Andover, Massachusetts Building Permit Guide

In Andover, the Building Division of the Department of Community Development and Planning, at the Town Offices on 36 Bartlet Street, issues every building permit and houses the town’s electrical and plumbing inspectors. Applications go through the town’s ViewPermit (OpenGov) online center, and a typical addition or alteration costs a $25 application fee plus $13 per $1,000 of construction cost under the schedule in force since January 2, 2024.

Two recent changes matter on site. Since May 1, 2026 the division prints each issued permit as a building card that the contractor collects before work starts, and since July 1, 2026 new buildings follow the Specialized energy code that Town Meeting adopted in April 2025.

What work requires a building permit in Andover?

The Building Division says it issues permits for all construction regulated by the state building code. Its own checklist and FAQ show what that means for a house lot in town:

What Andover decides and what the state holds

The construction rules themselves are the Massachusetts State Building Code, 780 CMR, written by the Board of Building Regulations and Standards; Andover enforces it and cannot change it. What the town controls is everything around it: the Zoning Bylaw (Article VIII of the town code, re-adopted at the May 2, 2023 Annual Town Meeting), the fee schedules, the Wetlands Protection By-Law, the demolition bylaw and the Ballardvale Historic District bylaw, plus the choice of energy code. Zoning also decides whether a lot can be built on at all: the FAQ notes that the minimum lot area must be 100% contiguous upland, with no wetlands and no slopes steeper than 25% counted.

Andover building department: who handles permitting

The Building Division enforces 780 CMR, the state access regulations (521 CMR), the zoning bylaw and Chapter 40A, and it checks the conditions the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Planning Board attach to variances, special permits and site plan approvals. The Building Commissioner, Eric Tetreault, heads the division. Wiring and plumbing are not sent to another office: the electrical inspector and the plumbing and gas inspector work inside the same division.

Permit types in Andover

Residential permits

Owners and licensed contractors can both file building permits for additions, alterations and accessory structures online, but the town’s table of allowable online permits keeps electrical, gas, plumbing, mechanical, fire alarm and sprinkler permits for licensed contractors only. An owner who supervises his or her own job signs the Homeowners’ Exemption Eligibility Affidavit, which applies to a one- or two-family house the owner lives in or will live in, and states that anyone who builds more than one home in two years is not a homeowner. A new house is permitted in two stages: a foundation permit first, then, after the foundation inspection, a structure permit issued once the card, a certified foundation plan and an application come back to the division.

Building or remodeling a home here? Alliance handles residential permit applications, so the crew isn't waiting on the counter.

Commercial permits

Commercial, mixed-use and multifamily work uses the same $13-per-$1,000 building fee but brings more reviews: Planning Board site plan approval where the zoning bylaw calls for it, the Design Review Board, Fire Prevention, and construction control documents from a registered design professional under the state code. Fire alarm and sprinkler permits are their own permit types in ViewPermit. Before an occupancy permit for a commercial building with forced-air HVAC, the inspection schedule asks for a balancing report. Places of assembly and the other uses listed in Table 110 of the code also need a periodic certificate of inspection, $100 each.

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

What comes before the building permit

Andover’s checklist lists the offices that may have to approve a file before the Building Division issues anything:

• Zoning (978-623-8627) and the Zoning Board of Appeals: setbacks come from Table 2 in Section 4.1.2 of the bylaw and are not quoted by phone; bring a certified plot plan. A business certificate from the Town Clerk starts with a $25 zoning verification letter filed online.
• Planning (978-623-8650): a Planning Board release where a site plan or subdivision approval applies; accessory dwelling units, allowed by right up to 900 square feet under the 2024 Affordable Homes Act, follow the town’s site plan review procedure for ADUs.
• Conservation (978-623-8630): work near wetlands needs Conservation Commission approval under the state Wetlands Protection Act and Article XIV of the town code; the FAQ also sends shed and pool owners there for wetland setbacks.
• Board of Health (978-623-8640): a Title 5 investigation for additions and alterations on a septic system, and Health Division approval of the sewer or septic design for a new house.
• Ballardvale Historic District and the Preservation Commission: exterior work in the Ballardvale district (bylaw amended at the April 29, 2026 Town Meeting) needs that commission’s approval; the division also staffs the Central Street Historic District Commission; and demolition of a listed or inventoried building can be held for up to 12 months.
• Fire Prevention (978-623-8660): plan review for new one- and two-family homes and for additions that add bedrooms; dumpsters need permits from Fire Prevention and the Health Division.

Andover building permit fees

The Building Division’s fee schedule, effective January 2, 2024, charges a flat $25 application fee plus $13 for each $1,000 of construction cost on most permits. For a new building the whole fee is collected when the application is filed, and it already includes the certificate of occupancy.

