Kennebunk, Maine Building Permit Guide

Building, electrical, plumbing, septic and shoreland permits in Kennebunk are issued by the Code Enforcement Office of the Community Development Department at Town Hall, 1 Summer Street, and are applied for online through the Town’s iWorQ portal. Every application carries a $45 processing fee, a building permit costs at least $40, and the office currently quotes about 2 to 3 weeks to issue a permit.

What needs a permit in Kennebunk?

Kennebunk’s zoning ordinance (Article 4, Section 1) says no building, sign or other structure may be erected, altered, moved or demolished without a written permit from the Code Enforcement Officer, issued only when the plans meet the ordinance and the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code and the fees are paid. The Town lists these jobs as needing a permit:

In general, work that adds or removes structure, changes the room layout, changes the building’s use or alters anything the state code regulates needs a permit. Small-scale solar that is accessory to a home or business is allowed by right but needs both a building and an electrical permit.

Who issues building permits in Kennebunk?

The Code Enforcement Office reviews and approves permit applications, carries out inspections and enforces the Town’s codes and ordinances. Its Code Enforcement Officers also serve as Kennebunk’s Local Plumbing Inspector, shoreland zoning administrator and floodplain administrator. Frank Kunkel is the Code Enforcement Officer.

Code Officers hold walk-in office hours twice a week on the second floor of Town Hall, on Tuesdays from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. and Thursdays from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., first come, first served and usually limited to 15 minutes; check in at Room 216. Written questions go through the Town’s online request form, with replies taking up to 10 business days.

Kennebunk online permits and forms

Kennebunk takes building, electrical, plumbing and septic, sign, business and shoreland or resource protection applications through its iWorQ citizen portal, where applicants also search existing permits, pay fees and upload documents; a Contractor Access Code is needed to add documents to an existing permit. The Town asks applicants to have all the application information and file uploads ready before they start.

• Letter of Authorization: required from the property owner whenever someone else applies; applications without it are returned as incomplete.
• Septic permits: filed on the plumbing application with a note that it is for a septic system; the HHE-200 design must be signed and dated by the owner or applicant.
• Solar PV checklist: lists the extra documents for solar building and electrical permits; ground-mounted solar as a primary use also needs Site Plan Review.
• Paper forms: the driveway permit application for new driveways, the blasting application and the Historic Preservation Commission application for a Certificate of Appropriateness are posted as PDFs.

The portal carries a fraud warning: the Town never asks applicants to wire money for review fees, and anyone contacted that way should call 207-604-1303.

Electrical, plumbing and septic permits in Kennebunk

Electrical, plumbing and septic permits are separate applications in the same iWorQ portal, each carrying the $45 processing fee. Internal plumbing is filed on the state HHE-211 application and a new or replacement septic system on the HHE-200 design form; because Kennebunk’s Code Enforcement Officers are also its Local Plumbing Inspectors, both are reviewed and inspected by the same office. A building permit application for a new home must include the septic design or a statement of approval from the Sewer District to connect.

Rough electrical, plumbing and heating work must be installed and inspected before the framing inspection.

Kennebunk permit fees

Kennebunk’s Code Enforcement page sets a $45 application processing fee on every permit and a $40 minimum building permit fee, with the rest calculated by the Code Enforcement Officer from the cost and size of the project. The fee is quoted when the permit is approved and must be paid before it is issued and before any inspection can be booked.

The flood permit fee is on the Select Board’s fee schedule for Town ordinances, last approved March 25, 2025. The shoreland fee is on the Planning Department’s schedule effective February 14, 2017. The fire station impact fee in Article 14 of the zoning ordinance applies to new buildings in the West Kennebunk station’s service area and to some later additions of habitable area there, is paid before the building or plumbing permit is issued, and stays in effect until the Town has collected $953,700. The bicycle facility improvements impact fee in the same article applies to any new residential development or other work that creates a new dwelling unit; it is $450 per unit multiplied by the ENR Construction Cost Index for the month of payment divided by the index for June 2006. Voters extended it at the June 9, 2026 referendum (Question C, 3,249 to 1,174) until July 1, 2031, or until $1.3 million (adjusted for construction costs) has been collected, whichever comes first; the Article 14 posted on the Town site still shows the old July 1, 2026 end date.

What to include with a Kennebunk application

A complete building permit application includes:

• A plan drawn to scale showing the lot dimensions in feet, streets and rights of way, the location and ground coverage of every building to be built, moved or demolished, and any wetlands or water bodies
• A statement of the intended use of the buildings and the lot, even for a demolition
• The septic design, or a statement that the Sewer District has approved a connection
• Scaled building plans as the project requires: floor, foundation, elevation and cross-section drawings and a plot plan, with exits clearly shown on commercial plans
• The owner’s Letter of Authorization when someone else applies

Plans are reviewed first come, first served, and deficient or incomplete plans come back with review comments to answer. The Code Enforcement Officer has 30 days from a complete application to approve or deny it. The office quotes about 2 to 3 weeks for issuance, up to 4 weeks for larger projects, and roughly a week or less for pools, decks and sheds. A plan review expires after 180 days unless a written extension of up to 180 days is granted.

