Hancock County, Maine Building Permit Guide

No one gets a building permit from Hancock County. In Ellsworth and 35 of the 36 towns, the municipal code enforcement officer and local plumbing inspector issue permits, and Ellsworth, Bar Harbor and Bucksport, the three with more than 4,000 residents, must enforce the state building code. In Osborn and the unorganized townships, from T3 ND to Fletchers Landing and the outer islands, a new house or camp needs a building permit from the state Land Use Planning Commission (LUPC), from $200 for a dwelling footprint under 1,000 sq ft.

Who issues building permits in Hancock County?

The county’s offices at 50 State Street, Ellsworth (207-667-9542) run the registry of deeds, probate, the sheriff, emergency management, the regional 911 center and the county airport (BHB), but no permit office. Permits come from three kinds of authority, depending on where the parcel is.

1. Ellsworth, Bar Harbor and Bucksport. With more than 4,000 residents each in the 2020 Census, the count the state’s MUBEC rule uses, these three must enforce the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code (MUBEC), and each runs its own code office:

2. The other 33 towns. Amherst, Aurora, Blue Hill, Brooklin, Brooksville, Castine, Cranberry Isles, Dedham, Deer Isle, Eastbrook, Franklin, Frenchboro, Gouldsboro, Great Pond, Hancock, Lamoine, Mariaville, Mount Desert, Orland, Otis, Penobscot, Sedgwick, Sorrento, Southwest Harbor, Stonington, Sullivan, Surry, Swans Island, Tremont, Trenton, Verona Island, Waltham and Winter Harbor. State law requires every municipality to appoint a code enforcement officer, who administers shoreland zoning, and a local plumbing inspector, so each of these towns handles its own shoreland, plumbing and septic permits. Building code enforcement is optional below 4,000 residents, though a town that adopts a building code may adopt only MUBEC, and many of these towns require building permits under their own ordinances. Mount Desert issues building permits from its Code Enforcement office at 21 Sea Street, Northeast Harbor (207-276-5731); Lamoine says a permit is required to build structures in the town; Hancock asks owners to contact its CEO before any building project, including excavation; and Trenton lists a building permit among its town permits. The county’s Towns and Town Clerks page lists every town office’s phone number and website.

3. LUPC service area. The state’s map of LUPC jurisdictions puts these areas in the LUPC service area: Fletchers Landing and Oqiton townships, T3 ND, T7, T9 and T10 SD, T16, T22, T28, T32, T34, T35, T39, T40 and T41 MD, the county’s unorganized islands, and the town of Osborn. Osborn is an incorporated town, but its own website sends land use permits for new construction to the LUPC. (The Census Bureau groups the townships into Central, East and Northwest Hancock and Marshall Island unorganized territories.) In all of these areas the LUPC is the planning, zoning and permitting authority. Its Downeast Regional Office (106 Hogan Road, Suite 8, Bangor, open by appointment only) serves Hancock County and all coastal islands in the LUPC service area.

Electrical, plumbing and septic permits in Hancock County

Plumbing and septic permits come from the local plumbing inspector of the town where the work is. Electrical permits come from the state Electricians’ Examining Board unless the town has its own electrical inspector; the board lists single-family dwellings among its exceptions (certification is needed, or a licensed master electrician may verify the work), but a permit is still required for a temporary service to build a one-family dwelling. In the three largest towns the code office handles electrical work itself:

• Ellsworth issues electrical permits ($50 residential; $100 or 1% of construction cost, whichever is higher, for commercial work), interior plumbing permits ($60 for up to four fixtures, then $15 a fixture), public sewer connections and subsurface wastewater permits.
• Bar Harbor lists the 2023 National Electrical Code, the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code and the 2018 Life Safety Code among its adopted codes and notes the state’s 2026 NEC, effective July 2026; a residential electrical permit costs $108 and plumbing $22 per fixture with a $51 minimum.
• Bucksport’s Code Enforcement Officer is also the town’s plumbing inspector, and its internal plumbing and septic fees are the state minimum fees plus 25%.

In the unorganized townships, the LUPC’s residential building permit application has a wastewater disposal section with its own instructions, and the LUPC publishes a list of the local plumbing inspectors who serve its service area.

Permit fees in Hancock County

There is no county fee: each municipality sets its own, and the LUPC charges under its Chapter 1 rule (amended effective June 3, 2026).