Worked example. An alteration valued at $60,000 costs $25 + (60 × $13) = $805. Wiring and plumbing on the same job are billed separately on the trade schedules below.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Andover’s FAQ is plain about owners and trade work: a Massachusetts licensed electrician must apply for and perform all electrical work, and plumbing and gas fitting need a state licensed plumber or gas fitter. The checklist adds the timing: the electrical permit must be filed within 5 days of the start of the work, and plumbing and gas permits before it starts. Building work itself is supervised by the holder of a state Construction Supervisor License, and a contractor working on an existing owner-occupied home of up to four units also carries Home Improvement Contractor registration; both numbers go on the application.

Wiring done without a permit costs 200% of the fee, and after-hours electrical inspections cost $400.

How to apply for an Andover building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Under 780 CMR 105.3.1 the building official has 30 days from the filing of an application to approve or deny it. In Andover the usual holdups are the earlier sign-offs: a missing Planning Board release, a Conservation Commission order, a Title 5 inspection on a septic lot or a Preservation Commission review of an older building. A plan set without a certified plot plan, or plans larger than 2 by 3 feet, is also sent back. A permit lapses after 180 days without work, so a long pause means renewing it for $100.

Inspections in Andover

The division’s inspection schedule for one- and two-family homes (effective January 2025) runs in this order: excavation; footings and foundation before backfill, with damp-proofing in place; rough wiring, plumbing and gas before the rough frame; rough frame; chimney throat; insulation; and finals, with the building final last after every other department has signed off. Give at least 24 hours’ notice. Requests left on voice mail are not accepted. Inspectors sign the building card at each visit, and the card and the approved plans must be on site: a missing card means a failed inspection and a re-inspection fee. Every re-inspection after the first visit is billed, in all trades. Trade permits do not expire, but a job is only closed when its final inspection passes; for a new building the certificate of occupancy is already paid for in the building fee.

Energy code and state code in Andover

Andover adopted the Stretch energy code effective January 1, 2011, and its April 2025 Town Meeting adopted the Municipal Opt-in Specialized code, effective July 1, 2026. The town’s energy page explains that the Specialized code covers only new construction; additions, renovations and some special buildings such as labs and warehouses stay on the Stretch code, and mixed-fuel options remain available.

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

Andover permit search and official resources

To look up a property’s permits, open ViewPermit from the town’s Permits and Licenses button, choose Search and enter the address under Locations; open permits show as “active” and closed ones as “complete”. Older records are indexed in a 1958–1995 permit archive, and the division posts a monthly list of building permits issued. Plot plans and other file documents are requested through a public records request; a request to close out an old open permit must come from the current owner or the permit holder, through the town’s 311 request system. If the town has no plot plan on file, the next place to look is the Northern Essex Registry of Deeds.

• Andover Building Division
• Online Permit Center and allowable online permits
• ViewPermit portal (apply and search by address)
• Fees, forms and checklists
• Building permit fee schedule, effective January 2, 2024
• Plumbing and gas permit fees, revised March 14, 2024
• Electrical permit fee schedule, May 2025
• Building permit checklist and inspection schedule (2025)
• Homeowners’ exemption eligibility affidavit
• Building Division FAQ
• Andover building energy codes (Stretch and Specialized)
• Andover Zoning Bylaw, Article VIII (eCode360)
• Andover town code: demolition, historic district and wetlands bylaws
• Monthly building permits issued
• Permit archive index, 1958–1995
• FEMA Community Status Book, Massachusetts
• DOER energy-code adoption by municipality
• Massachusetts State Building Code, 780 CMR
• Massachusetts city and town Census data

Andover building permit FAQ

How much does a building permit cost in Andover?

Most permits cost a $25 application fee plus $13 per $1,000 of construction cost (schedule effective January 2, 2024), with a $25 minimum. A $60,000 alteration therefore costs $805 before the trade permits.

What is the Andover building card?

Since May 1, 2026 the Building Division prints each issued permit. The contractor picks the card up (7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday to Friday) before work starts and keeps it on site with the approved plans; a second copy costs $100, and a missing card fails the inspection.

Do I need a permit for a shed or a fence in Andover?

A shed needs a building permit if it is over 200 square feet, and any shed must sit at least 5 feet from the side and rear property lines. A fence needs a permit only if it is taller than 7 feet.

Can a homeowner do their own electrical or plumbing work in Andover?

No. The town requires a Massachusetts licensed electrician to file and do all wiring, and a licensed plumber or gas fitter for plumbing and gas. An owner can file the building permit for a one- or two-family home they live in, using the homeowner affidavit.

Which energy code applies to a new house in Andover?

The Specialized code, for permits under the town’s adoption effective July 1, 2026. Additions and renovations still follow the Stretch code, which Andover has used since 2011.

Is Andover in the federal flood insurance program?

Yes. FEMA lists Andover as a participating community, with flood maps dated July 8, 2025; work in a mapped flood zone or near wetlands also goes to the Conservation Commission.

How long does a building permit stay valid?

A building permit becomes invalid if work is suspended or abandoned for 180 days. Plumbing, gas and electrical permits do not expire, but each still needs a passed final inspection to close.

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