Naugatuck, Connecticut Building Permit Guide

In Naugatuck, the borough’s Building Inspector reviews plans, issues permits and inspects the work, and the borough takes every permit type through OpenGov; state law lets an applicant file in person, by mail or by email in the manner the building official sets, so call 203-720-7035 if you cannot use the portal. The borough code charges $25 for the first $1,000 of work and $12 for each $1,000 after that, and a zoning permit from the Land Use Office comes first for new houses, additions, decks, sheds, pools, fences and signs.

What requires a building permit in Naugatuck?

Naugatuck’s portal quotes the state code’s rule in full: anyone who intends to build, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change the occupancy of a building, move a lot line that affects one, or install or change electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems must apply to the building official and get the permit first. The borough splits the work into separate online applications, and the portal reminds applicants to use the right form for the work being done.

The exemption list carries a warning in capitals that it does not exempt anyone from zoning, and the Land Use Office has its own zoning permit for sheds, pools, decks, fences, signs and additions. Emergency equipment replacement or repairs may go ahead, but the permit application must reach the building official by the next working business day.

What the borough decides and what the state holds

Naugatuck is governed as a borough by the Board of Mayor and Burgesses, and its code sets the local pieces: the permit fee and certificate of occupancy charges in section 7-2, the hours when construction may happen in section 7-6, and a 25-foot building setback along both sides of Rubber Avenue from Meadow Street to Gunntown Road in section 7-1. Zoning, wetlands and sewers are borough functions too. The building code, and the decision whether plans comply with it, belong to the state code and the state-licensed building official.

Naugatuck building department: who handles permitting

The Building Inspector’s office regulates construction, use and occupancy through plan review, permit issuance and site inspections, and also administers the borough’s hazardous-buildings ordinance, under which the inspector can hold a hearing and order a dangerous building repaired or demolished, allowing at least 25 days, with appeals to the Building Code Board of Appeals and then to the Board of Mayor and Burgesses. Bill Herzman is the Building Inspector. The office asks applicants who need help with an application to call and book an appointment, and municipal searches of its records are by appointment only. Zoning, planning and inland wetlands work is handled by the borough’s Land Use Office, whose Town Planner is also the wetlands enforcement officer.

Naugatuck permit types and application documents

The application must be made by the owner or the owner’s authorized agent. It has to describe the work, identify the land by address or legal description, state the intended use and occupancy, include construction documents, state the value of the work at market value, and be signed. A contractor who must be registered as a home improvement contractor has to put the company name, business address and Department of Consumer Protection registration number on the application.

Residential permits

A new house starts with the Land Use Office’s new-construction zoning permit, which needs an A-2 survey; additions, decks, sheds, pools, fences and signs go on the separate zoning permit. The pool permit is not issued until zoning approves it, and the portal gives 203-720-7208 for that call. Re-roofing, siding, window and door jobs have their own permit, which asks for the roofing type, the materials and the venting. An HVAC permit needs the installation instructions, the equipment being installed, a load calculation and copies of every contractor’s license and insurance.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial work uses the same building, trade, sign and demolition applications, plus the fire sprinkler and fire alarm permits that the borough also files under the Building Department. A new commercial building or a commercial addition over 1,000 sq ft needs zoning compliance backed by an A-2 survey. Food businesses deal with the Water Pollution Control Authority’s fats, oils and grease permit, and sewer connections, sewer permits and main extensions are separate WPCA applications in the same portal.

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

What comes before the building permit

State law, quoted on the portal, bars any building permit for work subject to zoning until the zoning officer certifies it complies. Wetlands questions go to the Town Planner, and every land-use application carries a separate $60 state fee. Work in the street needs Engineering’s street opening (right-of-way) permit, Engineering also issues stormwater inspection certifications, and a lot on septic or a private well deals with the Naugatuck Valley Health District, which has served the borough since 1985. In a flood hazard area the building official must judge whether the work is a substantial improvement: if its value, including repair of damage from any cause, reaches 50% of the building’s market value, the whole building must meet the flood rules.

Naugatuck permit costs and fees

Section 7-2 of the borough code sets the building permit fee and the certificate of occupancy charges, last revised by the Board of Mayor and Burgesses in April 2006. Zoning fees come from a separate Land Use schedule revised by the board in 2003 and 2004.

For example, a $20,000 job costs $25 for the first $1,000 plus 19 × $12 ($228), so $253 for the permit. A new house adds the $15 certificate of occupancy and the $300 zoning compliance fee plus the $60 state land-use fee. On the commercial side, zoning compliance for a new building or an addition over 1,000 sq ft is $500, a site plan needing Zoning Commission review $300, a special permit $500 and a letter of zoning compliance $25. The state education fee of 26 cents per $1,000, which state law has building officials assess on every building permit application, comes on top of the borough fee, and the example uses a whole-thousand value.

