Is there a commonly accepted definition of a closet? Minimum dimensions?

It is the second largest bedroom and we plan to get an ikea wardrobe. It will be attached to the wall and included in the sale.

House is located in Burlington MA

The town code doesn't matter. As a buyer it's not a bedroom without a closet. Full stop.

I would get a new agent.

Just one person here with only two ownership experiences but with the sale and purchase of both our condo (Boston metro) and after that our current house (north shore town) we were told that bedrooms required a closet to be listed as bedrooms. Town water/sewer in both. I think the closet “rule” is ridiculous!

Can you link me to any MA town with this ordinance?

At least a septic design doesn’t constrain the number of bathrooms you have in a house, /s

We have septic and having come from a house with sewer I miss it the most. I like the idea of crap leaving the area vs. sitting in my back yard.

What really sucks is shoveling off a hockey rink and then having an ice fisherman chop holes in the middle of it.

It’s town by town. You’d need to look at relevant ordinances

Can you link me to a source so I can verify this?

in most towns in MA a bedroom is only a bedroom if it has a closet.

It’s New England. Too many houses don’t have closets for it to be a thing. Sounds like your agent came from Florida or Texas lol.

Lived in a 1600 house on the North Shore, 4 bdrms ,all had closets and fireplaces ! Lol .

Another architect here. I recently searched the entire code (in MA, a few specific towns, and a few other states) for this exact “closet” requirement and it doesn’t exist anywhere that I’ve checked. I’d be curious to see a code where it did. When you’re designing small spaces, it makes so much more sense to just use millwork or furniture instead of framed closets with studs.

I regularly design and permit homes with bedrooms that have no closets. The top comment has most of the code requirements, I’ll add that the space must also be 7’ minimum in each direction and the heat must be permanently installed.

Architect here. International Residential Code does not require a closet. Neither does MA amendments to the IRC. If you want to give me your exact town I can look up if there are further municipal codes, but as others have stated I’ve never heard of this requirement

Engineer here, I’ve never heard of that requirement. Ask the agent to cite where that is coming from…it might be local requirement.

Definition of a Bedroom BEDROOM - A room providing privacy intended primarily for sleeping, and consisting of all of the following: a. floor space of no less than 70 square feet; b. for new construction, a ceiling height of no less than seven (7) feet three (3) inches; c. for existing houses, a ceiling height of no less than seven (7) feet; d. the required ceiling height, as defined in (b.) and (c.) above, cover at least fifty percent (50%) of the required floor area, and that, for sloped ceilings, no part of the required floor area shall have less than five (5) feet in ceiling height; e. an electrical service and ventilation; and f. a window which has a net clear opening of 3.3 square feet (0.307 m 2) and the minimum net clear opening shall be 20”x 24” in either direction. Bedrooms shall not open directly into garages. Bonus rooms shall be considered bed- rooms. Sill height for bedroom windows shall not exceed 44”.

Prem is a GEM!!

I live in a 100 plus year home in Boston and closets were not in every bedroom, and these are indeed bedrooms. A real bedroom is like obscenity, you know it when you see it. A closet doesn’t make a mud room a bedroom.

I love Windsor mostly because I get bangin' vegetarian samosas there from the Sangar General Store every chance I get.

Also why as a buyer it can be important to check public record for bedrooms and square footage and not just go off the listing, which is often exaggerated.

Good point. Is the room with no closet big enough for a freestanding wardrobe? What about putting in one of the ones from IKEA and making it look built-in?

Speak to another agent

I think this is less about the "regulations" and more about "common practice." If I saw a listing for a 3bed 2bath, I would expect three closets. Buyers value transparency. I'd be annoyed if I showed up expecting three bedrooms and got 2 bedrooms and an office.