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Beverly, Massachusetts

Building in Beverly, MA, where four in five houses predate 1980

  • Downtown
  • Beverly Cove
  • Ryal Side
  • Montserrat
  • North Beverly
  • Centerville
  • Prospect Hill
  • Shingleville

Beverly's houses are older than most people expect for a city its size: the master plan puts about 40 percent before World War II and about 80 percent before 1980. Our Beverly work has included additions, a second-floor primary suite, kitchens and a primary bath, with another addition underway. On houses this age, lead testing and a look inside the walls come before a fixed price.

Start a project in Beverly →(978) 854-5383
Key planEssex County · MA
Mass. BayBeverlyPenney HQ
≈ 4.4 mi from Penney HQ in Peabody (straight line)

About 4.4 miles from Peabody to Beverly. Straight-line distance to our Peabody base

Houses here

The houses of Beverly, era by era

Beverly sits across the harbor from Salem: a compact downtown along Cabot and Rantoul Streets, older neighborhoods on the Bass and Danvers Rivers, and leafier streets running north toward Wenham Lake. Trains stop at Beverly Depot, Montserrat, North Beverly and Beverly Farms, so it works as a commuter city as much as a seaside one. Zoning ranges from the R-6 district, which allows one- and two-family houses, to the large-lot R-90. Beverly Farms and Prides Crossing, at the city's eastern end, have their own page.

  1. First Period

    First Period houses and Fish Flake Hill

    Beverly has a real First Period layer. The Rev. John Hale House of 1694 is individually on the National Register, and early houses on Cabot, Hull, Essex, Hale and Dodge Streets are listed as a First Period group. Fish Flake Hill, on Front Street by the harbor, is the city's only local historic district, so exterior changes there go to the Historic District Commission. Lots downtown are small, and staging, dumpsters and parking on narrow streets get arranged with the city ahead of time.

  2. 1800s

    Late-1800s Revival houses on Prospect Hill

    Parts of Baker, Columbus, Larcom, Peabody and Sargent Avenues make up a well-preserved subdivision of Revival-style houses from the late 1800s and early 1900s, which the city's 2018–19 survey recommended for the National Register. Plan for plaster and lath, and in pre-war houses for balloon framing, knob-and-tube wiring and galvanized or cast-iron plumbing.

  3. 03

    Ryal Side summer houses and Beverly Cove estates

    Ryal Side, on the Danvers River, has modest nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century summer houses, and the city's survey names rising tides as a threat to them. Beverly Cove has the high-style seaside estates. Near the water, a flood-zone check comes before any addition or finished basement, and materials below the design flood elevation have to tolerate water.

  4. 1945–1980

    Postwar houses, 1945–1980

    Roughly another 40 percent of the city's housing went up in the postwar decades, a large stock of mid-century single-family homes. Federal lead-safe rules apply to any house built before 1978. These are the houses where a rear addition, a second-floor primary suite or a kitchen rebuilt around a new layout changes how the whole house works.

Before you build

Before you build in Beverly

What local rules, the ground and the energy code ask of a project here, each with the source we checked. Rules change and some depend on the parcel, so we confirm them with the building department before anything is drawn.

  1. Historic district

    Fifty years and older

    Demolishing all or part of any Beverly building more than 50 years old goes to the Historic District Commission first. If the building may be significant, a hearing is held within 20 business days, and a 'preferably preserved' finding can hold the demolition permit for up to 12 months. Partial teardowns for an addition count, so we check them against the ordinance early.

    Guide: Historic district renovation on the North Shore: what needs approval and what doesn'tSource : Beverly HDC Demolition Delay application (Ch. 168 Art. II; buildings over 50 years)

  2. Local note

    Decks and patios count too

    Beverly's wetlands regulations keep more than houses out of the 50 feet nearest a wetland: additions, pools, patios, decks, sheds and most driveways too, and they bar disturbance within 25 feet. Rebuilding an older structure in the same footprint is exempt. Vernal pools get a 100-foot no-disturbance zone. Near Lawrence Brook, Chubbs Brook, the Bass River or any swamp, we get the wetland line flagged before design.

    Source : Beverly Chapter 565 Wetlands Protection Regulations (No-Disturbance and No-Build zones)

  3. Coastal & wetlands

    The rivers and the harbor edge

    The city places its mapped flood hazard generally south of Route 128, and parts of the flood maps were revised in 2017. Check the current FIRM panel before designing an addition or a finished basement near the Bass or Danvers Rivers, and plan flood-resistant materials below the design flood elevation. Docks, floats and seawalls on filled or flowed tidelands generally need a MassDEP Chapter 91 license.

    Guide: The FEMA 50 percent rule in Massachusetts: renovating a house in a flood zoneSource : City of Beverly: FEMA Flood Maps (2012/2014 adoption; 2017 map revisions)

  4. Energy code

    Specialized code since January 2026

    Beverly moved to the Specialized Energy Code on January 1, 2026, after years on the Stretch Code. It matters most for new homes and full rebuilds, which must pick a path: all-electric, mixed-fuel with on-site solar and electric pre-wiring, or zero-energy certification. Additions and renovations generally stay under the Stretch Code's existing-building rules; confirm your scope with Municipal Inspections.

