Standish, Maine Building Permit Guide

In Standish, building, electrical and plumbing permits come from the Town’s Code Enforcement Office at the Municipal Building, 175 Northeast Road (Route 35), and are applied for online through the Town’s iWorQ portal. Most new homes first need a growth permit, capped at 85 a year plus nine for affordable housing, and pay recreation and public safety impact fees when the building permit is issued.

What needs a permit in Standish?

Under §181-53 of the Standish Land Use Code, no building, improvement or other structure may be installed, erected, moved, added to or structurally altered without a permit from the Code Enforcement Officer. The Town’s permit portal and fee schedule show these permit types:

Who issues building permits in Standish?

The Code Enforcement Office reviews building applications, issues building, electrical, plumbing, growth and floodplain permits, and inspects the work through to the certificate of occupancy. James Paul is the Code Enforcement Officer, and the Code Enforcement Officer is also the Town’s floodplain administrator. The Planning Department in the same building handles subdivision, site plan and shoreland zoning applications and supports the Planning Board.

Standish online permits

The iWorQ citizen portal has three application paths: the building permit application; a combined path for electrical, pool and plumbing permits; and a path for fence, sign and tree removal permits. The plumbing and tree removal forms are printed, filled in and uploaded with the online application. Upload every plan and document at the start, because incomplete applications are not approved. The same portal is used to look up a permit, check its status, upload extra documents and request inspections.

The Code Enforcement page posts sample drawings (a plot plan, floor plan, elevation and cross section) showing what the office expects with a building application.

Electrical, plumbing and septic permits in Standish

Electrical, pool and plumbing permits are filed through the same iWorQ path, separately from the building permit. Electrical fees are set by the Town; plumbing permits use the state fee schedule.

A septic system is inspected twice: once before pipe or stone goes into the bed, to see the scarification, and again before backfilling. A growth permit application for a new home must include a copy of the HHE-200 septic design or confirmation that the lot qualifies for a sewer user unit.

Standish permit fees

Fees come from the Town fee schedule adopted by Council Order 17-03 in 2003 and amended many times since, most recently by Order 10-26; the posted copy was printed in January 2026. The Council orders on the August to October 2026 agendas do not change it. Starting any work without a permit doubles the fee.

The schedule also prints “residential rates” (house: 1 story $97, 1.5 story $118, 2 story $136; garage: 1 story $20, 2 story $34; decks $15) and commercial rates described as estimated values per square foot of foundation size ($0.50 for light manufacturing and warehouses, $0.65 for retail and offices). It does not say how these combine with the valuation-based fee, so the Code Enforcement Office works out the figure for a given set of plans.

The September 22, 2026 impact fee memo to the Town Council lists the recreation and open space fee as $3,938.66 per dwelling, not the $4,039.05 on the January 2026 schedule; the adopted schedule is the January 2026 one. The memo also states that accessory dwelling units and qualifying replacement homes are exempt from both impact fees and that they are collected at the building permit stage. Subdivisions and site plans approved by the Planning Board can also owe a road and streetlights impact fee, typically $1,000 to $2,500 per dwelling, and, where they add traffic to the affected part of the Route 25 corridor, a corridor fee of $2,905.63 per vehicle trip end; the Town applies these two fees only to Planning Board projects.

What to submit for a Standish building permit

Under §181-54, a building application includes plans drawn to scale showing the actual dimensions and shape of the lot, the size and location of any existing buildings, and the location and dimensions of the new building or alteration, plus anything else the Code Enforcement Officer needs to check the zoning rules.

• Setback check: when a new building or principal addition will sit within 5 ft of the minimum front, side or rear setback, the applicant must find and identify the boundary markers and lay out the lot line so the Code Enforcement Officer can verify the measurement (§181-54.1).
• New homes: the growth permit comes first, with proof of right, title or interest in the lot and the septic design or sewer eligibility.
• Shoreland lots: the Town’s shoreland zoning application goes to the Planning Department.

A building permit is valid for 2 years; if construction is not finished within those 24 months, the permit is void and a new permit and fee are needed. No building may be used or occupied until the Code Enforcement Officer has issued a certificate of occupancy, though a temporary certificate for partial occupancy can be issued for up to 6 months.