For example, a new 1,500 sq ft house costs $375 in Ellsworth, and $600 in Bucksport if all of it is finished space. Work started without a permit costs more: Bucksport doubles the fee, and Bar Harbor adds a $150 “after the fact” penalty on residential building permits. Building work started before an LUPC permit is issued pays three times the normal fee.

Application documents

LUPC building permits: the commission lists the items most often missed on its residential application: the right application fee, lot coverage, the land division history tracing the property’s ownership, every existing structure and use including driveways and parking, and the year each was built. Applications go to the Augusta office, by email to ApplicationSubmissions.LUPC@maine.gov or by mail to 22 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333, not to the regional office.

Ellsworth: besides the building, electrical, plumbing (state form HHE-211), sewer connection, sign and flood hazard applications, the city’s site development reviews use a Code & Planning Minor Project Staff Review application and a Major Project Planning Board application, both revised July 1, 2026.

How to get a building permit in Hancock County: 5 steps

Inspections in Hancock County

Each town’s code enforcement officer inspects building work under its permits, and the local plumbing inspector inspects plumbing and septic systems. Bar Harbor schedules inspections and site visits during office hours and asks for at least 48 hours’ notice. In Bucksport the Code Enforcement Officer is often out on inspections, so appointments are required for inspections and recommended for office visits. Bar Harbor’s design data for building plans include a 60 lb ground snow load and a 48-inch frost depth.

Local details in Hancock County

Islands: the county counts 1,532 islands. Some, such as Great Spruce Head, Pickering, Marshall Island and Mount Desert Rock, are in the unorganized territory, where the LUPC’s Downeast office handles development permits.

County services in the townships: under 30-A M.R.S. § 7501 the county commissioners may provide or contract for municipal services for unorganized territory residents, and the county’s letter to township landowners describes agreements with nearby towns for fire protection and solid waste, and county maintenance of some township roads. The Unorganized Territory office is at 50 State Street, Suite 7, Ellsworth (207-667-6885 ext. 247).

Ellsworth planning review: site development is reviewed either by Code & Planning staff (minor projects) or by the Planning Board (major projects). The city’s fee schedule charges $200 for a minor-use review, while a major-use review pays separate sketch ($25), preliminary ($200) and final plan fees, the last set by the total floor area of the buildings.

Maine building code

Maine’s adopted code applies statewide, but permits are required where the town’s ordinance says so; shoreland zoning applies statewide near water, fees and appeals are local, and code enforcement officers must be certified by the state. Maine rules

Official Hancock County permitting resources

These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.

• LUPC Downeast Region, Bangor office
• LUPC regional offices
• LUPC land-use standards, Chapter 10
• LUPC building permit forms
• Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code rules
• Maine Office of Community Affairs — Code Enforcement
• Hancock County Unorganized Territory office
• Hancock County towns and town clerks (phones and websites)
• Hancock County islands in the unorganized territories
• LUPC building permit application help
• LUPC Chapter 1 fee rule, amended June 3, 2026 (PDF)
• Ellsworth Code Enforcement
• Ellsworth permit and fee schedule, updated May 21, 2026 (PDF)
• Bar Harbor Code Enforcement
• Bar Harbor code enforcement fee schedule, effective July 1, 2024 (PDF)
• Bucksport Code Enforcement
• Bucksport schedule of fees, updated July 16, 2026 (PDF)
• Mount Desert Code Enforcement and Planning

Hancock County permit FAQs

Does Hancock County issue building permits?

No. The city of Ellsworth and 35 of the 36 towns issue their own; the state Land Use Planning Commission issues them in Osborn and the unorganized townships.

Which Hancock County towns must enforce the state building code?

Ellsworth, Bar Harbor and Bucksport, the three with more than 4,000 residents in the 2020 Census. Smaller towns may choose to enforce it, but may not adopt any other building code.

How much is a building permit for a new house in Ellsworth?

$0.25 per square foot under the city’s schedule updated May 21, 2026, so $375 for a 1,500 sq ft house, before electrical and plumbing permits.

Who permits a camp in an unorganized township such as T7 SD or T22 MD?

The LUPC. A new dwelling costs $200 if its footprint is under 1,000 sq ft and $300 if larger (three times that if work starts first), and the application goes to the LUPC’s Augusta office.

Who issues plumbing and septic permits?

The local plumbing inspector of the town where the property is; every Maine municipality must appoint one.

How much notice do inspectors need?

Bar Harbor asks for at least 48 hours, and Bucksport requires an appointment for every inspection.

Simplify Hancock County permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Maine. 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 Hancock County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.