    Guide: Massachusetts stretch code requirements for additions, ADUs and renovationsSource : DOER adoption map and list (Beverly Stretch 1/1/2012, Specialized 1/1/2026; ACEC-MA copy)

  5. ADU rules

    An early ADU ordinance, now catching up

    Beverly allowed ADUs before the state did. Its December 2023 ordinance permits attached and detached units by right in single-family districts, up to 1,000 square feet or half the house, on lots with no nonconformity that need no zoning relief; transient rental and separate sale are banned. State law now bars owner-occupancy rules for a protected ADU, and the city has proposed amendments to match. Confirm what is in force before design, and see our ADU law guide.

    Source : Beverly ADU ordinance as adopted (Ord. No. 184A, Section 300-55)

  6. Sewer

    Mostly sewered, with exceptions

    About 95 percent of Beverly homes are on city water and sewer. The rest use private wells, septic or both, some of them inside the Water Supply Protection Overlay District. On those lots Title 5 ties bedroom count to septic design flow, so check before adding bedrooms or an ADU.

    Source : Beverly Open Space & Recreation Plan 2022 (95% sewer, Water Supply Protection Overlay)

Penney in Beverly

Our work in Beverly

From our own job list: projects in Beverly that are finished, underway or under contract. Client names and addresses stay private.

  • CompleteRear addition and a second-floor primary suite addition
  • CompleteKitchen remodel, plus basement, hallway and laundry work
  • CompleteKitchen remodel, everything new
  • CompletePrimary bath gut: single to double vanity, custom tile shower, new trim and beadboard
  • UnderwayHome addition opening into the existing house

As of September 2026

What we build here

What we build in Beverly

  • Home additions

    Rear additions and second-floor primary suites start with the wetland line, the lot's zoning district from R-6 to R-90 and, if any of the old house comes down, the 50-year demolition review.

  • Kitchens

    A kitchen remodel can take in the laundry, a hallway or the basement below it, so the house is opened once and the new wiring and plumbing runs are planned together.

  • Primary baths

    Going from one vanity to two, or a tub to a tiled shower, changes the supply and drain layout. In older Beverly houses we replace galvanized or cast-iron lines while the walls are open.

  • ADUs and in-law suites

    With most lots on city sewer, an ADU here is usually a zoning and fire-separation question rather than a septic one. Under state law, a lot within half a mile of a year-round commuter rail station or a bus station needs no extra parking space.

Questions

Questions we hear in Beverly

Can I build an ADU in Beverly, and does it need a special permit?

In single-family districts, usually not. Beverly has allowed attached and detached ADUs by right since December 2023, up to 1,000 sq ft or half the main house, as long as the property has no zoning nonconformity and needs no relief; otherwise its ordinance calls for a special permit. Under the 2024 state law the city cannot require owner occupancy for a protected ADU, or parking within half a mile of a transit station, and Beverly's proposed 2026 amendments were drafted to match. Transient rental is banned and the ADU cannot be sold separately. Confirm the current rules with Municipal Inspections.

I want to tear down or partly tear down an older house in Beverly. Is there a waiting period?

Possibly. A permit to demolish all or part of any building more than 50 years old is first reviewed by the Historic District Commission. If the building may be significant, a public hearing is held within 20 business days, and if the Commission decides it should be preserved, the permit can be delayed up to 12 months. Inside the Fish Flake Hill local district, exterior changes also need HDC approval.

Is my Beverly house in a historic district?

Probably not a local one. Fish Flake Hill, downtown by the harbor, is Beverly's only local historic district, where exterior changes need Historic District Commission approval. Other areas, such as the Beverly Center Business District, are on the National Register, which does not by itself add design review. The 50-year demolition review applies citywide.

How does Beverly's Specialized Energy Code affect my project?

For an addition or renovation, little changes: work on existing homes generally stays under the Stretch Code's existing-building provisions. The Specialized code, in effect since January 1, 2026, mainly changes new homes and complete rebuilds, where the choice of compliance path drives heating fuel, panel size and solar. Confirm the requirements for your scope with Municipal Inspections before you finalize plans.

Sources

Facts checked September 30, 2026Job list as of September 2026

  1. 01PlanBeverly Comprehensive Master Plan (housing age, neighborhoods, zoning districts, commuter rail)
  2. 02Beverly Open Space & Recreation Plan 2022 (95% sewer, Water Supply Protection Overlay)
  3. 03Beverly National and State Register listings (First Period houses, Fish Flake Hill)
  4. 04Beverly Historic Resources Survey Update 2018-2019 (Prospect Hill, Ryal Side, Beverly Cove)
  5. 05Beverly HDC Demolition Delay application (Ch. 168 Art. II; buildings over 50 years)
  6. 06Beverly Historic District Commission
  7. 07Beverly Chapter 565 Wetlands Protection Regulations (No-Disturbance and No-Build zones)
  8. 08City of Beverly: FEMA Flood Maps (2012/2014 adoption; 2017 map revisions)
  9. 09DOER adoption map and list (Beverly Stretch 1/1/2012, Specialized 1/1/2026; ACEC-MA copy)
  10. 10Beverly ADU ordinance as adopted (Ord. No. 184A, Section 300-55)
  11. 11Beverly Zoning Projects & Amendments (2026 ADU amendments)
  12. 12Beverly Municipal Inspections / Building Department
  13. 13Wikipedia: John Hale House

Town rules change, and some depend on the parcel. We use these as a starting point and confirm with the building department, planning office or conservation commission before design.

Start a project

Tell us about your house in Beverly.

We walk it with you, measure, check what the town will require, and talk through design, budget and schedule before anything is drawn.

Rather talk now?

(978) 854-5383

HIC #198443 · CSL CS-099765