Once issued, a permit expires if work has not started within 6 months or the exterior work is not substantially complete within 1 year. Changes after approval need the Building Official’s sign-off, and both the office and site copies of the plans must be updated.

How to get a Kennebunk building permit: 6 steps

Inspections in Kennebunk

All inspections are requested through the Community Development Department, by phone at 207-604-1303 or by email; the iWorQ portal itself directs every inspection request to that number. Give the contact name and phone, the permit number, the day wanted, the job address and the stage to be inspected. Work must stay exposed until it has been approved, and the permit and plans must be on site for the inspector.

The stages the Town lists are:

• Forms and footing: before concrete is poured, to check the zoning setbacks, forms, reinforcing steel and hold-down anchors (slabs likewise)
• Floodplain: the lowest floor elevation, for development in the flood zone
• Roof sheathing and shear panels: with hold-downs and shear transfer attached
• Frame and masonry: after framing, fire blocking, bracing, chimneys and vents, with rough electrical, plumbing and heating already inspected
• Fire-resistance-rated construction: where required between units or by location, before joints are taped
• Final: when the permitted work is complete and before occupancy

Failed items have to be corrected and re-inspected; the Town notes that delays and repeat visits are avoided by finishing the work and any tests before calling.

Shoreland, flood and historic rules in Kennebunk

Shoreland Overlay: the overlay covers land within 250 ft of the normal high-water line of Old Falls Pond and Alewive Pond, Branch Brook, the Mousam and Kennebunk Rivers, the Atlantic Ocean, Priority 1 wetlands and named brooks; within 125 ft of Priority 2 wetlands; and within 25 ft of other wetlands of 1 acre or more and other perennial streams. Structures, roads, driveways and parking must be set back 100 ft in the 250 ft areas, 50 ft from Priority 2 wetlands and 25 ft in the 25 ft areas, with a 25 ft setback where those areas overlay the Upper Square, West Kennebunk Village, Downtown Business, Lower Village Business, York Street, Suburban Commercial, Business Park and Industrial districts. Piers, docks and other uses that need direct access to the water are excepted.

Flood zones: the Code Enforcement Officer is the floodplain administrator under Kennebunk’s Floodplain Management Ordinance, which adopts the FEMA flood maps dated July 17, 2024. New or substantially improved homes in Zone AE must have the lowest floor, basement included, at least 2 ft above base flood elevation. In Zone VE and Coastal AE the building must instead stand on posts or columns, with the bottom of the lowest horizontal structural member at least 2 ft above base flood elevation.

Historic Preservation Overlay: projects in the district can need a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Commission; a complete application is due at least 3 weeks before the Commission’s meeting.

No growth cap: the Town’s growth control ordinance (Section 7 of the non-zoning ordinances) has been repealed, so new homes are not subject to an annual permit limit.

Code edition: Kennebunk adopted the state code by reference in its zoning ordinance in November 2012 and has applied the 2021 editions since April 7, 2025, including the 2021 International Mechanical Code and the 2019 ASHRAE ventilation and energy standards.

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 Kennebunk permitting resources

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

• Maine subsurface wastewater rules
• Maine DEP shoreland zoning
• Maine current MUBEC rules
• Maine Office of Community Affairs code enforcement
• Kennebunk online services hub
• Kennebunk permit applications and forms
• Kennebunk Code Enforcement
• Kennebunk iWorQ permit portal
• Kennebunk Code Enforcement FAQs
• Kennebunk: Permits, understanding the process
• Kennebunk: When do I need a building permit?
• Kennebunk solar PV permitting checklist
• Kennebunk Zoning Ordinance
• Kennebunk Shoreland Overlay District (Article 8, Section 16)
• Kennebunk impact fees (Zoning Ordinance Article 14)
• Kennebunk non-zoning ordinances and fee schedule (amended through June 23, 2026)

Kennebunk permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Kennebunk, Maine?

The Code Enforcement Office of the Community Development Department, Room 216, Town Hall, 1 Summer Street (207-604-1303). The same office issues electrical, plumbing, septic, shoreland and flood permits.

How much does a building permit cost in Kennebunk?

Every permit carries a $45 processing fee. The building permit itself is at least $40, with the rest set by the Code Enforcement Officer from the project’s cost and size, plus a bicycle facility impact fee on every new dwelling unit and, in the West Kennebunk Fire Station area, the fire station impact fee.

How long does it take to get a permit?

About 2 to 3 weeks at present and up to 4 weeks for larger projects; pools, decks and sheds usually take a week or less. The Code Enforcement Officer has 30 days from a complete application to approve or deny it.

Do I need a permit for a shed or new windows?

Yes to both. Sheds always need a building permit, with plans for any shed over 200 sq ft, and replacement windows and doors need a permit because they must meet the energy code.

Can someone else apply for my permit?

Yes, with a Letter of Authorization from the property owner uploaded with the application.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Call 207-604-1303 or email the Community Development Department with the permit number, address, stage and the day you want.

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