The Matanuska-Susitna Borough has not adopted a borough-wide residential building code, so it issues no building permit for a home. Its Permit Center handles driveway, floodplain, right-of-way and land-use permits; commercial and multi-family plans are reviewed by the Borough’s Fire and Life Safety Division (Central Mat-Su Fire Department, 907-861-8383) in the Central Mat-Su Fire Service Area, the City of Palmer inside Palmer, and the State Fire Marshal elsewhere; and the State of Alaska contractor licence applies throughout.
What matters in the Mat-Su is filing the right things. Because there is no borough building code, a home proceeds without a borough building permit and without borough building inspection — but a new driveway onto a Borough road needs a driveway permit, a parcel in a mapped floodplain needs a floodplain development permit, and work in a right-of-way needs its own permit. Zoning and land-use rules can still apply. And though enforcement is light, permafrost, seismic loads and cold-climate detailing are real, and lenders often require code-standard construction as a condition of financing.
This guide covers the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, including the area around Wasilla and Palmer. The City of Palmer is different: it is a State Fire Marshal deferred jurisdiction and inspects building work inside its limits (Community Development, 907-745-3709). Wasilla issues land use permits through its Planning Department. Confirm the exact jurisdiction and any city rules for the parcel before proceeding.
No borough building permit — but not nothing. Because the Borough has not adopted a residential building code, a home is built without a borough building permit; the work that still requires a permit is the driveway or access onto a Borough road, development in a mapped floodplain, building within 75 feet of a waterbody, and any commercial project, which needs fire and life-safety plan review.
What requires a building permit in Matanuska-Susitna Borough?
In Matanuska-Susitna Borough, the first question is whether a local building code is enforced at all, and then the Borough has not adopted a building code, so a home needs no borough building permit — but driveway, floodplain and land-use permits, and the statewide requirements, still apply.
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- A State of Alaska contractor licence for the work, with the residential endorsement for new homes
- A Borough driveway, right-of-way or floodplain permit where the project involves new access or a mapped floodplain
- A State of Alaska general or specialty contractor licence from the Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing
- The residential endorsement — with its exam and cold-climate construction course — for building a home of one to four units or altering one by more than 25 percent of its value
- State Fire Marshal review for commercial buildings, residential buildings of four or more units and fuel tank installations, except where a deferred jurisdiction runs its own review
- Coordination with the Department of Environmental Conservation for water and wastewater outside a utility service area
Often exempt
- A borough building permit for a single-family home, duplex or triplex — the Borough has not adopted a residential building code
- The state building code for residential buildings of three units or fewer — single-family homes, duplexes and triplexes fall outside it
- A local building permit in a borough or unincorporated area that has not adopted a building code
Whether a local building code is enforced where you are building
In the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, the Borough has not adopted the International Residential Code, so it issues no building permit for a single-family home, duplex or triplex and runs no building inspection of one. What the Borough's Permit Center does issue are the permits tied to land and access: driveway and right-of-way construction permits, floodplain development permits, mandatory land use permits within 75 feet of a waterbody, encroachment permits and earth-material extraction permits. Commercial and multi-family plans go to the Borough’s Fire and Life Safety Division (Central Mat-Su Fire Department, 907-861-8383) in the Central Mat-Su Fire Service Area, the City of Palmer inside Palmer, and the State Fire Marshal elsewhere, and the statewide contractor licence applies to everyone. So the real task here is knowing what to file rather than how to get a building permit that does not exist.
Alaska's state codes exempt homes of three units or fewer, so residential permits exist only where a city or borough has adopted a code. Contractor licensing applies statewide, and the Fire Marshal reviews larger buildings outside deferred jurisdictions. Alaska rules
Who handles permitting in Matanuska-Susitna Borough?
