Home › Massachusetts › Tewksbury
Foundation Repair and Basement Waterproofing in Tewksbury, MA
Tewksbury's sewer rules name basement sump pump water outright, and the town runs sump pump tie-in investigations to find pumps connected to the sewer. Call (978) 800-2819 or use the form. A person reads every request and replies with what happens next.
- Free for homeowners
- Town and state rules on this page
- Shawsheen River to River Road
Ask About Basement Service in Your Area
Tell us about the basement and what the water is doing. A person reads it and replies with what happens next.
Please add your name, a 10-digit phone number and a valid email.
Your request didn't go through on our end. Please call (978) 800-2819 so it isn't lost.
Too many requests have come from this connection in a short time. Please call (978) 800-2819 and we'll take it from there.
We couldn't finish the spam check. Wait a moment and send it again, or call (978) 800-2819.
Basements in Tewksbury
What's the basement doing?
Waterproofing & Drainage
Wet walls, seepage at the floor joint and spring water in the basement, handled with interior drains, exterior work or both.
Sump Pumps
New pits, replacement pumps and battery backups, with the discharge going somewhere your town allows.
Foundation Cracks & Repair
Leaking cracks, bowing or settling walls and failing mortar in old fieldstone, with an engineer brought in when the job is structural.
Crawl Spaces & Finishing
Damp crawl spaces sealed up, and dry basements turned into finished space with the right permits.
Not sure what it needs?
(978) 800-2819Tell us where the water comes in and where the sump drains today, and we'll help you work out the job.
Permits
Permits and rules for basement work in Tewksbury
The Tewksbury Building Department is on the lower level of Town Hall, 1009 Main Street. Building, electrical, plumbing, gas and sheet metal permits are filed through ViewPoint Cloud, with kiosks at Town Hall (Building Permits). The department's FAQ says a residential building permit is usually required for renovations, repairs and additions, that ordinary repairs such as painting are exempt, and that replacing windows needs a permit as an energy conservation matter under the state code. The permit holder schedules inspections, and a permit can't be closed out without a final inspection (Building FAQ).
- Building Department
- Town Hall, 1009 Main Street (lower level); 978-640-4430
- Apply
- ViewPoint Cloud, or kiosks at Town Hall
- Inspections
- Booked by phone, 978-640-4430 or 978-640-4435
- Posted alteration fee
- Minimum $30 plus $10 per $1,000 of valuation (schedule effective February 19, 2011)
- Work without a permit
- Double fee (same schedule)
- Homeowner permits
- Building only, with a Homeowners Affidavit; not electrical, plumbing or gas
- Before site work
- Contact the Conservation Department
An old fee schedule. The fee PDF the town posts is marked effective February 19, 2011. It lists residential alterations and renovations at a minimum of $30 plus $10 per $1,000 of valuation, a $25 reinspection, and double fees for work without a permit (Permit Fees). Given its age, confirm the current amount with the department.
Doing it yourself, or not. Owners of one- and two-family homes may pull their own building permit with a Homeowners Affidavit, but not electrical, plumbing or gas permits, and the town notes homeowner-pulled permits lose Guaranty Fund protection (Building FAQ). Inspections are booked by phone, not email or voicemail (Building Department directory), and the department advises calling the Conservation Department before any site work (Building Department).
State rules that apply. Under the state code, substantially cutting away a wall or removing a beam or load-bearing support always needs a permit (780 CMR R105); a habitable basement room needs a ceiling of at least 6 feet 8 inches, and every story, the basement included, needs photoelectric smoke alarms and a carbon monoxide alarm (780 CMR chapter 3). Contractors on owner-occupied homes of one to four units generally have to register as Home Improvement Contractors (check the Contractor Hub), and a licensed construction supervisor or registered design professional oversees work on one- and two-family homes (construction supervisor rules). Any job over $1,000 needs a written contract (M.G.L. c.142A §2). State code doesn't list foundation repair as engineer work, but the building official can ask for more construction documents, and in a flood hazard area they must be sealed by a registered design professional (R107.1 and R322.1), which matters along the Shawsheen. Exterior excavation needs a Dig Safe notice at least 72 hours ahead, excluding weekends and holidays (M.G.L. c.82 §40A).
Last verified November 2026. Fees, restrictions and deadlines on this page are due for re-checking by May 2027. New England Basement Pros is a referral service. We don't pull permits or do basement work; the contractor files the permit.
Water
Where the water comes from in Tewksbury
Sewer rules that name the sump. Tewksbury's Rules and Regulations Governing the Use of Sewers, effective March 1, 2013, bar connecting roof downspouts or exterior and interior foundation drains to a lateral that reaches the public sewer, list footing drains, roof leaders, cellar drains and sump pumps as prohibited inflow connections, and require the Superintendent's approval to discharge sump pump water from a basement into any sanitary sewer. Existing inflow sources must be disconnected in a way the Superintendent approves, reconnecting one is a willful violation, and owners with excessive inflow and infiltration must submit a plan to remove it. Laterals are installed only by licensed drain layers (sewer regulations).
