Auburn, Massachusetts Building Permit Guide

Auburn’s Building Inspections Division, part of the Department of Development and Inspectional Services at Town Hall, 104 Central Street (508-832-7719), issues building, wiring, plumbing and gas permits through the Town’s OpenGov permit portal. Fees approved by the Select Board on December 8, 2025 took effect on March 1, 2026: a one- or two-family job costs $9 per $1,000 of estimated cost plus a $20 dumpster fee, with a $120 minimum. Work started without a permit pays triple.

What requires a building permit in Auburn?

Auburn is a Worcester County town of about 17,600 people. Its General By-Laws make it unlawful to build, alter, remove or demolish a building, or change its class of occupancy, without first filing an application with the Inspector of Buildings and getting a permit. The 2026 fee schedule lists the residential work it covers:

What Auburn decides and what the state holds

The state Board of Building Regulations and Standards writes the building code, 780 CMR, and Auburn cannot amend it. Auburn controls its permit fees (set by the Select Board), its Zoning By-Laws (amended through October 28, 2025, including Floodplain and Aquifer and Watershed Protection overlay districts), a local Wetland Protection by-law, the Board of Health’s local Title 5 amendments and the Stretch Energy Code, adopted in Section 12.17 of the General By-Laws, effective July 1, 2013, together with any future editions. Auburn has been a state-designated Green Community since July 2012.

Auburn building department: who handles permitting

The Building Inspections Division, within the Department of Development and Inspectional Services, issues building, wiring, plumbing and gas permits and also houses the Sealer of Weights and Measures. Gary Allard is the Building Commissioner and Zoning Enforcement Officer; a local building inspector, a wiring inspector and a plumbing and gas inspector, each with an assistant, do the inspections. The department as a whole is led by its director, Darlene M. Coyle, who is also the first contact listed for the Public Health Division. Under the General By-Laws the Inspector of Buildings is appointed by the Town Manager and keeps the Town’s records of applications, permits, certificates and inspections.

The Sewer Division is separate, at 7 Millbury Street (508-832-7811, weekdays 7 am–3 pm).

Auburn permit types and the approvals that come first

The division’s new OpenGov permit portal is live for building, wiring, plumbing and gas applications, and the division posts its supporting forms beside it: a deck template, an owner authorization form for agents filing on an owner’s behalf, the workers’ compensation affidavit and a zoning interpretation request form. Under the General By-Laws the Inspector of Buildings may also ask for a scaled plot diagram showing the new work, other structures on the lot, and buildings on adjoining land within 10 feet of the property lines.

Residential permits

One- and two-family work, including ADUs and tiny homes, uses the residential rate, and the Building Official must accept the estimated cost of construction. A written zoning determination costs $85. The division also posts a notice on crumbling foundations: all of Auburn lies within 50 miles of the Stafford Springs concrete plant identified as the source of concrete made with pyrrhotite-bearing aggregate, concrete poured between 1982 and 2015 may be affected, and testing is the only way to know; as of July 2022 the Town had no documented foundation failures, and its records cannot show whether a given house is affected.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial, industrial and other non-residential work costs $12 per $1,000 of estimated cost plus the $20 dumpster fee, with a $170 minimum; a new business occupancy or change of occupancy is $125. Apartment buildings with four or more units count as commercial for wiring fees. Periodic certificates of inspection for assembly, educational and similar uses carry a $100 administrative fee plus inspection charges.

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

• Conservation Commission: wetlands, banks, ponds and similar areas, a 100-foot buffer zone and a 200-foot riverfront area come under the state act and Auburn’s Wetland Protection by-law; the Commission meets the second and fourth Wednesday of each month at 7 pm at Town Hall.
• Public Health Division: septic systems under Title 5 with Auburn’s own amendments, private well regulations and a percolation testing policy.
• Sewer Division: new connections, made only by a drainlayer licensed in Auburn.
• Zoning Board of Appeals and Planning Board: special permits, variances and site plan review under the Zoning By-Laws.

Auburn permit fees

All three Building Division fee schedules were approved by the Select Board on December 8, 2025 and took effect on March 1, 2026. Fees are not refundable or transferable, and work started without a required permit pays triple.

Example: a $45,000 addition to a single-family home costs 45 × $9 = $405 plus the $20 dumpster fee, or $425. A $10,000 roof replacement works out to $90 plus $20, so the $120 minimum applies instead.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Wiring, plumbing and gas permits are filed separately for each dwelling unit, building or tenant space and are pulled by state-licensed electricians, plumbers and gas fitters; building contractors work under a state Construction Supervisor License. Sewer connections must be made by a drainlayer licensed by the Town of Auburn, with current insurance and bond on file.

