Sagadahoc County, Maine Building Permit Guide

In Sagadahoc County you get a building permit from the city or town, not the county. Topsham and Bath, the two municipalities with more than 4,000 residents in the 2020 Census, must enforce the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code; Bath charges $0.40 per square foot for a single-family home with a $50 minimum. The eight smaller towns each have their own code enforcement officer and plumbing inspector, and Perkins Township, the county’s only unorganized territory, is under the state Land Use Planning Commission (LUPC).

Who issues building permits in Sagadahoc County?

The county government at the courthouse, 752 High Street, Bath (main line (207) 443-8200; administration and commissioners (207) 443-8202), covers the registry of deeds, probate court, the district attorney, the sheriff, emergency communications and emergency management. None of those offices issues building permits.

Topsham’s office administers the town’s zoning ordinance (Chapter 225), the National Electrical Code, the state internal plumbing and wastewater codes and the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code (MUBEC), which has used the 2021 International Codes since April 7, 2025. Bath’s office administers the city’s land use, housing and building codes and issues building, electrical and general permits.

The other eight towns are Arrowsic, Bowdoin, Bowdoinham, Georgetown, Phippsburg, Richmond, West Bath and Woolwich. State law requires every one of them to appoint a code enforcement officer, who enforces shoreland zoning, and a local plumbing inspector, so plumbing, septic and shoreland permits are handled at each town office. Below 4,000 residents, enforcing the building code is optional, and a town that adopts one may adopt only MUBEC. Several of these towns post their own building permits: Richmond’s code page has a building permit application, re-roofing permit and building code list (the 2015 International Residential and Building Codes), and West Bath posts a building permit with its fees and penalties.

Perkins Township is the county’s only unorganized territory, and the state’s map of LUPC jurisdictions shows it (Swan Island) in the LUPC service area. Development there falls to the LUPC, whose Downeast Regional Office in Bangor lists Sagadahoc among the counties it serves.

Electrical, plumbing and heating permits

Both Bath and Topsham issue their own electrical permits as well as plumbing permits through their local plumbing inspectors. Elsewhere, electrical permits come from the state Electricians’ Examining Board unless the town has its own inspector; the board exempts single-family dwellings (certification is needed, or a licensed master electrician may verify the work) but still requires a permit for a temporary service to build a one-family dwelling.

Topsham also issues photovoltaic permits and fire department permits for alarms, chimneys, sprinklers and fuel-burning appliances, each on its own form.

Building permit fees in Sagadahoc County

Each municipality sets its own fees, and the LUPC charges $200 or $300 per new dwelling unit, depending on footprint, under its Chapter 1 rule.

A 2,000 sq ft single-family house would be $800 for the Bath building permit. Topsham’s posted schedule allows up to five times the permit fee for work started without the required permit. Topsham accepts permit fees by mail, at the office or online through the town’s Miscellaneous Payments page, and warns that it never asks anyone to wire funds.

Application forms

Topsham has separate building permit forms for houses, commercial buildings, decks and garages, plus electrical, photovoltaic, internal plumbing, shoreland, sign, blasting and demolition forms. Bath posts building, electrical (including a rooftop solar version), heating, fill, flood hazard area development, blasting, sign and home occupation applications, and uses the state HHE-211 form for plumbing. Bath’s building permit packet includes instructions, standard conditions and an asbestos demolition notification form.

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

Inspections in Sagadahoc County

In Bath the property owner or contractor must schedule inspections ahead of time, by phone or email, and final inspections are required before a certificate of occupancy is issued. Topsham publishes checklists, based on the 2021 International Codes, for the residential footing and foundation, plumbing rough-in and mechanical rough-in inspections and for roof sheathing and braced wall panels, and charges $50 when an inspection fails or the work is not ready.

Local details in Sagadahoc County

Topsham exemptions: the zoning ordinance (§ 225-61) exempts repairs, replacement and normal maintenance that does not involve structural elements, and decorative changes, from building permits. Projects that skip the building permit may still need a zoning review, which Topsham’s posted schedule prices at $10 for permanent structures over 32 and up to 200 square feet and $30 above that.

State exemptions in Topsham’s guidance: Topsham’s permit guidance notes that log homes, manufactured housing, post and beam or timber frame construction, and crop storage warehouses or silos are exempt from MUBEC under state law.

Bath extras: Bath charges $100 for a fill permit, $60 for a driveway permit and $60 for blasting.

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 Sagadahoc 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 (eligible LUPC parcels) 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
• Sagadahoc County contacts
• Bath Code Enforcement Office
• Bath permit applications and fees
• Topsham Code Enforcement
• Topsham permit application forms
• Topsham: when a building permit is required (PDF)
• Topsham permit fee schedule, May 16, 2013 (PDF)
• Topsham building code information and inspection checklists
• LUPC building permit application help

Sagadahoc County permit FAQs

Does Sagadahoc County issue building permits?

No. Bath and each town issue their own; the county’s offices handle deeds, probate, the district attorney and public safety.

Which Sagadahoc County municipalities must enforce the state building code?

Topsham and Bath, each with more than 4,000 residents in the 2020 Census.

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

$0.40 per square foot with a $50 minimum, so $800 for 2,000 sq ft, plus separate electrical and plumbing permits.

Do I need a permit for a deck in Topsham?

Yes. Topsham treats a deck supported by columns as a building, so it needs a building permit unless an exemption applies.

Who schedules inspections in Bath?

The property owner or contractor, in advance, by phone or email to the Code Enforcement Office.

Is any of the county under the Land Use Planning Commission?

Only Perkins Township, which has no residents; everything else is in Bath or one of the nine towns.

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