Concord, Massachusetts Building Permit Guide

In Concord the Building & Inspections Division at 141 Keyes Road issues building permits and the wiring, plumbing and gas permits, and new applications are filed online in PermitEyes. From January 1, 2026 a building permit is $14 per $1,000 of value with a $60 minimum, and most projects need a Board of Health Title 5 building review before the application goes in.

What requires a building permit in Concord?

Concord lists its permit types through its forms and fee schedule: building permits for new construction, additions and alterations, separate electrical, plumbing, gas and sheet metal permits, sign permits, tents and temporary structures, trench permits and permits to move a building. Several town bylaws then decide what has to be cleared before the building permit can issue.

Work on the state code’s exempt list in 780 CMR, section 105.2 needs no building permit, but in a historic district or a wetland buffer the local approval can still be required.

What Concord decides and what the state holds

The construction rules are the Commonwealth’s: 780 CMR, 10th edition, written by the Board of Building Regulations and Standards, which Concord cannot amend. Concord’s own rules are the zoning bylaw and its floor area ratio limits, the Historic Districts Act (a special act of 1960), the demolition review bylaw, the tree preservation bylaw, the local wetlands bylaw, the construction noise and sign bylaws, and the permit fees.

Concord also chose its energy code. Article 23 of the 2023 Annual Town Meeting adopted the Municipal Opt-in Specialized Stretch Code for new residential, commercial and mixed-use construction, effective January 1, 2024, and the town’s update reports that the article passed by a substantial majority. Concord also takes part in the state’s fossil-fuel-free demonstration program: the bylaw amendments under Article 32 of the 2024 Annual Town Meeting took effect on July 29, 2024, according to the Town Clerk’s notice of the Attorney General’s approval (the Building & Inspections page gives June 22, 2024).

The bylaw bars building permits for new buildings and major renovations that would install new on-site fossil fuel piping, and it removes the Specialized code’s zero-energy and mixed-fuel pathways for new construction. For a house, a major renovation means an addition over 1,000 square feet or one that more than doubles the conditioned floor area, a Level 3 alteration over 1,000 square feet, or a change of use over 1,000 square feet. Restaurant and commercial kitchen cooking, fuel lines serving only backup generators, utilities, and research laboratories and licensed health care facilities are exempt, and the Building Commissioner can waive the rule where compliance would make a project financially infeasible or impractical.

Concord building department: who handles permitting

The Building & Inspections Division enforces the State Building Code, the Architectural Access Board regulations, Concord’s zoning and sign bylaws, and the electrical, plumbing and gas codes. Kevin Pickering is the Building Commissioner. The wiring inspector and the plumbing and gas inspector each keep an 8:00 to 9:00 am office hour and take their own inspection calls.

The Planning Division at the same Keyes Road address takes demolition review applications for the Historical Commission, and Town House departments at 22 Monument Square keep Monday to Thursday hours of 8:30 am to 4:30 pm and Friday hours of 8:30 am to 12:30 pm.

Concord permit types

PermitEyes now takes every new application, building permits included; only changes to a permit issued before January 1, 2021 still go on the paper alteration form. Create an account, log out and back in, choose Apply for New Permit, and expect at least 48 hours before staff review it. Questions and requests for more documents come through the portal’s chat, and once the status reads Ready for Payment you pay by online check or card and print the permit yourself.

Residential permits

Before applying, a house project needs the Health Division’s Title 5 building review: Form C for a home on septic or Form S for one on sewer, which checks room count, design flow and system location. Additions and new houses are measured against the floor area ratio bylaw, and the town supplies a GFA/FAR worksheet for the gross floor area figures. Demolition, new construction and major expansion of a house also trigger the tree preservation bylaw: trees over six inches in diameter in the setback area must be protected, or replaced elsewhere, or paid for through the town’s Tree Fund, under a permit set by Planning Board rules. Pool work follows the town’s pool guidance, which includes pool demolition guidelines.

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

Commercial permits

Every commercial application must include a code analysis. Jobs requiring construction control use the town’s initial and final construction control documents and progress checklist, and the Final Construction Cost Affidavit squares the fee with the real cost. Places of assembly, lodging, multifamily buildings over three units and similar occupancies also need periodic certificates of inspection, from $40 a year for assembly spaces of 400 people or fewer to $75 every five years plus $2 per unit for apartments. A home business starts with the Home Occupation Zoning Review form.

