Civil Service Fire Departments

Listing of fire departments covered by civil service and age requirements.

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, Natick, 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, Newton, North Attleboro, Norwood, Plymouth, Randolph, Shrewsbury, Taunton, Weymouth, West Springfield ,Winchester, Worcester, Wrentham

Last updated:	January 26, 2024