Abington, Massachusetts Building Permit Guide

In Abington, the Building Department at 500 Gliniewicz Way (781-982-2105) issues building, electrical, plumbing and gas permits, which are applied for through the Town’s OpenGov portal. Under the fee schedule the Board of Selectmen voted on May 23, 2022 (effective July 1, 2022), a house project costs $15 per $1,000 of estimated cost, or 1.5%, with a $50 minimum, and the Town enforces the Stretch Energy Code it adopted at the 2017 Annual Town Meeting.

What requires a building permit in Abington?

Abington, home to about 17,100 people (Census estimate, 2025), names the jobs it permits in its fee schedule: new construction, additions, alterations, garages, decks, sheds over the exempt size, roofing, siding, pools and replacement windows on houses of one or two units, the same list for commercial property at a higher rate, plus sheet metal, signs, solar arrays, wood stoves and demolition. The department’s FAQ answers the reverse question with the exemptions it applies.

What Abington decides and what the state holds

The code book is the state’s: 780 CMR comes from the Board of Building Regulations and Standards, and Abington cannot change it. The Town sets the permit fees (the 2022 schedules are filed with the Town Clerk), adopted the Stretch Energy Code (Chapter 145 of its General Bylaws), and writes its own Zoning Bylaw (Chapter 175) and wetlands bylaw (Chapter 171). The department adds local placement rules for sheds, fences and pools, set out below.

Abington building department: who handles permitting

The Building Department issues building, electrical, gas and plumbing permits, enforces the State Building Code and the Abington by-laws, and inspects restaurants, lodgings and places of assembly every year. Nick Jenks is the Building Commissioner and Zoning Enforcement Officer. The Town’s phone directory routes zoning petitions and Conservation questions to the same number.

Curb cuts and sidewalks are the Department of Public Works’ responsibility (Highway, 781-982-2115), and percolation tests are booked with the Health Department (781-982-2119).

Abington permit types and the approvals that come first

Applications go through OpenGov. For trade permits, the department’s standing notice lists what must arrive before a permit number is assigned: a completed application, a copy of the current electrician’s, plumber’s or gas fitter’s license, a general liability certificate naming the Town of Abington as certificate holder, a workers’ compensation certificate naming the Town (or the workers’ compensation affidavit), and the full fee.

Residential permits

Houses of one or two units use the residential rates. A shed of up to 200 square feet needs no permit, but it must sit at least 10 feet from the side and rear lines and 35 feet from the front line; corner lots count as having two fronts and two backs, and detached accessory buildings may not cover more than 25% of the rear yard. Fences up to 7 feet need no permit, but within 20 feet of a roadway they may not exceed 36 inches. Every pool is subject to Conservation approval and needs a plot plan showing it 10 feet from lot lines and buildings and 35 feet from the front line, a 4-foot fence for in-ground pools, and a wiring permit. Accessory apartments carry a $35 annual in-law affidavit.

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Commercial permits

Buildings of three or more units and all other commercial work pay 2% of estimated cost ($20 per $1,000) with a $75 minimum. Commercial certificates of occupancy are $75 per unit, a change of use or occupancy permit is $75, and buildings due periodic inspection under Table 110 pay $100 for each certificate of inspection; multi-family R-2 buildings pay $100 for the first unit and $25 for each additional unit. The $100 certificate of inspection applies to theaters, restaurants and night clubs, halls and churches, schools and day care, group homes, nursing homes and hospitals, hotels and motels, and residential facilities licensed by DDS or DMH; multi-family buildings are inspected every five years. Temporary structures (including tents and storage pods) and construction trailers are $50 each, fire escape certificates $100 and towers $100. On the wiring side, a new three-unit building is $450 plus $150 for each additional unit. Commercial inspections add above-ceiling, lath and gypsum and fire-rated assembly checks, and final affidavits are due before occupancy.

For tenant improvements and new commercial builds, Alliance handles commercial permit filing through issuance. More on this: commercial building permits explained.

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning: the Building Commissioner enforces the Zoning Bylaw and takes zoning petitions; site plan, subdivision and Form A filings go to the Planning Department (781-982-0069).
• Conservation Commission: under the wetlands bylaw, land within 200 feet of rivers, ponds and lakes and within 100 feet of other resource areas is presumed important to those resources, and a Notice of Intent requires notice to abutters within 100 feet. Conservation sign-off is also needed before a certificate of occupancy.
• Board of Health (Title 5): perc tests and septic review run through the Health Department (781-982-2119).
• Historical review: the Historical Commission keeps the Town’s inventory of historic places; Abington’s General Bylaws contain no demolition-delay chapter, so demolition follows the building permit process at $15 per $1,000 of the work.
• DPW: new curb cuts and sidewalk work need DPW approval, and the DPW signs off before occupancy.

Abington building permit fees

The Board of Selectmen voted the current building, wiring and plumbing and gas fee schedules on May 23, 2022, effective July 1, 2022. Work started without a permit is charged double.

