Bedford, Massachusetts Building Permit Guide

In Bedford the Building Department, also called Code Enforcement, issues building permits and the electrical, plumbing and gas permits from 10 Mudge Way, and contractors and homeowners file them online through PermitEyes. Building work is $13 per $1,000 of value with a $50 minimum, and starting work without a permit triples the fee.

What requires a building permit in Bedford?

Bedford splits small projects into two tracks. Work regulated by the building code takes a building permit, while small sheds and low fences that the code leaves alone still need a town Zoning / Conservation Compliance Permit, so that setbacks, wetlands and the Historic District can be checked.

Both tracks need a certified plot plan stamped by a registered land surveyor, drawn to scale with the structure, property lines, street lines and other buildings. The state code’s exempt list in 780 CMR, section 105.2 is the legal baseline for what needs no building permit at all; Bedford’s fence sheet asks for a building permit once a fence passes 6 feet.

What Bedford decides and what the state holds

780 CMR, the State Building Code in its 10th edition, comes from the Board of Building Regulations and Standards and applies unchanged in Bedford. The town’s own levers are the zoning bylaw and its rules for non-conforming lots, the wetlands bylaw, the 1964 Historic District, the demolition delay bylaw, the stormwater bylaw, the Board of Health’s rules and the permit fees.

For energy, the Building Department reports that the 2023 Special Town Meeting voted to adopt the Municipal Opt-in Specialized code, implemented on July 1, 2024. The same notice still calls Bedford a Stretch Code community, which was its earlier status; the Specialized code is now the path for new construction.

Bedford building department: who handles permitting

The Building Department enforces 780 CMR, the Architectural Access Board rules, the Bedford Zoning Bylaws and the electrical, plumbing and gas codes, and oversees wetlands and floodplain protection through the Conservation Department. The Zoning Board of Appeals, Historic District Commission, Historic Preservation Commission and Weights and Measures also sit under it. Joseph Ready is the Building Commissioner, working with a building inspector, an electrical inspector and a plumbing and gas inspector.

Bedford permit types

PermitEyes has handled Bedford’s applications since June 8, 2020. After registering, choose New Application and the permit type; the owner fills in automatically from the address. The Transactions Monitor then shows four tabs: Sign Off, where Conservation, Health, Fire and other departments approve; Checklist, where the inspector asks for documents; Pay Fee; and Issue Permit, where the permit is printed. The department warns that the application cannot move to the inspector until every required department has signed off, and that some projects need a paper set as well, which the inspector requests through the portal’s chat.

Residential permits

The town publishes information sheets for accessory buildings, basement renovations, decks, fences, fireplaces and solid-fuel appliances, additions and new single-family dwellings. For an addition or a new house, the application is signed by the contractor and the owner (a homeowner doing the work fills in the Homeowner Waiver section instead), with a certified plot plan by a registered land surveyor or civil engineer at a scale of at least 1 inch to 20 feet and three sets of plans on sheets at least 24 by 36 inches, drawn at quarter-inch scale. Plans show 48-inch-deep footings, framing plans and sections, connection details, room uses and energy details such as insulation R-values and window U-factors; engineered lumber or steel needs a design professional’s calculations, and a second-story addition needs a structural engineer’s report on the existing walls and foundation. Before filing, the Health Inspector initials the application when a new house uses septic or a private well, or when an addition adds a bedroom on septic, and a DPW representative initials it when a new house connects to town sewer and water. Where public sewer is available, the sheets warn that the Board of Health may require the house to connect. Fire Department review of smoke, heat and carbon monoxide detectors can require detectors throughout an older house to be hard-wired. Teardowns need particular care: since November 2, 2015 the department has required most teardown-and-rebuild projects and large additions on non-conforming (undersized) lots to get a special permit or finding from the Zoning Board of Appeals before filing for a building permit, even where the new house meets current setbacks, if it would be larger or taller than the old one.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial work is $13 per $1,000, with sheet metal at $20 per $1,000 and construction trailers at $150. Site plan review costs $150 for projects under $100,000 and $300 above that. The department posts a permitting guide for small businesses and the building height requirements, and electrical contractors must email a load calculation worksheet to the electrical inspector, a rule the town introduced because solar and battery systems add demand to electrical panels.

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

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning. The Building Department reviews setbacks; work that does not comply goes to the Zoning Board of Appeals, whose administrative assistant is on the Building Department’s staff list.
• Conservation Commission. Under the Wetlands Protection Act and Bedford’s wetlands bylaw (General Bylaws Section 54), the Commission reviews work within 100 feet of wetlands, waterbodies, waterways and floodplains and within 200 feet of perennial streams and rivers, and issues certificates of compliance when the work is done.
• Historic District Commission. Inside the Historic District, any exterior change goes to a public hearing first: paint colors other than white, additions, demolitions, roofing, landscaping and tree removal, paving, skylights, satellite dishes and signs visible from a public way. Applications are filed with Code Enforcement.
• Demolition delay. A building built on or before January 1, 1943, or of unknown age, needs a short application that goes to the Historic Preservation Commission.
• Board of Health. Before a demolition permit, the Health Department signs off a pre-demolition checklist covering hazardous materials, an asbestos survey by a licensed inspector, licensed abatement with MassDEP notification, and pest baiting. Private wells are permitted through PermitEyes at $100 per well.

