Beverly, Massachusetts Building Permit Guide

Beverly’s Department of Municipal Inspections, based at 8 Dane Street, reviews plans and issues the building, electrical, plumbing, gas and mechanical permits for the whole city, all filed through its OpenGov online permit center. The building fee is $15 per $1,000 of construction value, with a $65 minimum, and the department’s FAQ puts the outer limit for a decision at 30 days.

Beverly City Hall is in temporary quarters at 175 Cabot Street while the historic building at 191 Cabot Street is renovated; 191 Cabot Street is still the department’s mailing address.

What requires a building permit in Beverly?

Beverly’s FAQ quotes the state code’s rule that building, altering, repairing, removing or demolishing a structure, changing its use, or installing regulated equipment needs a permit, and then names the jobs it sees most:

What Beverly decides and what the state holds

The building rules are the Commonwealth’s: 780 CMR, the state electrical code and the plumbing and gas code. The city’s own ordinance chapter on building construction says as much, deferring to the state code and regulations. What Beverly sets is the zoning ordinance (Chapter 300), the wetlands ordinance (Chapter 287), stormwater rules (Chapter 249), the historic district and demolition ordinance (Chapter 168), its fee schedule and its energy code election. Penalties for unpermitted work also come from both sides: the city doubles the fee, and the state code allows a fine of up to $1,000 a day.

Beverly building department: who handles permitting

The Department of Municipal Inspections is the single office for building, electrical, plumbing, gas and mechanical permits, and it enforces the zoning ordinance and the Architectural Access Board regulations as well. The Director of Municipal Inspections heads the department; the Sealer of Weights and Measures also reports to the Director.

Permit types in Beverly

Residential permits

House projects are filed in the online permit center after a one-time registration that the city says takes less than five minutes; the profile then fills in later applications, and other departments see the plans electronically. The FAQ asks for three sets of construction plans and three copies of a certified plot plan for most projects, and every application carries the state workers’ compensation affidavit. On a home that is already in a flood hazard area, alterations, renovations and additions also need the city’s Flood Hazard Areas notice package, and coastal decks have their own construction sheet. Accessory dwelling units are allowed under the ordinance the City Council approved in December 2023 and are filed as building permits.

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

Commercial permits

For anything other than a one- or two-family house, the department’s Application Summary Requirements Table sets out what each project type needs. A new building can need a Construction Supervisor License, construction control affidavits, a certified plot plan, the energy checklist, structural peer review, fire protection documents and narrative, a soil evaluation, a program of structural tests and inspections, Architectural Access Board compliance, site plan review, Historic District Commission approval and Design Review Board approval. A non-structural interior alteration needs far less: the application, plans, workers’ compensation affidavit and, where it applies, HIC registration. Schools, day care centers, assembly spaces, hotels and multifamily buildings also hold periodic certificates of inspection from the department. Projects that fall under the state code’s construction control rules file the initial, final and phased construction control affidavits, which the forms page points to on the state Department of Public Safety site.

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

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning: the department enforces Chapter 300 itself; relief goes to the Zoning Board of Appeals, and site plan review appears on the requirements table for larger projects.
• Wetlands: work in or near resource areas needs the Conservation Commission under the state Wetlands Protection Act and the city’s own Chapter 287.
• Septic: where a lot is not on sewer, the Board of Health handles the Title 5 system review.
• Historic review: exterior work in the Fish Flake Hill Historic District goes to the Beverly Historic Districts Commission, and demolishing a building at least 50 years old that is listed on or eligible for the National or State Register, tied to notable people, events or architecture, or within 150 feet of a historic district boundary can be held for up to 12 months once the commission finds it preferably preserved.
• Streets and fire: a trench permit in a city street costs $100 for anyone other than the city; dumpsters, hot work, propane and oil burner work need Fire Department permits.

Beverly building permit fees

Beverly prices a building permit on the total value of the work as the building department determines it, not on the contract price, and that value covers the entire project including the trades. The value is then rounded up to the next whole $1,000.

Worked example. A kitchen and bath renovation valued at $40,500 is rounded up to $41,000, so the building permit costs 41 × $15 = $615. Periodic certificates of inspection for existing buildings are billed on a separate schedule that the fee page links.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Wiring, plumbing, gas and sheet metal permits come from the same department and are filed in the same portal. Each trade has its own fee line on the city’s schedule:

• Electrical: $25 per $1,000 of the estimated cost of the electrical work (labor, equipment and materials), $65 minimum; solar $10 per panel. The application must include a certificate of insurance, the workers’ compensation affidavit and proof of licensure. Electrical permits are void after one year, and a final cost affidavit is due before the final on jobs with fees of $2,000 or more. The inspector of wires approves every electrical fee and may check the stated cost against R.S. Means or the signed contract; payments are non-refundable and can be transferred only when the contractor changes.
• Annual institutional electrical permit: $250 for the first 100,000 square feet or less, then $100 for each further 100,000 square feet.
• Plumbing and gas: $10 per fixture or $65, whichever is greater; re-inspection $50.
• Sheet metal: $15 per $1,000, $65 minimum.
• Paper trade permits: since December 1, 2024 a $25 administration fee applies to electrical, plumbing or gas permits filed on paper.