The town is looking. The Sewer Inflow and Infiltration Removal Program says sump pump and foundation drain connections are prohibited under the town's bylaw and raise treatment costs. The town has inspected 27,000 linear feet of sewer pipe using smoke testing, video inspection, flow metering and sump pump tie-in investigations (I/I Removal Program). We didn't find a town rule on whether a sump may discharge to a street drain, so ask the DPW where yours should go.
Floodplain and repeat losses. The 2016 Master Plan, adopted June 20, 2016, counts 1,617 acres of FEMA floodplain in town, says substantial development sits in the floodplain, especially along the Shawsheen River, and lists eight repetitive flood loss structures along the Shawsheen and 24 National Flood Insurance Program claims paid as of May 2013. It says south and east Tewksbury have seen substantial flooding and septic failures, and that River Road sustained considerable damage in the March 2010 floods (2016 Master Plan).
Shawsheen River
All eight repetitive flood loss structures in the 2016 plan sit along it. Shawsheen and Mohawk Streets, and Shawsheen Street near Main, are on its drainage list.
East Street and Strong Water Brook
Listed for recurring flooding or drainage problems near the brook.
River Road
Lined with some of the town's oldest houses, and named in the plan for considerable damage in the March 2010 floods.
Bridge, Pinnacle, Pond and more
Bridge and South Streets, Pinnacle Street, Brown Street at Whipple Road, Pond Street and Bonnie Lane round out the plan's list.
The town's flood maps are dated June 4, 2010, according to the Master Plan; look up your address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center. FEMA flood insurance covers a basement's furnace, water heater, sump pump and foundation elements but not finished walls, floors or most belongings (FEMA).
A wet town. Wetlands cover more than 20% of Tewksbury, the plan says. The local wetland bylaw posted as the 2024 update sets a 25-foot No Disturb Zone, where grading, filling and clearing are prohibited, and a 50-foot No Build Zone, with a 100-foot buffer from most wetlands and 200 feet from vernal pools (wetland bylaw; wetland regulations). Exterior drainage near a wetland needs the Conservation Department's sign-off first.
Tewksbury's homes
Mostly mid-century, with an older core
Tewksbury's 2003 Master Plan found more than half of the town's housing was built between 1950 and 1970 (2003 Master Plan, housing). A 2006 amendment counts more than 900 houses built before 1939, about 9% of the stock (Master Plan Amendment 2).
The 2016 Master Plan places most of the oldest homes in the northwest, west and center of town, with 18th- and 19th-century houses along River Road, Main Street and East Street (2016 Master Plan). Two of those roads also appear on the plan's flood and drainage lists. We didn't find a local historic district review for exterior work. Pre-1978 homes need a licensed lead-safe renovation contractor when painted surfaces will be disturbed (lead-safe renovation).
Radon
Radon testing in Tewksbury
The state's radon dashboard didn't give us a Tewksbury figure. Middlesex is one of the three Massachusetts counties, with Essex and Worcester, where new one- and two-family homes must have a passive radon mitigation system, and the state publishes town-level test results on its residential radon tracking page. The state health department's guidance, checked November 2026, is to test at the lowest livable level between November 1 and March 31; it strongly recommends mitigation at 4.0 pCi/L and says to consider it from 2.0 to 4.0 (testing your home for radon).
FAQ
Tewksbury basement questions
Can my sump pump discharge into the sewer in Tewksbury?
Not without the Superintendent's approval. The sewer regulations, effective March 1, 2013, list sump pumps, cellar drains, footing drains and roof leaders as inflow connections, require existing ones to be disconnected in a way the Superintendent approves, and make reconnecting one a willful violation.
Does the town check for sump pump connections?
Yes. Tewksbury's Inflow and Infiltration Removal Program has inspected 27,000 linear feet of sewer pipe using smoke testing, video inspection, flow metering and sump pump tie-in investigations.
Which Tewksbury streets have drainage problems?
The 2016 Master Plan lists recurring flooding or drainage problems at Bridge and South Streets, Shawsheen and Mohawk Streets, East Street near Strong Water Brook, Pinnacle Street, Shawsheen Street near Main Street, Brown Street at Whipple Road, Pond Street and Bonnie Lane.
Can I pull my own building permit for basement work?
Owners of one- and two-family homes can pull their own building permit with a Homeowners Affidavit, but not electrical or plumbing and gas permits, and homeowner-pulled permits lose the protection of the state Guaranty Fund.
What does it cost me to use New England Basement Pros?
Nothing. Asking is free for homeowners; the contractor prices the job, and the price and contract are between you and them.
Nearby