most exterior changes visible from the street need a commission certificate, and the building department can't issue a permit for exterior work or demolition without it.
Fossil-fuel-free new construction and major renovation
Arlington's bylaw prohibits new fossil fuel infrastructure in new buildings and major renovations. For houses, major renovation includes additions over 1,000 square feet or over 100% of the existing conditioned area, and alterations whose work area tops both 50% of the house and 1,000 square feet.
Source: By-Laws of the Town of Arlington, through 2025 Annual Town Meeting (PDF)
How kitchen remodeling goes in Arlington.
Arlington's fossil-fuel-free bylaw is written around work area, meaning the parts of the house being reconfigured or getting new systems. A kitchen on its own almost never comes close. Fold it into a first-floor overhaul that reworks more than half the house and more than 1,000 square feet, and it becomes a major renovation, with no new gas piping allowed.
In a two-family, where the work area is measured against the whole building, that threshold is easier to stay under, and we draw the scope to show it. If the house is in one of the seven local historic districts, a new kitchen window or a back door that shows from the street needs a commission certificate first, and a replacement for a historic wood window has to be solid wood, not clad in vinyl, fiberglass or metal.
Questions
Kitchen remodeling in Arlington, answered.
Will Arlington's gas ban affect my kitchen remodel?
Not for a typical kitchen. It applies to new buildings and to major renovations, such as alterations whose work area exceeds half the house and 1,000 square feet.
Our kitchen remodeling work.
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Photos from our jobs around Greater Boston.
Kitchen remodeling near Arlington.
Where this information comes from
- Town of Arlington: Historic Districts Commission
- By-Laws of the Town of Arlington, through 2025 Annual Town Meeting (PDF)
- Town of Arlington Bylaws: Title VI, Building Regulations
- Arlington Historic District Commissions: Design Guidelines, revised June 2025 (PDF)
- Arlington Master Plan working paper: Historic & Cultural Resource Areas (PDF)
Rules change. These are summaries of Arlington's and Massachusetts' published rules as of our last check, not legal advice; your project's permits are confirmed with the town when we file them.
Free estimate
Planning kitchen remodeling in Arlington?
We'll come out, measure, listen, and send a written estimate. The visit is free and there's no pressure to sign.
Call 617-934-1875