Montville, Connecticut Building Permit Guide

Montville’s Building Department, in Room B-4 on the lower level of Town Hall at 310 Norwich-New London Turnpike, Uncasville, issues building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, demolition and change of occupancy permits, and takes applications through the Town’s CitySquared online permit system. Under the fee schedule the Town Council adopted, work on one- and two-family homes costs $12 for each $1,000 of construction value and multifamily and commercial work $15, with a 10% plan review charge where plans are reviewed. Siding, roofing, window and electrical service permits usually issue in one or two days; jobs with plan review take about two to four weeks.

Mark Tebbets is the Building Official, with an assistant building official. The office is open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at 860-848-6782. Zoning and wetlands approvals come from the Land Use and Development Department in Town Hall, and septic and well approvals from the Uncas Health District, the regional health department Montville shares with ten other towns.

Uncasville is Town Hall’s mailing address; neighboring Waterford, East Lyme and Norwich have their own building departments.

What requires a building permit in Montville?

The department’s rule is broad: a permit is needed whenever an owner or agent intends to build, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change the occupancy of a building or structure, or to install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace any electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system, and it applies to one- and two-family homes as much as to other buildings. Its answers to common questions fill in the details.

Even a shed too small for a building permit must meet zoning, wetlands and health rules, and the department asks owners to contact Planning and Zoning and the Health Department before installing a shed of any size. The Town’s exemption page reprints the list in force from October 1, 2018; the 2022 code’s list is the one that now applies.

What the town decides and what the state holds

Chapter 188 of the Town Code adopts the State Building Code, now the 2022 Connecticut State Building Code for applications filed from October 1, 2022, with a delayed 2026 edition to follow by filing date. The Town decides its fees: the Building Official proposes a schedule, the Town Council adopts it by resolution, and it is published and posted at the Town Clerk’s and Building Official’s offices. The current schedule, chapter A410, was last amended by Resolution 2019-77 on October 16, 2019. The Town also bars approval of a building permit while the owner is behind on property taxes or water and sewer charges, unless withholding it would put public health or safety at risk.

Connecticut has one State Building Code: the code itself sets which work needs a permit and which is exempt, every town’s building official is licensed by the State Building Inspector, and there is no county government. Connecticut rules

Montville building department: who handles permitting

The Building Department reviews plans, issues permits, inspects work and issues orders to remove illegal or unsafe conditions. The Land Use and Development Department staffs the Planning and Zoning Commission, the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Inland Wetlands Commission, and its zoning and wetlands officer reviews setbacks and wetland issues. The Uncas Health District permits septic systems and wells and takes addition and renovation applications for houses on septic. The Fire Marshal’s office, also on the lower level of Town Hall, reviews the code for new construction and inspects every occupancy each year except one- and two-family homes.

Permit types

CitySquared handles every permit type. The Town’s how-to guide walks through it: register and confirm by email, choose Town of Montville, look up the property and click apply for permit, choose the Building department and the permit type (or Other), describe the work, enter the construction value, tick residential or commercial, then choose the type of work, construction type and occupancy. For an ordinary wood-frame house the construction type is VB. The value is materials plus labor, and the department may adjust it.

Residential permits

Home permits cover new houses, additions, alterations, accessory structures and the trade work inside them. A pool, for example, needs a building permit and an electrical permit, the installer’s license number and insurance certificate or a homeowner’s affidavit, the pool details, the fence or ladder enclosure details with a barrier affidavit, and a site plan showing distances to property lines, septic system, well and underground utilities. The zoning agent reviews and approves the pool application, an in-ground pool needs engineered drawings, and a deck that gives access to the pool needs its own building permit with structural drawings. A generator needs the electrical-generator permit with the manufacturer’s installation data, and a service change needs the CRS number from Eversource on the application.

Building or remodeling a home here? Alliance handles residential permit applications, so the crew isn't waiting on the counter.

Commercial permits

Multifamily and commercial permits are charged $15 per $1,000 with a $50 minimum, and a commercial certificate of occupancy is $100. The Fire Marshal’s office does code review for new construction and inspects every occupancy other than one- and two-family homes each year. A change of occupancy, a moved building and a demolition each need their own permit.

For tenant improvements and new commercial builds, Alliance handles commercial building permits through issuance. More on this: commercial building permits explained.

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning and wetlands: Planning and Zoning reviews setbacks and the zoning and wetlands rules; the Planning and Zoning Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals and Inland Wetlands Commission hear the cases that need a board.
• Septic and wells: the Uncas Health District checks the location of a pool, addition or shed against the septic system and well, using its addition and renovation application.
• Property taxes: taxes and water and sewer charges must be current.
• Licensed contractor’s agent: someone signing for a licensed contractor brings an original, signed letter on the contractor’s letterhead naming the town, the job, the start date and every contractor’s license number.