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough is served by the Permit Center at 350 East Dahlia Avenue, Palmer, which issues driveway, right-of-way, floodplain, encroachment and land-use permits. It does not issue building permits for homes, because the Borough has not adopted a residential building code. Commercial and multi-family plan review in the Central Mat-Su Fire Service Area is done by the Borough’s Fire and Life Safety Division as a deferred jurisdiction; elsewhere in the Borough it is the State Fire Marshal’s, and inside Palmer the City’s.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Authority | Matanuska-Susitna Borough Development Services (Permit Center) |
| Office | 350 East Dahlia Avenue, Palmer, AK 99645 |
| Phone | (907) 861-7822, permitcenter@matsugov.us; Borough offices Monday–Friday 8:00am–5:00pm |
| Borough building code | None adopted — no borough building permit for a home |
| Permits issued | Driveway, right-of-way, floodplain, encroachment and land-use permits, including a mandatory land use permit within 75 feet of a waterbody |
Permit types
Residential permits
A single-family home, duplex or triplex is built in the Borough without a borough building permit, because no residential building code has been adopted. The State of Alaska contractor licence and its residential endorsement still apply, a new driveway onto a Borough road needs a driveway permit, and a mapped floodplain triggers a floodplain development permit.
Commercial permits
Commercial and multi-family projects need fire and life-safety plan review under the state codes: by the Borough’s Fire and Life Safety Division in the Central Mat-Su Fire Service Area, which the State Fire Marshal has deferred to it; by the City of Palmer inside Palmer; and by the State Fire Marshal elsewhere. Borough land-use, driveway and floodplain permits still apply, and electrical and plumbing are done under state specialty licences.
The State Fire Marshal review and the trades
In the Matanuska-Susitna Borough the electrical and plumbing work is inspected under the state specialty programs, since the Borough runs no building inspection.
Alaska licenses contractors at state level. A general contractor building homes needs the residential endorsement, which requires an exam and a cold-climate construction course. Alaska rules
Matanuska-Susitna Borough permit costs and fees
Because the Borough issues no building permit, there is no borough building-permit fee for a home. The costs that do arise are the specific Borough permits that apply and the statewide contractor licence.
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Call 1-855-478-4290 →| Item | Fee or rule |
|---|---|
| Building permit | None — the Borough has not adopted a building code |
| Driveway / right-of-way | A Borough driveway or right-of-way permit for new access onto a Borough road |
| Floodplain | A floodplain development permit where the parcel lies in a mapped floodplain |
| Contractor licence | A State of Alaska licence with the residential endorsement for new homes |
Budget the permits that exist, not one that doesn't. Because there is no borough building permit here, the schedule and budget turn on the driveway, floodplain and land-use permits that do apply, plus the state contractor licence — not on a building-permit review that the Borough does not run.
Trade permits and who may pull them
Permit required
- General contracting — under a State of Alaska general contractor licence, with the residential endorsement and its cold-climate course for new homes
- Electrical — by an electrical contractor with a state-licensed electrical administrator and electricians holding state certificates of fitness, to the 2020 National Electrical Code
- Mechanical and plumbing — by a mechanical contractor with a state-licensed mechanical administrator and plumbers holding state certificates of fitness, to the 2018 Uniform Plumbing Code in communities of 2,500 or more
- Water and wastewater — coordinated with the Department of Environmental Conservation outside a utility service area
Typically exempt
- The state building code for a single-family home, duplex or triplex — residential of three units or fewer is outside the state code
- A local building permit where the borough or area has not adopted a building code
Electrical and mechanical contractors need a state-licensed administrator, and electricians and plumbers need a state certificate of fitness. Alaska rules
Rather not deal with the Matanuska-Susitna Borough building department?
Get a free quote →How to apply for a Matanuska-Susitna Borough building permit
Anchorage and the City and Borough of Juneau enforce residential codes; the Matanuska-Susitna and Fairbanks North Star boroughs do not, although cities inside them such as Palmer, Fairbanks and North Pole do; much of the unorganized borough has no building department.
City, borough, city-borough, service area or unorganized area — and whether the parcel sits in a building-safety service area, a floodplain, a fire-service area or a deferred jurisdiction for Fire Marshal plan review.
A general or specialty licence; a general contractor building homes also needs the residential endorsement and its cold-climate course.
Its review applies to commercial buildings, residential buildings of four or more units and fuel tank installations, except in a deferred jurisdiction that runs its own review.
A building permit where a local code is enforced; otherwise the zoning, driveway, floodplain or other permits the jurisdiction does require.