For example, a $40,000 addition costs 40 × $15, or $600, and a $3,000 shed is charged the $50 minimum because 1.5% of it is only $45. A permit on which work has not started within 180 days is void unless it was renewed in writing before then. If that $600 permit were cancelled, 25% ($150) would be kept, while a fee of $200 or less is not refunded at all.

Trade permits and who may pull them

The wiring inspector and the plumbing and gas inspector issue and inspect their own permits, and both must be told of every inspection in advance; the plumbing and gas inspector asks callers to leave a detailed voicemail. Only licensed electricians, plumbers and gas fitters can apply, with insurance certificates naming the Town. Building permits for home improvement work go to a Construction Supervisor License holder with Home Improvement Contractor registration, unless an owner uses the state code’s homeowner exemption.

A new bathroom with four plumbing fixtures in a house would be $60 plus three additional fixtures at $15, or $105. Failing to get a wiring permit, except in an emergency, doubles the wiring fee.

How to apply for an Abington building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Under 780 CMR 105.3.1, the building official acts on an application within 30 days of filing. Abington will not assign a trade permit number until every listed document is in, so a missing license copy or an insurance certificate that does not name the Town stops the file before review begins. Building permits wait on Conservation approval for pools and wetland-area work, and a project that has not started within 180 days lapses unless it was renewed in writing.

Inspections in Abington

The department publishes its required inspections for houses: excavation (frost depth), footing, foundation (after waterproofing), slab, mechanical, electrical and plumbing rough, frame (with draft stopping), energy (insulation), fire-resistance-rated assemblies between dwelling units, and a final that is booked only after the trade finals and the Fire Department’s sign-off. For commercial buildings the list runs from excavation, footing and foundation, and the concrete slab and under-floor work, through the trade rough-ins, frame, lath and gypsum where needed, fire- and smoke-resistant penetrations, energy efficiency, above-ceiling work before the drop ceiling goes in, and fire-rated assemblies, to the final. The certificate of occupancy follows once HERS reports and as-built or elevation certificates are submitted and the Assessor, Conservation Commission, Planning and DPW have signed off. The department warns that work must be ready before calling, to avoid re-inspection fees of $50 for a house and $75 for commercial work. Trade emergency inspections are booked for at least two hours: residential wiring is $100 for the first two hours and $75 for each additional hour, and residential plumbing and gas $100, then $50 for each additional hour.

Abington building and energy code

Abington enforces the 10th edition of 780 CMR together with the Stretch Energy Code, adopted by the Annual Town Meeting of May 22, 2017 (Article 14) as Chapter 145 of the General Bylaws, including future editions; the Building Commissioner enforces it. New homes therefore need the energy compliance documents and HERS reports the certificate of occupancy calls for. Fee schedules adopted under state law are kept on file with the Town Clerk. FEMA lists Abington as a participating community in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective July 3, 2024.

Massachusetts has one State Building Code, 780 CMR, for every city and town; towns cannot rewrite it, though many opt into a stricter energy code. The trades run under their own state codes. Massachusetts rules

Abington permit search and official resources

The Building Department’s “Public Record Access” button opens the OpenGov public search, the Town’s public window on permit records. For files from before the portal, ask the Building Department or make a public records request to the Town.

• Abington Building Department
• Abington OpenGov permit portal
• Abington OpenGov public permit search
• Building permit fee schedule (effective July 1, 2022)
• Wiring permit fee schedule (effective July 1, 2022)
• Plumbing and gas permit fee schedule (effective July 1, 2022)
• Trade permit application requirements
• Required residential and commercial inspections
• Town department phone directory
• Health Department
• Abington General Bylaws and Zoning Bylaw (eCode360)
• FEMA Community Status Book, Massachusetts
• Massachusetts State Building Code (780 CMR)

Abington building permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in Abington, MA?

The Building Department at 500 Gliniewicz Way (781-982-2105). It issues building, electrical, plumbing and gas permits.

How much does a building permit cost in Abington?

1.5% of estimated cost ($15 per $1,000) for a house of one or two units, with a $50 minimum; commercial work is 2% with a $75 minimum.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

Not for one of 200 square feet or less, but it must be 10 feet from side and rear lines and 35 feet from the front line.

Do I need a permit for a fence?

Only over 7 feet. Within 20 feet of a road, a fence may not be taller than 36 inches.

Does my pool need Conservation approval?

Yes. The department says all pools are subject to Conservation approval, and pools need a wiring permit.

Can I get a refund if I cancel my permit?

Not on fees of $200 or less; on larger fees the Town keeps 25% plus any costs it has incurred.

Does Abington have a demolition delay bylaw?

The General Bylaws on eCode360 contain none; demolition needs a building permit at $15 per $1,000 of the value of the work.

How do I look up a permit on a property?

Use the OpenGov public search linked from the Building Department page.

Simplify Abington permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Massachusetts. 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 Abington permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.