Oxford County, Maine Building Permit Guide

Every Oxford County town handles its own plumbing and land use permits, and any building permit it requires, through a local code enforcement officer, and Rumford, Paris, Norway and Oxford, the four towns above 4,000 people, must enforce the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code (MUBEC). Lincoln Plantation and the unorganized townships, from Albany and Mason in the south to Grafton, Magalloway and the other townships in the north, get their permits from the state Land Use Planning Commission (LUPC). A new home in Norway costs $0.25 per sq ft of living space plus $30; Oxford charges $0.15 per sq ft plus $30.

What requires a permit in Oxford County?

Each town decides through its own ordinances, and LUPC sets the rules in the unorganized areas. The published lists:

Rumford’s code office posts separate forms for building permits, site plans, flood hazard development, shoreland zone permits, subdivisions, vacant buildings and wind energy facilities. Oxford requires a driveway opening permit, proof of ownership and plans before a building permit. Paris’s Building Code Ordinance (enacted June 21, 2022) adopts MUBEC and requires a permit from the CEO before any construction, alteration, relocation or foundation work, but not for regular maintenance of a dwelling; work started first pays double fees, the CEO must issue or refuse the permit within 10 working days, and commercial or industrial projects need Planning Board approval before the permit. Waterford requires a building permit for all new construction and for moving a building onto a site. In LUPC territory, an accessory structure built with an existing house may qualify for the online notice and self-verification form instead of a permit.

Who issues building permits in Oxford County?

The county: Oxford County’s Unorganized Territory page covers roads, road postings and community projects in the townships and lists no building permit service. The Unorganized Territory Supervisor, Tony Carter, is reached through the county offices at 26 Western Avenue, South Paris ((207) 743-6359, Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.).

LUPC: the Western Regional Office, 932 U.S. Route 2 East in Wilton, serves Oxford and Franklin counties by appointment, with residential projects at (207) 670-7492. The commission has jurisdiction where there is no local government or where a plantation has chosen not to run land use controls.

Towns: each has a code enforcement officer and plumbing inspector. The four largest:

Every Oxford County town, plantation and township

More than 4,000 residents, so MUBEC enforcement is required: Rumford, Paris, Norway and Oxford, each above 4,000 in the 2020 Census that the state MUBEC rule counts.

Town code enforcement officer and plumbing inspector; building code only where the town adopted it: Andover, Bethel, Brownfield, Buckfield, Byron, Canton, Denmark, Dixfield, Fryeburg, Gilead, Greenwood, Hanover, Hartford, Hebron, Hiram, Lovell, Mexico, Newry, Otisfield, Peru, Porter, Roxbury, Stoneham, Stow, Sumner, Sweden, Upton, Waterford, West Paris and Woodstock.

LUPC: Lincoln Plantation and the three groups the Census calls unorganized territories. North Oxford takes in the never-organized north, the former town of Grafton and Riley Township; South Oxford covers Batchelders Grant and the former towns of Albany and Mason; Milton is the former Milton Plantation.

Electrical, plumbing and septic

Electrical: the state Electricians’ Examining Board issues electrical permits except where a town has its own electrical inspector. The board does not require its permit for a single-family dwelling, where it asks for certification or verification by a licensed master electrician, except for the temporary service used while building one. Norway issues its own electrical permits, at $58 for a new home, $42 for a mobile home and at least $25 for other work.

Plumbing and septic: the town plumbing inspector issues both. Rumford posts the state HHE-211 plumbing application, the HHE-200 septic design form and the HHE-204 variance request. Norway charges $10 per internal fixture with a $40 minimum and $265 for a complete septic system, and Paris’s CEO is also its plumbing inspector. Connecting to Rumford’s sewer takes a $50 sewer permit.

Unorganized areas: plumbing inspectors for the townships are appointed and listed through the Maine CDC subsurface wastewater program, and a signed HHE-200 must accompany any LUPC application that adds or expands a septic system.

Building permit fees in Oxford County

Each town sets its own fees. LUPC charges by Chapter 1 of its rules, amended effective June 3, 2026.

A single-floor house with 1,400 sq ft of living space pays 1,400 × $0.15 + $30 = $240 in Oxford, and 1,400 × $0.25 + $30 = $380 in Norway before its separate foundation charge.

Starting early is expensive: Oxford charges five times the permit fee for construction begun before the permit, Rumford doubles the fee and charges $50 each time an owner fails to call for or wait for an inspection, and LUPC charges three times its fee. Rumford’s figures come from the fee schedule posted on the town site, dated August 21, 2025, the day of the select board’s latest amendment.