State-licensed electrical and plumbing, the Department of Environmental Conservation for rural water and wastewater, then inspections and any certificate of occupancy.
Review, corrections and what actually causes delay
The Mat-Su delays that recur are filing-the-wrong-thing delays: waiting on a building permit that the Borough does not issue, or overlooking the driveway or floodplain permit that it does. Confirming there is no borough building code, filing the access and floodplain permits that apply, and holding the state contractor licence keep the project moving.
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Get a free quote →Inspections in Matanuska-Susitna Borough
Where a local building code is enforced, inspections follow the adopted edition — footings below the frost line, foundation, framing, rough trades, insulation and final — requested from the local department against the permit number, with seismic and permafrost detailing carrying real weight. Where no local building code applies, there may be no building inspection at all, though the State Fire Marshal inspects commercial and multi-family work and the trades are inspected under their state programs. A certificate of occupancy closes the file in a jurisdiction that issues one. In the Matanuska-Susitna Borough there is no borough building inspection of a home, because no building code has been adopted. Commercial and multi-family work is inspected by the reviewing fire authority (the Borough’s Fire and Life Safety Division in the Central Mat-Su Fire Service Area, otherwise the State Fire Marshal), and electrical and plumbing are inspected under their state programs.
Matanuska-Susitna Borough permit search and official resources
- Matanuska-Susitna Borough — Development Services, the Permit Center and the driveway, floodplain and land-use permits
- Alaska State Fire Marshal — commercial and multi-family plan review, which applies where the Borough does not review buildings
- Alaska contractor licensing (DCCED) — the Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing, the general and specialty contractor licence and the residential endorsement
- Alaska State Fire Marshal (Division of Fire and Life Safety) — the adopted state codes and plan review for commercial and multi-family occupancies
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a building permit to build a house in the Mat-Su?
No. The Matanuska-Susitna Borough has not adopted a residential building code, so it issues no building permit for a single-family home, duplex or triplex and runs no building inspection of one. Other permits and the statewide contractor licence still apply.
Then what do I actually need?
A State of Alaska contractor licence, with the residential endorsement for a general contractor building a new home; a Borough driveway or right-of-way permit for new access; a floodplain development permit in a mapped floodplain; a mandatory land use permit within 75 feet of a waterbody; and, for commercial work, fire and life-safety plan review.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →What does the Borough Permit Center handle?
Driveway and right-of-way construction, floodplain development, encroachment, earth-material extraction and conditional land-use permits. It does not handle building permits.
Do Wasilla and Palmer require building permits?
Palmer does: the City of Palmer is a State Fire Marshal deferred jurisdiction and inspects building work inside its limits (Community Development, 907-745-3709). Wasilla issues land use permits through its Planning Department (907-373-9020) for new buildings, additions and added dwelling units. Confirm the rules for the parcel with the city before proceeding.
Is my project subject to the State Fire Marshal?
Commercial buildings, residential buildings of four or more units and fuel tank projects need fire and life-safety plan review — by the Borough’s Fire and Life Safety Division in the Central Mat-Su Fire Service Area (907-861-8383), by the City of Palmer inside Palmer, and by the State Fire Marshal elsewhere. A single-family home is not, though it still needs the state contractor licence and any Borough land-use permits.
Should I still build to code?
It is strongly advisable. Permafrost, seismic loads and cold-climate detailing are real regardless of enforcement, and lenders often require code-standard construction as a condition of financing.
Simplify Matanuska-Susitna Borough permitting with Alliance Permitting
21+ years of working real jurisdictions is what tells you that the Mat-Su is not a no-rules zone — it is a no-building-code zone with a specific set of permits that still apply. Our team confirms there is no borough building permit to chase, files the driveway, floodplain and land-use permits that do apply, holds the state contractor licence, routes commercial work to the right fire plan reviewer, and keeps the project clean from scope to close.
Ready to break ground in Matanuska-Susitna Borough sooner?
Send us the scope and the parcel. We confirm the review path with the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Development Services department, assemble the submittal, file it, and track it through issuance — corrections included.
More Alaska permitting guides
More Alaska permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Matanuska-Susitna Borough permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.