Replacing a gas hot water tank needs only the $75 plumbing permit, not a separate gas permit. Wiring re-inspections for discrepancies are $75. Municipal buildings pay only a $36 inspection fee.

How to apply for an Auburn building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The Building Official reviews both the plans and the estimated cost of construction, which must be accepted before the fee is set. 780 CMR 105.3.1 gives the building official 30 days from filing to grant or deny the application. Conservation hearings, held twice a month, and Board of Health septic review for additions that add bedrooms can add time.

Inspections in Auburn

Each trade books its own inspections: the wiring inspector takes calls at 774-272-3543 on weekdays from 9 am to 4 pm, and the plumbing and gas inspector at 508-754-7291 on weekdays from 7:15 to 8:15 am. The wiring fee for a new house covers three inspections (four with an underground service), and plumbing permits include two, with $75 for each extra visit. A re-inspection fee ($85 residential, $125 commercial) applies when work is not ready, is unacceptable or the building is not accessible, and it must be paid before the re-inspection is scheduled. The occupancy permit is $100 for residential work, and a temporary certificate is $50.

Building code, septic rules and local by-laws in Auburn

Auburn enforces 780 CMR, 10th edition, and the Stretch Energy Code under Section 12.17 of its General By-Laws, enforced by the Inspector of Buildings. The Board of Health’s Title 5 amendments, voted November 28, 2005, change how a house is counted for septic design: beyond one living room, one kitchen and one dining room, every habitable room counts as a bedroom, and a residential system is sized for the number of bedrooms plus one. The whole system, including the side slopes of a mounded system, must sit on the lot it serves. Connecting to Town sewer where it is available is not mandatory, but a failed Title 5 inspection may require it, and residential connection fees are based on the number of bedrooms. FEMA lists Auburn as a participating community in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective June 21, 2023.

Percolation tests are another local rule. Under a Board of Health policy voted April 15, 2003, perc test results are valid for two years. Older results are accepted only if the testing rules have not changed since, the original records can be obtained and checked, the original test site can be relocated from records and durable bench marks, and a new site inspection with a deep-hole soil evaluation, less than two years old, shows the soil has not changed. The Sewer Division’s connection permit covers two inspections, must stay on site, and goes back to the division after the final with as-built plans of the new connection; connection fees are paid when the permit issues.

For wetlands, the Conservation Commission points owners to the state’s wetland map to check whether a property is in or near a buffer zone, and its 2026 hearing calendar sets a filing deadline about two weeks before each hearing (for example, December 31, 2025 for the January 14, 2026 hearing).

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

Auburn permit search and official resources

Applicants follow their permits in the OpenGov portal. For older records, the Inspector of Buildings keeps the Town’s file of applications, permits, certificates and inspections; ask the division, or file a request through the Town’s public records page. The division notes that every record it makes or receives is presumed public unless a statutory exemption applies.

• Auburn Building Inspections Division
• Auburn permit portal (OpenGov)
• Building permit fees (effective March 1, 2026)
• Wiring permit fees (effective March 1, 2026)
• Plumbing and gas permit fees (effective March 1, 2026)
• Deck template
• Owner authorization form
• Zoning interpretation request form
• Crumbling foundations notice
• General By-Laws
• Zoning By-Laws (amended through October 28, 2025)
• Public Health Division
• Board of Health Title 5 amendments
• Sewer connection permits and fees
• Conservation Commission
• Public records
• Massachusetts State Building Code (780 CMR)
• FEMA Community Status Book, Massachusetts

Auburn building permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in Auburn, MA?

The Building Inspections Division at Town Hall, 104 Central Street (508-832-7719). Gary Allard is the Building Commissioner.

How much is a building permit in Auburn?

For one- and two-family work, $9 per $1,000 of estimated cost plus a $20 dumpster fee, with a $120 minimum; commercial work is $12 per $1,000, with a $170 minimum.

What if I start work without a permit?

The fee is tripled on building, wiring, plumbing and gas permits under the 2026 schedules.

Do I need a gas permit to replace a gas water heater?

No. The $75 hot water tank replacement permit covers gas tanks, and no additional gas permit is required.

Do I have to connect to Town sewer?

Not if a working septic system serves the house; you may need to connect if the system fails its Title 5 inspection, using a drainlayer licensed in Auburn.

Can the Town tell me if my foundation has pyrrhotite?

No. All of Auburn is within the 50-mile radius of concern, but only testing the concrete can confirm it, and the Town’s records cannot show it.

How long is a perc test good for in Auburn?

Two years under the Board of Health’s 2003 policy. Older results can still be used only with the original records, a relocated test site and a new deep-hole soil evaluation showing no change.

When can I reach the plumbing inspector?

Call 508-754-7291 on weekdays between 7:15 and 8:15 am; the wiring inspector takes calls at 774-272-3543 from 9 am to 4 pm.

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