The trades are licensed by the state, and the supervising builder on a structural job holds a Construction Supervisor License; on an existing owner-occupied home, the contractor also needs Home Improvement Contractor registration.

How to apply for a Beverly building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Massachusetts gives the building official 30 days from filing to grant or deny a permit (780 CMR 105.3.1), and Beverly’s FAQ says the actual time runs from one day to that limit depending on the queue and the scope: small jobs come back faster and new buildings take close to the full 30 days. Work cannot start until the permit is issued; the FAQ says the office phones the applicant when it is ready and writes by mail if it cannot reach them by phone. The usual reasons a file stalls are approvals that sit outside the department, such as Design Review Board or historic district sign-off, flood-zone paperwork for an existing building, or a missing peer review on a larger structure.

Inspections in Beverly

Inspection status and results are posted in the online permit center, so owners and contractors can follow each stage, and the inspectors keep the office hours in the contact table for questions. The department inspects new construction, additions, alterations and repairs in all trades, and work that is covered before its inspection can be ordered opened up. A failed visit for unfinished work costs $65. On a project that needs one, the certificate of occupancy carries no separate charge because it is built into the building permit fee. Beyond new work, the department inspects and certifies existing schools, colleges, day care centers, hotels, motels, multifamily buildings, restaurants, theaters, places of worship and public pools on the state’s periodic schedule, and it enforces the Architectural Access Board rules.

Energy code and state code in Beverly

The Beverly City Council adopted the Municipal Opt-in Specialized energy code as Chapter 290 of the city ordinances by Order No. 030B-2025 on April 7, 2025, applying it to residential and commercial buildings and making it enforceable by the Director of Municipal Inspections. The adopted ordinance is the rule to design to. The department’s own web page still says the city “has adopted the Stretch Energy Code” and asks for the Stretch compliance checklist with every application; that page text is older than Chapter 290, but expect the office to keep asking for the checklist until it is updated. No city page we could read gives the date the Specialized code took effect, so ask the department which energy code applies on the date you file.

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

Beverly permit search and official resources

The Online Permit Center doubles as the city’s permit search: registered users can see the recent permitting history of any parcel, along with application status and inspection results. For older plans or documents on file, the department’s Request for Information form asks for copies, and the city’s public records process covers anything else.

• Beverly Municipal Inspections / Building Department
• Online Permit Center information
• Beverly OpenGov permit portal
• Beverly building, electrical, plumbing and gas permit fees
• Building permit application procedure FAQ
• Application summary requirements table (other than one- and two-family)
• Permit applications and forms
• Flood hazard areas: notice for work on existing buildings
• Request for Information form (plans and documents on file)
• Chapter 290, Specialized Energy Code (eCode360)
• Chapter 168, historic districts and demolition delay (eCode360)
• Beverly code of ordinances, general legislation (eCode360)
• FEMA Community Status Book, Massachusetts
• DOER energy-code adoption by municipality
• Massachusetts State Building Code, 780 CMR
• Massachusetts city and town Census data

Beverly building permit FAQ

How much is a building permit in Beverly?

$15 per $1,000 of construction value, with the value rounded up to the next $1,000 and a $65 minimum. A $40,500 renovation pays $615; the certificate of occupancy is included.

Can I still file a paper building permit in Beverly?

No. Building permit applications are online only. Electrical, plumbing and gas permits filed on paper carry a $25 administration fee.

Do I need a permit to re-roof or replace siding in Beverly?

Yes. The city lists roofing and siding among the jobs that need a permit; only repairs to damaged shingles count as an ordinary repair.

How long does Beverly take to issue a permit?

Up to 30 days. The department says small jobs usually come back sooner and new buildings take close to the full period.

What happens if I start work without a permit in Beverly?

You still need the permit and pay double the fee (the extra charge is capped at $1,000), covered work may have to be opened for inspection, and the state code allows fines of up to $1,000 a day.

Does Beverly have a demolition delay?

Yes. For buildings 50 years or older that meet the ordinance’s tests (Register listing or eligibility, historic or architectural significance, or a site within 150 feet of a historic district), the Historic Districts Commission can delay a demolition permit for up to 12 months.

Do I need a permit for a storage container in Beverly?

Yes. The Director of Municipal Inspections can permit up to two storage containers or bulk transport boxes on a property for up to 30 days; anything from 30 to 90 days needs a City Council permit, and a property can get no more than two such permits a year.

Is Beverly in the National Flood Insurance Program?

Yes, as a participating community with FEMA flood maps dated July 8, 2025. Work on an existing building in a flood hazard area needs the city’s flood notice package.

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