North Andover, Massachusetts
From the Old Center to Out Country: renovating in North Andover
- Old Center
- Downtown
- Machine Shop Village
- Tavern Acres
- Out Country
North Andover is really two towns: compact 17th- to 19th-century neighborhoods on the north side, and Out Country to the south, filled in from the 1960s on, where many houses are still on septic. In town we reworked two second-floor bathrooms, moving a wall to enlarge the primary shower and relocating the vanities. Near Lake Cochichewick, the first question on any project is which watershed zone the house is in.
About 11.6 miles from Peabody to North Andover. Straight-line distance to our Peabody base
Houses here
The houses of North Andover, era by era
The north side holds the older grid: the Old Center around the Common, settled in 1643 by farmers from Ipswich and Newbury; downtown; and Machine Shop Village along Cochichewick Brook. Out Country, roughly south of Great Pond Road and Andover Street, stayed farms and woods well into the 20th century, then filled with large-lot subdivisions on long, winding dead-end streets. Lake Cochichewick supplies the town's drinking water, and a watershed overlay controls building on the land that drains to it. For Essex County the housing is young: the 2018 Master Plan put about 41% of units after 1980 and about 32% before 1960.
From 1643
The Old Center, from 1643
Several First Period houses (before 1725) survive here, Federal and Greek Revival buildings ring the Common, and early estates such as the Kittredge Mansion stand on Academy Road. This is the town's one local historic district: exterior changes that can be clearly seen from a public street, way or land in the district need a certificate from its commission. Interior work is exempt, and so are exterior features that cannot be seen from those places, so an addition that truly cannot be seen from any of them falls outside the review.
1830s
Machine Shop Village, 1830s
It grew around the woolen mills and the Davis and Furber textile-machinery works. Most of it is worker housing, including the 1830s Yellow Row of double cottages on Water Street, with larger Greek Revival, Second Empire and Stick Style houses built for the mill owners. The village is a Neighborhood Conservation District, so work that needs a building or demolition permit generally needs a certificate to alter first. A double cottage shares a party wall, so structural changes involve the house next door.
1920s
Tavern Acres, 1920s
About twenty Colonial Revival, Dutch Revival and Arts and Crafts houses off Main Street, laid out toward the Olmsted Brothers-designed Memorial Park. It is on the National Register but is not a local district, so exterior work needs no commission certificate. These houses are reaching 100 years, though, which brings them under the town's demolition-delay bylaw for full or partial demolition.
1960s
Out Country, 1960s on
Large-lot subdivisions on wooded land, many on private septic. Here an addition is usually a septic and wetlands question before it is a design question: the town's wetland rules keep a 25-ft no-disturbance strip and a 50-ft no-build line from resource areas, so mapping the wetland early shows where an addition, pool or detached ADU can go.
Before you build
Before you build in North Andover
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.
Local note
Lake Cochichewick's watershed zones
The Watershed Protection District draws four buffer zones from the lake and from wetlands in its watershed, wider for lots created after October 24, 1994. In the inner zones, grading, new or expanded structures and accessory buildings need a Planning Board special permit, and a new permanent structure needs a ZBA variance first. New septic systems are barred in the Non-Disturbance and Conservation Zones. For a house on town sewer, work that does not enlarge the footprint or change grades can have the special permit waived, with at least two erosion-control inspections by the Town Planner.
Source : North Andover Zoning, Watershed Protection District (Art. 4, Part 5)
Coastal & wetlands
25 ft no-disturb, 50 ft no-build
North Andover's wetlands bylaw and regulations go past the state act, with a 25-foot no-disturbance zone and a 50-foot no-build zone from wetland resource areas, widening to 50 and 75 ft at ephemeral pools. A waiver takes an alternatives analysis, a clear and convincing showing of no adverse effect, and mitigation.
Guide: The FEMA 50 percent rule in Massachusetts: renovating a house in a flood zoneSource : North Andover Wetland Protection Regulations Ch. 260 (No-Disturbance and No-Build Zones)
Historic district
Two design districts and a 100-year rule
Visible exterior work in the Old Center needs a historic district certificate, and work needing a building or demolition permit in Machine Shop Village needs a certificate to alter from the Neighborhood Conservation District Commission. Townwide, demolishing a building 100 or more years old, in whole or in part, goes to the Historical Commission, which can hold it up to 12 months if it rules the building preferably preserved. More on older-house renovation.
Guide: Historic district renovation on the North Shore: what needs approval and what doesn'tSource : North Andover Code Ch. 70, Demolition Delay
Sewer
Sewer on the north side, septic in Out Country
The 2018 Master Plan says town sewer serves roughly 60 to 70 percent of residents, with treatment at the Greater Lawrence Sanitary District, and the remaining Out Country houses use private septic. Sewer extensions left the lake's watershed almost fully sewered. On a septic lot, an added bedroom or ADU is a Title 5 question first, and the ADU bylaw says so.
Energy code
Stretch code since 2017
North Andover has been a Stretch code town since January 1, 2017, and it is not on the Specialized code list. Additions over 1,000 sq ft of conditioned space, or more than double the existing conditioned area, need a whole-house HERS rating. Finishing a basement or attic without changing the footprint or roofline does not.
