In Orono the town’s Code Enforcement Office at 59 Main Street issues building, electrical, plumbing, heating and septic permits. You apply, pay and request inspections through the town’s iWorQ portal, one form per permit type, and a complete building permit is approved in about 2 weeks on average. Fees come from the 2026–2027 fee schedule the Town Council approved on June 8, 2026, and they double if you apply late.
What needs a permit in Orono?
Permit needed
- All new construction, including homes, garages and additions such as decks and porches
- Sheds of any size
- Certain structural repairs, and structural alterations such as adding doors or windows
- Demolition, and fill or earthwork (adding more than 20 cubic yards of fill)
- Electrical changes to a service entrance, new wiring, and repairs or upgrades to a service
- Adding or moving plumbing fixtures, and installing or replacing a septic system
- Installing or replacing a heating unit, including gas or wood stoves
- Signs, curb cuts onto town roads, road openings and sewer connections or repairs
No building permit
- Fences under 6 feet high
- Re-shingling a roof
- Interior or exterior painting
- Replacing sheetrock
- Cosmetic changes, including new siding
- Replacing a plumbing fixture in the same place with no new lines
The town’s plumbing page adds that minor septic repairs and septic tank plumbing do not need a permit. If you are unsure whether a job needs a permit, the town asks you to check with the Code Enforcement Office before starting.
Who issues building permits in Orono?
The Town of Orono’s Code Enforcement Office issues permits for property in the town and carries out inspections for safety, licensing and rental registration. It is also the first point of contact for matters that go to the Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals. Questions about what a property may be used for go to the town’s Planning and Economic Development Manager (207-889-6915).
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Address | Town Office, 59 Main Street, Orono, ME 04473 |
| Town Office phone | 207-866-2556 |
| Portal and application help | 207-889-6909 |
| Payment questions | 207-889-6906 |
| Hours | Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; closed Fridays |
| Online portal | Orono iWorQ permit portal: apply, pay, request inspections |
Some permits are issued at the code office but approved elsewhere: curb cuts and road openings by the Public Works Department, and sewer connections or repairs by the Wastewater Superintendent. For a new entrance onto a state road, a Maine DOT permit comes first, and the town says state law bars it from issuing any local permit until that approval is in hand.
Electrical, plumbing, heating and septic permits in Orono
All four trades are permitted by the town. Electrical, plumbing and heating applications go through the same portal as building permits, each on its own submission. Homeowners may take out building permits themselves or let their contractor do it.
| Permit | Fee |
|---|---|
| Electrical, job cost $0–$100 | $30 |
| Electrical, $101–$500 | $50 |
| Electrical, $501–$1,000 | $75 |
| Electrical, over $1,000 | $100 plus $3 per additional $1,000 or fraction |
| Plumbing | $10 per fixture, $40 minimum |
| Heating | $50 |
| Septic, complete non-engineered system | $250 plus the $15 DEP fee |
| Septic, complete engineered system | $200 |
| Septic, primitive disposal system | $100 |
| Septic variance | $20 extra |
The town’s electrical web page still shows $25 for jobs up to $100; the council-approved 2026–2027 schedule sets $30. Separate septic components (treatment tank $150, holding tank $100, disposal field $150) and a $50 seasonal conversion permit are also on the schedule.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →For a septic permit, fill in the town’s Septic System Permit Application, have your site evaluator or engineer sign it, then upload it in the portal. Under Code of Ordinances § 8-1, plumbing or septic work started without a permit pays double; for proven emergency work the permit must be taken out within four working days.
Orono permit fees
All Code Enforcement fees are in the Town of Orono Fee Schedule 2026–2027, approved on June 8, 2026 by Council Order #26-107, and the schedule says the code fees double if late. None of the Town Council agendas from July to October 2026 included a change to these fees.
| Permit | Fee |
|---|---|
| Building permit | Set by Schedule A (valuation method, see below) |
| Sign | $50 |
| Flood plain review | $75 |
| Blasting | $25 |
| Curb cut | $50 |
| Road opening | $50, plus a $500 escrow for repairs and testing; $500 if late |
| Zoning verification | $25 per request |
| Home occupation | $150 Planning Board application fee plus a $30 initial fee (Schedule B lists only the $175 public notification fee for a home occupation review) |
| Rental unit registration | $25 per unit; $50 if received after September 1 |
| Sewer connection, residential | $7.44 per gallon of design flow, plus a $30 application fee and a $60 inspection fee |
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Building permits: Schedule A works from a square-foot construction cost table by occupancy group and construction type and a plan check time table, combined through a permit fee multiplier the schedule does not print. It values unfinished basements at $15 per square foot and deducts 20% for shell-only buildings. Because the multiplier is not published, the code office works out the fee: after your application is received, staff assign the fees and email you when you can pay in the portal, and the permit is issued once payment is received.
