Brewster, Massachusetts Building Permit Guide

Brewster’s Building Department, part of Community Planning and Land Use Management at Town Hall, 2198 Main Street, issues building, electrical, plumbing and gas permits and takes applications in OpenGov. A house addition or alteration costs $0.70 per square foot, or the $100 base fee plus $75 per required inspection if that is higher, under the schedule that took effect on March 1, 2026, and walk-in hours run Monday to Thursday.

The department carries more than building code work: it enforces the zoning bylaw, acts as the town’s FEMA floodplain administrator, inspects stormwater permits and administers the Old King’s Highway historic district rules with the local committee. Those extra roles explain why a Brewster permit file often needs stormwater, historic and septic papers before it is complete.

The Brewster Building Department covers the whole town, north and south of Route 6. Neighboring Dennis and Harwich run their own building departments.

What requires a building permit in Brewster?

The state building code decides what needs a permit: construction, alteration, repair, demolition and changes of use, minus the items 780 CMR exempts. Brewster’s March 2026 fee schedule shows the local permit and registration categories that sit on top of that list.

What the town decides and what the state holds

The Board of Building Regulations and Standards writes 780 CMR, and Brewster cannot change its technical requirements. Town Meeting adopts the local bylaws that shape a project — zoning (Chapter 179), wetlands (Chapter 172), stormwater (Chapter 272) and the Stretch energy code (Chapter 159) — while the fee schedule and permit categories come from the department’s posted schedules. The Old King’s Highway rules come from a state act that the town’s committee administers.

Brewster building department: who handles permitting

The department is led by Building Commissioner Tom Delaney with a local building inspector, a part-time electrical inspector and a part-time gas and plumbing inspector. Walk-in service runs Monday through Thursday from 8:30 am to 4 pm; on Fridays Town Hall is closed to the public and the office works by phone and email.

Permit types

Residential permits

One- and two-family work falls under Chapter 51 of 780 CMR, the residential code, and the fee schedule treats it as its own class with a $25 deposit per application. Applications are made in OpenGov, though the department also posts paper building, express, electrical, plumbing, gas, sheet metal and stormwater applications. Supporting forms include the workers’ compensation insurance affidavit, an agent-for-owner authorization, a debris affidavit and the Homeowner License Exemption Affidavit for owners doing their own work. An ADU is allowed by right, one per lot with no owner-occupancy rule, and is approved by the Building Commissioner under a building permit after November 2025 zoning amendments that the Attorney General approved in February 2026.

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

Commercial permits

Everything other than one- and two-family dwellings is permitted under the rest of 780 CMR with a $50 deposit, a $125 base fee and $0.75 per square foot for new construction, additions and alterations over 100 square feet. Commercial express permits are $100, heat pumps $125 per unit and solar $100 plus $2 per panel. Town-sponsored projects, including affordable housing, are exempt from permit fees except electrical, plumbing and gas inspection fees under Select Board Policy 5.

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 Zoning Board of Appeals hears special permits, variances, appeals and Chapter 40B permits; the process takes at least two months, followed by a 20-day appeal period and recording at the Barnstable Registry of Deeds before a building permit can follow.
• Stormwater: Chapter 272 requires a stormwater permit for land disturbance of 10,000 square feet or more or a net increase of 500 square feet or more of impervious surface; the town posted proposed amendments to the bylaw (August 31, 2026) and regulations (October 16, 2026), which change nothing until adopted.
• Conservation Commission: work near wetlands goes through the commission under the state act and the Brewster Wetlands Protection Bylaw; it meets the second and fourth Tuesday at 6 pm.
• Board of Health and Title 5: septic permits come from the Health Department, and the building fee schedule notes that septic permits are separate from the building permit.
• Old King’s Highway: north of Route 6 the local committee must approve exterior changes, fences, signs, new buildings and demolition, judging design, proportion, materials and color.

Brewster permit costs and fees

The building, electrical and plumbing and gas schedules all took effect on March 1, 2026. Calculated fees are rounded up to the next dollar, fees and deposits are non-refundable, and building fees triple when work starts before the permit (trade fees double).

Worked example: a new bathroom with three plumbing fixtures takes a $120 plumbing permit under the residential table (the base $100 covers the first fixture). The building fee for the same project depends on its square footage and on how many inspections it requires, because the schedule charges whichever is higher of $0.70 per square foot or the $100 base plus $75 per inspection, so on a small job the number of required inspections can set the fee.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical permits are filed with a copy of the electrician’s certificate of insurance, and plumbing, gas and sheet metal permits each have their own application. The electrical fee for a new home covers the trench, service, service bond, rough and final inspections, and an alarm system done by the same installer at the same time. Town-run projects still pay the trade fees under the fee waiver policy.