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. Setbacks, floor area ratio and use are checked against the zoning bylaw; the Building Commissioner handles zoning enforcement and the Zoning Board of Appeals hears relief.
• Natural Resources Commission. It acts as Concord’s Conservation Commission under the Wetlands Protection Act and the town’s wetlands bylaw, and meets on the third Wednesday.
• Board of Health, Title 5. The Title 5 building review comes before the building permit for most work, including additions, renovations and finished rooms. Title 5 inspection reports are submitted only through PermitEyes, and the inspector must hold a Concord permit.
• Historic Districts Commission. Created by a special act in 1960, it reviews projects large and small in six local historic districts.
• Demolition review. Total demolition of any structure 50 or more years old is reviewed by the Historical Commission. File the paper application, legal ad form and photos with the Planning Division at least five weeks before the meeting you are aiming for. The application fee is $100, plus another $100 if the structure is found historically significant, and the applicant pays the newspaper for the legal notice. A hearing follows within 60 days of submission; a structure found preferably preserved cannot be demolished for one year, which the Commission can waive for an owner who tried and failed to find a buyer willing to preserve it or who accepts its conditions. If the Commission makes no determination within 60 days, the Building Commissioner may grant the permit.
• Historic district fees. A certificate of appropriateness costs $50 for minor modifications, $100 for major alterations such as new openings or additions, and $200 for demolition or a new dwelling.
• Trenches. Trench work takes a separate trench permit.

Concord permit costs and fees

The Building Division’s new application fees took effect January 1, 2026. The building rate rose from $12 to $14 per $1,000 and most minimums doubled from $30 to $60.

A worked example: a $150,000 addition costs 150 × $14, or $2,100, for the building permit. If its electrical work is valued at $20,000, that permit is $400 (20 × $20); a bathroom with four fixtures adds $105 in plumbing ($60 plus three at $15).

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical, gas, plumbing, sheet metal and fire alarm permits are filed online like building permits, and each trade inspector schedules his own inspections.

• Electrical: a Massachusetts-licensed electrician files; call the wiring inspector at 978-318-3235 between 8:00 and 9:00 am. After-hours inspections cost $400 and are arranged directly with him.
• Plumbing and gas: a licensed plumber or gas fitter files under 248 CMR; call 978-318-3276 in the morning office hour.
• Water heaters: a replacement takes a separate plumbing and gas or electrical permit, at $60 each.
• Fire alarms: a short-form fire alarm permit is among the trade forms.

How to apply for a Concord building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Under 780 CMR 105.3.1 the building official decides an application within 30 days after it is filed. In Concord most of the time goes into the approvals that come first: the Title 5 building review, Historic Districts Commission hearings, the five-week lead time for demolition review, tree preservation permits and floor area ratio calculations. A commercial file without its code analysis goes back to the applicant.

Inspections in Concord

Building inspections are arranged with the Building & Inspections office at 978-318-3280; the wiring and plumbing/gas inspectors are called directly. A re-inspection is $60 for building, electrical and residential plumbing work and $150 for commercial plumbing.

The town will not inspect a project when more than 180 days have passed since the last approved inspection or granted extension: such permits are treated as abandoned under 780 CMR 105.5. Extensions must be asked for in writing, with cause, before the permit lapses, and the department expects final inspections to be booked promptly when the work is done.

Massachusetts building code

Concord enforces 780 CMR, 10th edition, with the Specialized energy code adopted by the 2023 Annual Town Meeting and the fossil-fuel-free demonstration bylaw. FEMA lists Concord (community 250189) 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

Concord permit search and official resources

PermitEyes Public View shows building permits issued since January 1, 2021: enter the address under Site Address, then click the circle beside a permit to see its inspections. A closed permit shows a Final Inspection status. For permits issued before 2021, call Building & Inspections at 978-318-3280.

• Concord Building & Inspections
• Building permit information and Public View
• PermitEyes Public View
• PermitEyes login
• Permit applications and forms
• Building Division fees effective January 1, 2026
• Notice on expired permits
• Title 5 building review, septic, sewer and wells
• Demolition Review Bylaw
• Demolition Review Bylaw, amended 2023
• Historic Districts Commission
• Historical and Historic Districts Commission fees (2026)
• Tree Preservation Bylaw
• Natural Resources Commission
• 2023 Annual Town Meeting warrant (Specialized code, Article 23)
• Fossil fuel free infrastructure bylaw (2024)
• Fossil fuel free bylaw amendments notice
• Massachusetts State Building Code, 780 CMR
• FEMA Community Status Book, Massachusetts

Concord building permit FAQs

How much is a building permit in Concord?

$14 per $1,000 of value with a $60 minimum since January 1, 2026, for residential and commercial work alike.

Do I need Board of Health approval before a building permit?

For most work, yes. The Health Division’s Title 5 building review, on Form C for septic or Form S for sewer, comes before the building permit application.

Can I demolish an old house in Concord?

Total demolition of a structure 50 or more years old goes to the Historical Commission first; file five weeks before its meeting.

Do the tree rules apply to my addition?

They apply to demolition, new construction and major expansion of a house: trees over six inches in diameter in the setback area must be kept, replaced or paid for.

Can a new house in Concord use gas heat?

Generally no. Concord’s fossil-fuel-free bylaw bars new on-site fossil fuel piping in new buildings and major renovations, with narrow exemptions and a waiver the Building Commissioner can grant for infeasible projects.

How do I look up a permit on a Concord property?

Use PermitEyes Public View for building permits issued since January 1, 2021; for earlier permits, call Building & Inspections.

How do I book an electrical or plumbing inspection?

Call the inspector directly: wiring at 978-318-3235, plumbing and gas at 978-318-3276, in the 8:00 to 9:00 am office hour.

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