Massachusetts Board of Health Title 5 Submission: The Complete Process by Town

By The Complos Team. Last reviewed 2026-05-14.

TL;DR. Every Title 5 inspection report in Massachusetts must be filed with the Local Board of Health (LBOH) within 30 days of the inspection. There is no single statewide portal — each of the 351 cities and towns accepts reports differently: email, a portal (ViewPoint Cloud, OpenGov, Accela), or paper. This guide explains the submission process, the acknowledgement timeline, common rejection reasons, and what to do when a BOH stalls.

This pillar guide is the index for everything about Title 5 submission to MA Boards of Health. The state-floor rules live in the MA Title 5 inspection complete guide; this guide focuses on what happens after you've completed the inspection and finalized the report.

The four submission methods

Every MA town's BOH accepts Title 5 reports through exactly one of these mechanisms:

Method	Description	Typical towns
Email	A published BOH inbox (health@, boh@, etc.) receives the PDF	Most cities, many Cape Cod towns
Portal	ViewPoint Cloud, OpenGov Citizen Services, Accela	Plymouth, Brewster, growing list
Paper / walk-in	Drop off, mail, or fax	Long tail of small towns
Unknown	No published method — call to confirm	~64% of MA towns per the 2026-05 scrape

Use the MA BOH submission lookup tool to check any town's current method.

What the BOH actually wants

The deliverable is the MassDEP Subsurface Sewage Disposal System Inspection Form (310 CMR 15.301), filled out completely. The most common omissions that cause rejection:

1. Missing inspector attestation per 310 CMR 15.302 — see the inspector attestation guide
2. D-box static-liquid level not reported — see the d-box guide
3. Effluent breakout location not described in narrative — see the effluent breakout guide
4. Watershed compliance notice missing for properties in Nitrogen-Sensitive Areas — see the watershed notice explainer
5. Wrong PDF binary format — see the PDF binary format requirements

For the full rejection list, see the top 10 BOH rejection reasons.

The acknowledgement timeline

The BOH is supposed to acknowledge receipt — but how long they take varies wildly. See the BOH acknowledgement timeline guide for the typical ranges by town size and submission method.

For property transactions: do NOT close based on "we filed" alone — get the written acknowledgement, because the buyer's attorney will demand it.

Submission-by-town deep dives

The major metro and Cape Cod towns each have specific quirks. Pick the town you're filing into:

Cape Cod + South Shore:

• Barnstable — seven villages under one BOH
• Falmouth — verified [email protected] inbox
• Plymouth — OpenGov Citizen Services portal
• Marshfield

Metro Boston:

• Boston
• Cambridge
• Newton
• Quincy

Central + Western MA:

• Worcester
• Springfield

Portal-based towns:

• Electronic submission portals

When a BOH stalls or rejects

For acknowledgement stalls: see the BOH acknowledgement timeline guide for the polite-escalation pattern.

For rejections: follow the revisions and resubmissions guide. The cycle is usually 1-2 rounds for any structural issue; if a BOH rejects on a substantive interpretation you disagree with, the appeals process guide walks through the formal appeal under M.G.L. c. 30A.

How Complos helps

Complos maintains a live directory of every MA Board of Health's current submission method, contact, portal URL, and notes — the 351-town tracker is updated whenever a BOH agent replies with a correction. The inspection wizard pre-validates every common rejection cause before you finalize the PDF. Look up your town's BOH submission method free, no signup.

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Frequently asked questions

How long do I have to file a Title 5 with the BOH?

Within 30 days of the inspection date per 310 CMR 15.301(2). Filing late doesn't void the inspection but can complicate property-sale timing — most attorneys want the acknowledgement before close.

Does the BOH need the original signed PDF or is a scan OK?

Every MA town accepts a digital PDF; that's the de facto standard since ~2020. The signature must be a real signature (typed-only is generally rejected), but a scanned signature or an e-signature block embedded in the PDF qualifies.

Can I file the same Title 5 with two adjacent towns?

No — the BOH that has jurisdiction is the one where the property is located. If you're not sure (e.g., a parcel that straddles town lines), call the local assessor's office to confirm the legal town of record.

How do I appeal a BOH rejection?

File a written request for reconsideration with the BOH first; if denied, you can appeal under M.G.L. c. 30A within 30 days. See the appeals process guide for the procedural detail.