Guide: Massachusetts stretch code requirements for additions, ADUs and renovationsSource : North Andover Code Ch. 65, Building Construction (Stretch Energy Code)
ADU rules
In-house ADUs need only a building permit
Since the 2025 Town Meeting, amended in 2026, one ADU per lot is allowed in single-family districts, up to 900 sq ft or half the house's gross floor area, whichever is smaller. An ADU inside the house, or an attached addition that meets the dimensional table, needs only a building permit. A detached unit, a garage or barn conversion, or an ADU on a two-family lot also needs Planning Board Limited Site Plan Review. Neither unit may be a short-term rental. The state law behind it is on our Massachusetts ADU page.
Guide: Massachusetts ADU law (2025): what homeowners can buildSource : North Andover Zoning Art. 8, Part 14, Accessory Dwelling Units
Penney in North Andover
Our work in North Andover
From our own job list: projects in North Andover that are finished, underway or under contract. Client names and addresses stay private.
In North Andover
- CompleteTwo second-floor bathrooms reworked: wall moved, primary shower expanded, vanities relocated
Nearby: Middleton
- CompleteLarge bathroom conversion, a second full bath, cabinetry and built-ins, floors refinished
As of September 2026
What we build here
What we build in North Andover
Primary baths
Second-floor baths like the pair we reworked here, with a wall moved and the vanities relocated, are interior work, so they need no commission certificate even in the Old Center or Machine Shop Village. On a septic lot, a new bath that comes with a new bedroom is a Title 5 question.
Home additions
In the R-4 district north and west of Route 125, lots can be as small as 12,500 sq ft on a tight grid and setbacks fill quickly, so a dormer or second-floor addition is often easier than building out. In Out Country the wetland line and the septic usually decide.
ADUs and in-law suites
An in-house or attached ADU is a building-permit job. Detached units and garage or barn conversions go to Limited Site Plan Review, where the Planning Board prefers no new curb cuts, no front-yard placement and utilities run underground from the main house.
Historic renovation
In the Old Center and Machine Shop Village, the commission certificate comes before the building permit, so we build hearing time into the schedule. Anywhere in town, a full or partial demolition of a house 100 or more years old goes to the Historical Commission first.
Questions
Questions we hear in North Andover
Can I add an in-law apartment or ADU to my North Andover home?
Yes. Since the 2025 Town Meeting, one ADU of up to 900 sq ft, or half the main house's floor area if smaller, is allowed in single-family districts. An ADU inside the house, or an attached addition that meets the dimensional rules, needs only a building permit. A detached unit, a converted garage or barn, or an ADU on a two-family lot also needs Limited Site Plan Review from the Planning Board. Neither the ADU nor the main house can be a short-term rental. The Building Department can confirm current rules.
My house is near Lake Cochichewick. What extra approvals will an addition need?
Much of the land around the lake is in the Watershed Protection District. In the inner buffer zones, an addition or accessory building generally needs a Planning Board special permit, and the innermost Conservation Zone, on lots created after October 1994, bars new structures and larger expansions. If you are on town sewer and the work does not enlarge the footprint or change grades, the Planning Board can waive the special permit, provided you agree to erosion-control inspections by the Town Planner during construction.
Do I need special approval to renovate in the Old Center or Machine Shop Village?
For exterior work, usually yes. In the Old Center Historic District, changes visible from a public way need a certificate from the district commission. In Machine Shop Village, work that needs a building or demolition permit generally needs a certificate to alter from the Neighborhood Conservation District Commission, with some minor items exempt. Interior work is not reviewed in either area.
Is my house on town sewer or septic?
It depends on the street. The 2018 Master Plan puts town sewer at roughly 60 to 70 percent of residents, with most of the rest in Out Country on private septic, and the Lake Cochichewick watershed is almost fully sewered. Confirm for your address with the town before planning added bedrooms or an ADU.
Sources
Facts checked September 30, 2026Job list as of September 2026
- 01North Andover Code Ch. 65, Building Construction (Stretch Energy Code)
- 02North Andover Code Ch. 70, Demolition Delay
- 03North Andover Code Ch. 110, Old Center Historic District
- 04North Andover Code Ch. 125, Machine Shop Village Neighborhood Conservation District
- 05North Andover Zoning, Watershed Protection District (Art. 4, Part 5)
- 06North Andover Zoning Art. 8, Part 14, Accessory Dwelling Units
- 07North Andover 2026 Annual Town Meeting, Article 24 ADU amendment
- 08North Andover Code Ch. 190, Wetlands Protection
- 09North Andover Wetland Protection Regulations Ch. 260
- 10North Andover Master Plan (September 2018)
- 11North Andover Building Department
- 12Wikipedia: NRHP listings in Essex County, Massachusetts
- 13225 CMR 22.00 Stretch and Specialized code, low-rise residential (additions and HERS)
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 North Andover.
We walk it with you, measure, check what the town will require, and talk through design, budget and schedule before anything is drawn.
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(978) 854-5383