The trade permits go to state-licensed electricians, plumbers and gas fitters. The building permit goes to a contractor holding a Construction Supervisor License (with Home Improvement Contractor registration on an existing owner-occupied home) or to an owner using a Homeowner’s Permit; the department’s FAQ answers yes to homeowner permits but links the state’s warning that simple-looking jobs may not be simple.

How to apply for a Brewster 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 grant or deny it in writing. Brewster applications tend to wait on the boards: an OKH certificate, a ZBA decision that needs two months plus the appeal period, a conservation order or a major stormwater permit. Staff will not judge whether a lot is buildable until a full building permit application is filed.

Inspections in Brewster

Inspection requests are not taken through OpenGov. Building inspections must be booked at least 24 hours ahead by emailing the department’s building address or calling (508) 896-3701 ext. 1125, and take place Monday through Friday. Electrical, gas and plumbing inspections are requested in writing on the department’s inspection request forms, emailed to the department or dropped off, never sent to an inspector directly. The electrical inspector reads requests in office hours on Mondays and Thursdays from 10 to 11 am; the gas and plumbing inspector’s office hours are Wednesdays and Fridays from 8:30 to 9:30 am, and those inspections happen only on Wednesdays and Fridays.

The department’s August 2026 guidelines list the stages: a stormwater pre-construction check where a permit applies, sono-tubes, grounding by the wiring inspector before footings, footings, foundation walls, damp-proofing and slab, exterior sheathing and nailing, deck framing, rough frame after trade roughs, insulation (with a certificate for spray foam), building final after trade finals and any HERS or duct testing, and the stormwater final. For a major stormwater permit a stamped as-built and certificate of compliance must be in before a certificate of occupancy or completion issues. Re-inspections cost $75, then $125.

Building and energy code in Brewster

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

Brewster enforces the 10th edition of 780 CMR. Chapter 159 of the town code, adopted by the May 6, 2019 Annual Town Meeting (Article 19), incorporates the Stretch energy code with future editions; after a choice period from July 1, 2019 it became the only energy path on January 1, 2020. The town code contains no Municipal Opt-in Specialized code chapter. FEMA lists Brewster as a participating flood insurance community with maps effective July 16, 2014, and its Community Rating System class 8 standing gives policyholders a 10% discount.

Brewster permit search and official resources

Some building permit records can be viewed in OpenGov, and the department posts instructions for finding them. For a property’s full file, send a Request for Information by email, phone or in person: requests are processed on Fridays and the records can be viewed at the counter from the following Monday, with photos allowed and copies for a fee. The fee schedule directs official public records requests to the Town Clerk.

• Brewster Building Department — staff, hours, inspection rules and records requests
• Brewster OpenGov permit portal
• Brewster permit applications and forms — paper applications, affidavits, inspection request forms
• Building permit fee schedule (March 1, 2026)
• Electrical permit fees and gas and plumbing permit fees
• Building inspection scheduling guidelines
• Town Code Chapter 159, Stretch Energy Code
• Town Code Chapter 272, Stormwater Management and proposed 2026 amendments
• Town Code Chapter 179, Zoning
• Accessory dwelling units in Brewster
• Old King’s Highway Historic District Committee
• Brewster Zoning Board of Appeals
• Brewster Conservation Department and Board of Health

Brewster building permit FAQ

How much is a building permit in Brewster?

For one- and two-family work, $0.70 per square foot or the $100 base plus $75 per required inspection, whichever is higher, with a $25 deposit. Other buildings pay a $125 base plus $0.75 per square foot. The schedule took effect on March 1, 2026.

Can I book an inspection in OpenGov?

No. Building inspections are booked by email or phone at least 24 hours ahead; electrical, gas and plumbing inspections need the written request form sent to the department.

Do I need a permit for a shed in Brewster?

A shed up to 120 square feet is registered for $50 and an accessory structure up to 200 square feet for $75. North of Route 6 the OKH committee also reviews sheds and fences.

Do I need a permit for a fence in Brewster?

Not for a fence of 6 feet or under outside the historic district, according to the department’s FAQ. Taller fences and any fence in the OKH district need a call to the department first.

Does Brewster use the Stretch energy code?

Yes, under Chapter 159, adopted in May 2019; it has been the only energy path for new permits since January 1, 2020.

When do I need a stormwater permit in Brewster?

When work disturbs 10,000 square feet or more of land or adds 500 square feet or more of impervious surface, including smaller pieces of a larger plan. Major stormwater permits need a stamped as-built before occupancy.

Can I add an ADU in Brewster without a special permit?

Yes. One ADU per lot is allowed by right and approved by the Building Commissioner with a building permit; septic, wetlands and historic rules still apply.

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