Site plan review has its own fees in Schedule B, starting with a $175 public notification fee each time a hearing is scheduled.
What to submit for an Orono building permit
The town’s Building Permit Checklist lists what the portal application needs:
- Applicant and contractor names and contact details (contractors list the homeowner as the applicant)
- The property address and a description of the work
- The project’s square footage, building materials where relevant and an estimated cost
- A plot plan drawn to scale under Code of Ordinances § 18-62, unless the Code Enforcement Officer says otherwise
The Town Council amended Chapter 18 (Land Use) by Council Order #26-199 on September 14, 2026, and that change is not yet in the online code, so confirm the current plot plan rule with the office. As the checklist describes it, the plot plan shows the lot’s actual dimensions; the location and size of existing buildings and significant features; the exact size and position of what will be built; each building’s existing and intended use; areas under shoreland zoning; water bodies and wetlands within 250 feet of the property; and, where they apply, test pits, septic systems, site drainage, parking, driveways, signs, buffer strips, fences and wells.
For an addition or a new structure, upload a sketch or engineering plan with the “upload document” button at the end of the portal form. The town says complete building permits take about 2 weeks on average to approve.
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →How to get an Orono permit: 6 steps
Use the town’s list above; ask the code office if you are unsure, and the Planning and Economic Development Manager about permitted uses.
Gather the project details and draw the scaled plot plan required by § 18-62.
Fill in the General Information section, choose the permit type and complete its section. Submit a separate form for each permit type.
Curb cut, flood hazard, home occupation, road opening, sewer and sign applications are PDF forms: upload them through the portal, leave them in the Town Office drop box marked “Code Enforcement”, or mail them to 59 Main Street.
The office emails you once it has set the fee; pay in the portal and the permit is issued.
Book each inspection through the same portal.
Inspections in Orono
Inspection requests go through the Code Enforcement Office’s online portal, the same place you apply and pay. The town says all work that needs a permit must be inspected by the appropriate town inspector both during construction and when it is finished. Plans must be reviewed by the Code Enforcement Office before any work begins, and the town publishes logs of the permits it has issued.
Local Orono details that matter
Driveways: the town asks you to contact both the code office and the Fire Department so a new driveway meets emergency vehicle access needs.
Shoreland and wetlands: the plot plan must show shoreland zoning areas and any water bodies or wetlands within 250 feet, and the town has a separate Flood Hazard Permit application; the fee schedule charges $75 for a flood plain review permit.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Rentals: rental units are registered with the Code Enforcement Office at $25 per unit; federally assisted units pay nothing.
Neighboring towns: Orono’s permits cover the Town of Orono only; Bangor, Old Town and Veazie are separate municipalities with their own code enforcement officers.
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 Orono 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
- Orono building-permit scope and exemptions
- Orono permit portal instructions and permit categories
- Orono Code Enforcement Office
- Orono iWorQ permit portal (apply, pay, request inspections)
- Orono Fee Schedule 2026–2027, approved June 8, 2026 (PDF)
- Orono Building Permit Checklist (PDF)
- Orono Code of Ordinances (Municode)
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Orono permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in Orono?
The Town of Orono Code Enforcement Office at 59 Main Street, through its iWorQ online portal. Portal help is on 207-889-6909.
Do I need a permit for a shed in Orono?
Yes. Orono requires a building permit for a shed of any size.
Do I need a permit for a fence or a new roof?
No building permit is needed for a fence under 6 feet or for re-shingling a roof, and siding and painting are also exempt.
How much is an electrical permit in Orono?
$30 for jobs up to $100, $50 up to $500, $75 up to $1,000, and $100 plus $3 per additional $1,000 above that, under the 2026–2027 schedule.
How long does a building permit take?
About 2 weeks on average once the application is complete.
Can a homeowner pull the permit?
Yes. Homeowners may take out building permits themselves or have their contractor do it.
What if I start before I have a permit?
The fee schedule says code enforcement fees double if late, and the code of ordinances doubles plumbing and septic fees for work started without a permit.
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More Maine permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Orono permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.