How to get a Standish building permit: 6 steps

Inspections in Standish

The permit holder is responsible for calling for inspections, because the Code Officer has no other way to know how fast a project is moving. Give as much notice as possible: same-day requests are not scheduled. Requests can be made in the iWorQ portal against the permit or by calling 207-642-4571.

The inspections the Town requires are:

• Footings
• Foundation: before backfilling, with waterproofing done and drains and stone in place
• Framing: can be combined with the electrical or plumbing rough-in
• Electrical: service and rough-in
• Plumbing: all of it before the walls are closed in
• Septic: scarification, then before backfilling
• Final: for the occupancy permit

A re-inspection costs $33.

Growth permits, shoreland and flood rules in Standish

Growth permits: Part 6 of the Land Use Code applies to every new dwelling unit, including manufactured housing. The Code Enforcement Officer may issue up to 85 growth permits a year, counted from July 1 to June 30, plus nine more reserved for affordable housing. Up to 15 unused permits can carry over into the next year. No more than 25 permits a year go to homes in the Rural (RU) District, no more than 75% to homes in subdivisions, and no more than 15 to any single subdivision; in Rural District subdivisions the limits are 20 a year in total and 5 per subdivision. No person or company may receive more than 15 a year. Applications are taken in person only, are dated and timed on receipt, and are filled in that order; applicants who miss out keep first place for the next year.

The cap does not apply to rebuilding or altering an existing building without adding units, units built by the York and Cumberland Housing Authority or a state or federal agency, or by a private developer with a continuing age restriction of 55 and older, lots in subdivisions approved before the ordinance, one family gift lot per family per year, accessory dwelling units approved under §181-35.5, or new units on approved subdivision lots in a Form Based Code Village District.

Shoreland zoning: new principal and accessory structures must be set back at least 100 ft from the normal high-water line of great ponds and rivers and 75 ft from other water bodies, tributary streams and wetlands, and 250 ft in the Resource Protection District. On Sebago Lake the normal high-water line may be taken as the 266.5 ft elevation. Shoreland applications are reviewed by the Planning Department.

Flood zones: the Code Enforcement Officer, as floodplain administrator, issues flood hazard development permits under Chapter 146, which adopts the FEMA maps dated June 20, 2024. New or substantially improved homes in Zone AE must have the lowest floor, basement included, at least 1 ft above base flood elevation.

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 Standish 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 state building and energy codes
• Maine Office of Community Affairs code enforcement
• Standish municipal department directory
• Standish building permits and certificates ordinance
• Standish Planning and Development Department
• Standish Code Enforcement
• Standish iWorQ permit portal
• Standish fee schedule (printed January 2026)
• Standish required building inspections
• Standish Growth Management ordinance (Land Use Code Part 6)
• Standish Shoreland Zoning (Chapter 237)
• Standish Floodplain Management (Chapter 146)
• Standish impact fee memo to the Town Council, September 22, 2026

Standish permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Standish, Maine?

The Code Enforcement Office at the Standish Municipal Building, 175 Northeast Road (207-642-4571). It also issues electrical, plumbing, growth and flood permits; shoreland applications go to the Planning Department.

How much is a building permit in Standish?

$33 for the first $1,000 of estimated valuation plus $9 for each additional $1,000, with a $33 minimum. A new home also pays a $25 growth permit fee and impact fees of $4,039.05 (recreation and open space) and $2,342.34 (public safety).

Is there a limit on new homes in Standish?

Yes. The Town issues up to 85 growth permits a year from July 1 to June 30, plus nine for affordable housing, with sub-limits for the Rural District and subdivisions. Accessory dwelling units approved by the Code Enforcement Officer are exempt.

How long is a Standish building permit good for?

Two years from issue. If the work is not finished in that time, a new permit and fee are needed.

How do I book an inspection?

Request it through the iWorQ portal or call 207-642-4571, with as much notice as possible; same-day requests are not scheduled.

Do I need a permit for a fence or a pool?

Yes. Fences ($10) and pools ($25 above ground, $50 in ground) have their own permits in the iWorQ portal.

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