Bedford permit costs and fees

The Code Enforcement fee schedule updated July 1, 2020 is the current posted schedule. Work started without the proper permit is charged a triple fee.

A worked example: a $90,000 addition is 90 × $13, or $1,170, for the building permit. Its wiring, priced at $12,000, adds $300 (12 × $25), and a bathroom with five plumbing fixtures adds $110 ($70 plus four at $10).

Trade permits and who may pull them

Each trade files its own permit in PermitEyes and is inspected by the town’s own inspector.

• Electrical: a licensed electrician files and, for service and panel work, emails the load calculation worksheet to the electrical inspector; inspections follow 527 CMR 12.
• Plumbing and gas: filed by a licensed plumber or gas fitter under 248 CMR and priced by appliance, with $40 for a pressure test and $50 for an underground inspection.
• Sheet metal: its own permit at $12 per $1,000 for homes.
• Fire Department: one of the departments that may need to sign off in PermitEyes before review starts.

Even a 150-square-foot shed needs electrical and plumbing permits if it gets wiring or water.

How to apply for a Bedford building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Under 780 CMR 105.3.1 the building official must act on a complete application within 30 days of filing. The town’s new-house sheet puts typical plan review for a single-family dwelling at 14 to 21 days. Bedford’s own process adds a gate: the file does not reach the inspector until Conservation, Health, Fire and any other department have signed off. A missing surveyor’s stamp, an unresolved Historic District hearing or a non-conforming-lot question sends the application back.

Inspections in Bedford

Inspections are scheduled by phone at 781-275-7446 or by email to the inspector, not through the portal. The printed permit card stays at the job site, because the inspectors sign its boxes at each visit. A failed or not-ready inspection costs $50 to repeat.

New houses are permitted in two phases. After plan review the Building Official issues a foundation permit only; the foundation is inspected as it goes in, and the builder then submits a certified as-built plot plan showing exactly where it sits. The building permit for the house is released only once that plan is approved. If the foundation breaks a setback or another board’s condition, the permit is held until the problem is fixed, which can mean cutting back the foundation or going to the Zoning Board of Appeals. A certificate of occupancy is $50.

Massachusetts building code

Bedford enforces 780 CMR, 10th edition, with the Municipal Opt-in Specialized energy code the 2023 Special Town Meeting adopted, in effect since July 1, 2024. FEMA lists Bedford (community 255209) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with current flood maps effective July 8, 2025.

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

Bedford permit search and official resources

For permit records on a property, ask the Building Department at 781-275-7446 or file a request through the Town Clerk’s online public records form. Applicants follow their own permits in PermitEyes, where every application is listed with its status.

• Bedford Building Department
• How to use PermitEyes in Bedford
• PermitEyes login for Bedford
• Permit fees (updated July 1, 2020)
• Residential construction project sheets
• Additions information sheet
• New single-family dwellings information sheet
• Accessory buildings information sheet
• Fences information sheet
• Teardown policy for undersized lots
• Historic District Commission
• Historic Preservation Commission and demolition delay
• Conservation Commission
• Health Department pre-demolition requirements
• Private well permits
• Request public records
• Massachusetts State Building Code, 780 CMR
• FEMA Community Status Book, Massachusetts

Bedford building permit FAQs

How much is a building permit in Bedford?

$13 per $1,000 of the work’s value with a $50 minimum for houses, additions and alterations, under the schedule updated July 1, 2020. Starting without a permit triples the fee.

Do I need a permit for a small shed in Bedford?

A shed under 200 square feet needs a $50 Zoning / Conservation Compliance Permit and a certified plot plan, not a building permit. At 200 square feet or more it needs a building permit.

Do I need a permit for a fence?

Yes. Fences 6 feet or lower take the $50 compliance permit; taller fences take a building permit. There is no fence setback, but the town suggests keeping about a foot off the line.

Can I tear down and rebuild on a small lot?

Usually only after a special permit or finding from the Zoning Board of Appeals, if the new house is larger or taller than the existing one on an undersized lot.

Is my house subject to demolition delay?

If it was built on or before January 1, 1943, or its age is unknown, the demolition application goes to the Historic Preservation Commission.

Can I paint my house in the Historic District?

Painting in white needs no hearing; any other color, like roofing, additions and tree removal, goes to the Historic District Commission first.

How long does plan review take for a new house in Bedford?

The town’s sheet says typically 14 to 21 days. A foundation permit comes first, and the building permit follows once the as-built plot plan of the foundation is approved.

When is the Building Department open?

Monday 8:00 am to 7:00 pm and Tuesday to Thursday 8:00 am to 4:00 pm; it is closed on Fridays.

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