Note: The listing of departments and respective age requirements are subject to change and only appear based on the most recent information made available to our office. To verify the accuracy of a particular department’s age requirement, please direct your inquiry to the specific department.
Civil Service Law Chapter 31, section 58, permits cities and towns to ask that residents be placed on entry-level firefighter lists before non-residents. A resident is a person who has lived in the same city or town for the full year before the date of the examination. Cities and towns may opt for other residency requirements. Please check with the specific city or town.
Municipalities in bold italic are under the Federal Consent Decree.
No Upper Age Limit
Abington, Agawam, Amesbury, Athol, Attleboro, Beverly, Brockton, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Chicopee, Clinton, Cohasset, Danvers, Everett, Fairhaven, Fall River, Falmouth, Framingham, Gardner, Greenfield, Hanover, Holyoke, Hopedale, Hull, Lawrence, Lowell, Ludlow, Lynn, Marshfield, Medford, Melrose, Milton, Nahant, Needham, New Bedford, Newburyport, North Adams, North Reading, Peabody, Pittsfield, Quincy, Reading, Revere, Rockland, Salem, Saugus, Scituate, Somerville, Springfield, Stoughton, Tewksbury, Wakefield, Waltham, Whitman, Winthrop, Woburn
Upper Age Limit: 31 years old or younger as of the last date to apply for examination
Arlington, Bedford, Chelmsford, Dracut, Easthampton, Easton, Hingham, Hudson, Ipswich, Malden, Marblehead, Methuen, Milford, Norton, Stoneham, Ware, Watertown, Westfield, Wilmington
Upper Age Limit: 31 years old or younger as of the original examination date
However, if you are a qualified veteran either still in or released from the military, you may add up to a maximum of four years of service time to your age but must have not yet reached your 36th birthday as of the date of the exam.
Andover, Belmont, Billerica, Boston, Bourne, Burlington, Canton, Dedham, Fitchburg, Gloucester, Haverhill, Holbrook, Leominster, Natick, Newton, North Andover, North Attleboro, Norwood, Plymouth, Randolph, Shrewsbury, Taunton, Weymouth, West Springfield ,Winchester, Worcester, Wrentham
No longer under Civil Service
Acushnet, Franklin, Mansfield, Marlborough, Plainville, Swampscott, Wellesley, Westwood
For more information on becoming a fire fighter in cities and town not covered by Civil Service, please contact those fire departments directly or visit Department of Fire Service.