Application documents

Oxford: the building permit application must be complete, with no blanks, and comes with a property map or survey showing lot lines, structures, septic system, driveways and setbacks. Its checklist adds a driveway opening permit, a recorded deed or purchase and sale agreement (or a letter of authorization), and plans showing the foundation, floor plan, a cross section and elevations, which the town has required since December 2010. An erosion and sediment control plan is needed for 3 or more yards of disturbed or relocated soil.

Norway: for a new building, the town office hands out a “purple folder” of forms and information, and the New Building Checklist is online. A smaller project needs the building permit application, a cross section of the construction and a plot plan with distances to the lot lines and road.

LUPC: the April 2026 application form, signed by all owners, with a location map, deed or lease, recent site photos, a site plan, any HHE-200 septic design and erosion control details.

How to apply in Oxford County

Inspections in Oxford County

Oxford requires 24 hours’ notice for every inspection: call (207) 539-8526. Its application lists the stages as foundation rebar before concrete, the septic system (two visits), the foundation after drainage and insulation but before backfill, framing and chimney with the plumbing rough-in, insulation and vapor barriers, and a final inspection for the certificate of occupancy.

Norway inspects when footing forms are set, after the forms come off and before backfill, after the radon pipe and vapor barrier go in, at three stages of the septic system, at rough-in framing, plumbing and electrical, after insulation, and at the end before anyone moves in. Since April 7, 2025 a new house there must meet the 2021 energy code’s air-tightness test of 3 air changes an hour at 50 pascals.

LUPC does not administer MUBEC and runs no building code inspections, though its staff visit sites to check applications and permit conditions. Owners in the unorganized areas remain responsible for meeting the code and may hire a state-certified third-party inspector.

Local details in Oxford County

Rangeley Lakes prospective zoning: Adamstown, Magalloway and Richardsontown townships and Township C fall under LUPC’s Prospective Zoning Plan for the Rangeley Lakes Region, in effect since January 1, 2001, which adds buffer, lighting and dimensional standards to development there.

Norway building rules: structures must sit 25 ft from the edge of the traveled way, a house 20 ft from the side and rear lines and a single-story accessory building 10 ft. A dwelling unit must be at least 500 sq ft, and tiny homes are capped at 400 sq ft.

Shoreland work in Oxford: the town requires a certified contractor for work in the shoreland zone.

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 Oxford County permitting resources

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

• Oxford County Unorganized Territory
• LUPC Western Regional Office, Wilton
• LUPC regional offices
• LUPC building permit application help
• LUPC Building Permit Application (version 04/2026)
• LUPC Chapter 1 fee rule (effective June 3, 2026)
• LUPC Rangeley Lakes Prospective Zoning Plan
• LUPC zoning maps by township
• LUPC land use districts and standards, Chapter 10
• LUPC application forms
• Maine Office of Community Affairs: building codes
• MUBEC rules and adopted code editions
• Rumford Code Enforcement Office and forms
• Rumford schedule of fees (August 21, 2025)
• Paris Code Enforcement
• Paris Building Code Ordinance (June 21, 2022)
• Waterford building permit application and fees
• Norway Code Enforcement, fees and inspections
• Oxford Code Enforcement
• Oxford building permit application and fees

Oxford County permit FAQs

Does Oxford County issue building permits?

No. The towns issue them, and the Land Use Planning Commission issues them in Lincoln Plantation and the unorganized townships.

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

$0.25 per square foot of living space on each floor plus a $30 flat fee, with the foundation or slab charged at $0.25 per square foot. A 1,400 sq ft single-floor house pays $380 for the living space.

How much is a building permit in Oxford?

$0.15 per square foot of living space plus $30, and $0.10 per square foot for garages, basements, decks and patios. Starting before the permit costs five times the fee.

Can I apply online?

In Norway, yes, through the town’s iWorQ portal. LUPC takes applications by email. Rumford and Oxford post printable forms, and Paris’s CEO works by appointment.

Who handles permits in Albany Township or Mason?

The Land Use Planning Commission, through its Western Regional Office in Wilton, (207) 670-7492. Both are former towns now in the South Oxford unorganized territory.

Which Oxford County towns must enforce the state building code?

Rumford, Paris, Norway and Oxford, each with more than 4,000 residents. Smaller towns enforce it only if they adopt it.

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