Montville permit costs and fees

Chapter A410 of the Town Code, as amended by Resolution 2019-77, sets the building fees, and the department’s fee page reprints it. Trade permits pay the same rate as building permits but no certificate of occupancy fee. The schedule does not list the state education fee that state law adds to building permits.

Worked example. A $25,000 addition to a house is 25 × $12 = $300, plus the $30 certificate of occupancy fee. If its plans go through plan review, 10% of the permit fee, $30, is added, for $360 before the state education fee (26 cents per $1,000, or $6.50).

Refunds follow a set scale: if nothing has been done, everything less a $30 administrative fee comes back; after plan review but before the permit issues, the plan review fee is kept as well; once the permit has issued, 75% is refunded; once an inspection has been made, nothing is. Town-owned property is exempt from fees, and the Town Council may waive fees for a nonprofit or tax-exempt organization on written request.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits are filed on CitySquared and charged at $12 per $1,000 on one- and two-family homes, with a $30 minimum, or $15 per $1,000 on multifamily and commercial buildings. For an electrical service change, a licensed electrician needs Eversource’s permit to cut and reconnect the service, or Eversource does that work; the Town permit application needs the CRS number from Eversource, and the inspection follows the work.

The department’s answer on owners cites section 20-340(11) of the state statutes, which exempts owners doing electrical, plumbing, sprinkler, solar, heating, piping, cooling and sheet metal work in and about a single-family home they own and occupy. Trade licenses and contractor registrations are issued by the Department of Consumer Protection.

How to apply for a Montville building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The department says siding, roofing, window and electrical service permits generally issue within one or two days, while applications that need plan review take about two to four weeks; state law gives it 30 days from the application date to approve or reject. Delays come from missing zoning, wetlands or health approvals, an agent letter that is a copy rather than an original, a construction value the department must adjust, and unpaid taxes or water and sewer charges, which stop approval altogether. A permit lapses if work does not start within 180 days of issue or stops for 180 days; the building official can grant written extensions of up to 180 days each for good cause shown in writing.

Inspections in Montville

The Building Department inspects each stage the permit requires; when work is complete, the permit holder schedules the final inspection with the department. Re-inspections after the first are charged: $20 for residential work, $25 for a residential certificate of occupancy re-inspection and $50 for commercial work.

A certificate of occupancy needs more than the building inspection. Every department that approved the work, such as Planning and Zoning, the Uncas Health District, Public Works and the Water Pollution Control Authority, must also sign off, and it is the owner’s job to contact each one and schedule its inspection.

Montville permit search and official resources

Montville splits its permit history by date. For a single-family home, files from before 2020 are in the Building Department’s Document Portal, reached from the department’s page after accepting its terms of use, and permits from 2020 on are found through the Online Building Permits system; the Town posts a how-to for each. Montville takes part in the National Flood Insurance Program, with FEMA flood maps dated August 5, 2013 for the town.

• Montville Building Department
• Montville online building permits
• Montville how-to for CitySquared applications
• Montville building permit fees
• Code of the Town of Montville (chapters 188 and A410)
• Montville Building Department FAQ
• Montville pool permit requirements
• Montville licensed contractor and agent authorization form
• Montville permit history before 2020: how to search
• Montville permit history from 2020: how to search
• Montville Land Use and Development Department
• Uncas Health District in Montville
• Montville Fire Marshal
• FEMA Community Status Book for Connecticut
• Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection: licenses and registrations

Montville building permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in Montville?

The Building Department at Town Hall, Room B-4, 310 Norwich-New London Turnpike, Uncasville; call 860-848-6782.

How much is a building permit in Montville?

$12 per $1,000 of value for one- and two-family work ($30 minimum for alterations and trades), $15 per $1,000 for multifamily and commercial, plus 10% where plans are reviewed and a certificate of occupancy fee.

Do I need a permit for an 8 by 10 shed?

No building permit, since only sheds over 200 sq ft need one, but check with Planning and Zoning and the Health Department first.

Does an inflatable pool need a permit?

Yes, if it can hold water 24 inches deep or more.

Can I do the work on my own house?

Yes, on a single-family home you own and live in, under the state exemption the Town cites, with inspections by the building official.

How long does a permit take?

One or two days for siding, roofing, windows and electrical services; about two to four weeks where plan review is needed.

Simplify Montville permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Connecticut. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Montville permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.