Trade permits and who may pull them in Naugatuck

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical (HVAC and associated work) permits are their own applications on the portal, and fire sprinkler and fire alarm permits sit in the same Building Department list. Each is filed by the owner or an authorized agent; a contractor acting as agent must follow section 20-338b of the General Statutes, as the portal notes, and list the registration number. Contractors doing electrical, plumbing or heating and cooling work need the matching Department of Consumer Protection license.

The state code exemptions repeated on the portal cover only small items: cord-and-plug decorative lighting, re-installing receptacles, replacing breakers of the same rating, low-voltage work under 25 volts and 50 watts, portable heating, cooking and cooling appliances, minor parts that do not change the equipment’s approval, and clearing stoppages or fixing leaks without replacing or rearranging pipes. Anything larger needs the trade permit.

How to apply for a Naugatuck building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The building official must examine the application within 30 days of filing and issue or deny the permit in that time; if the plans do not comply, the rejection comes in writing with the reasons. Any of the borough’s listed requirements can hold a file: a missing zoning certificate, the wrong permit form, HVAC or roofing details left off, or a contractor’s registration number not on the application. If you need help with the application, the office asks you to call 203-720-7035 to book an appointment rather than drop in, and Town Hall’s Friday hours end at noon, with afternoon visits by appointment only.

Naugatuck inspections and closeout

The Building Inspector carries out on-site inspections of permitted work as part of the borough’s plan review and permit process. To arrange an inspection, contact the office at 203-720-7035 or Building@naugatuck-ct.gov. Work on a pool, an addition or a new house must already have its zoning approval before the building permit, and therefore the inspections, can begin.

A building may not be occupied until a certificate of occupancy is issued. The borough charges $15 for each family unit in a residential building, $25 per unit for business and mercantile space, and $25 or $35 for industrial buildings depending on whether they are over 40,000 sq ft. Demolition permits carry their own conditions: the applicant must have the state insurance certificate (at least $100,000 per person and $300,000 aggregate for bodily injury, $50,000 and $100,000 for property damage), utility disconnection notices and a demolition contractor registration, and must notify adjoining owners by registered or certified mail. An owner may take down his own single-family house or outbuilding of 30 feet or less if he is on site throughout and accepts personal liability.

Connecticut building code

Naugatuck enforces the 2022 Connecticut State Building Code, which built on the 2021 International Codes and covers applications filed from October 1, 2022. The next edition, planned for 2026, has been delayed; when it takes effect, the date the application is filed will set which code applies.

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

Naugatuck building permit FAQ

How much is a building permit in Naugatuck?

$25 for the first $1,000 of work and $12 for each $1,000 after that, under borough code section 7-2. A $20,000 job pays $253.

How do I apply?

Online through the borough’s OpenGov portal at naugatuckct.viewpointcloud.com, choosing the permit type that matches the work. Call 203-720-7035 to book help with the application.

Do I need zoning approval for a shed or fence?

Yes. Even where the building code exempts a shed or fence, the Land Use Office’s zoning permit still applies: $75 for a deck or detached accessory building without an A-2 survey and $25 for a fence, plus the $60 state fee.

When can construction take place?

From 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and Saturdays. No work may start on a Sunday except in an emergency.

Can I demolish my own garage?

An owner may demolish his own single-family house or outbuilding up to 30 feet high, staying on site and accepting personal liability, but still needs the demolition permit, insurance certificate, utility notices and neighbor notices.

Who handles septic systems in Naugatuck?

The Naugatuck Valley Health District, which Naugatuck joined in 1985 and which also serves Ansonia, Derby, Seymour, Shelton and Beacon Falls.

How do I look up old permits?

Municipal searches at the Building Inspector’s office are by appointment only; call 203-720-7035.

Naugatuck permit search and official resources

Applications filed online can be followed in the OpenGov account used to file them. Older building files are searched at the Building Inspector’s office, by appointment only, on the third floor of Town Hall. Board of Mayor and Burgesses agendas and minutes are posted on the borough’s agendas and minutes page. Flood hazard areas, where the 50% substantial-improvement rule applies, are shown on FEMA’s flood maps for the borough, in effect since July 8, 2013.

• Naugatuck Building Inspector
• Naugatuck OpenGov online permit portal
• Naugatuck Code of Ordinances, Chapter 7: buildings and permit fees
• Naugatuck Land Use, Planning and Zoning
• Naugatuck land use application fees
• Naugatuck agendas and minutes
• Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection: licenses and registrations

Simplify Naugatuck 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 Naugatuck permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.