Dedham, Massachusetts Building Permit Guide

In Dedham the Building Department, headed by the Building Commissioner, issues building permits, and its electrical inspector and plumbing and gas inspector issue the trade permits; applications go through the town’s OpenGov portal. Under the fee schedule effective January 1, 2026, work on a one- or two-family house costs $10 per $1,000 of construction cost, with minimums from $50 to $350 depending on the job.

What work requires a building permit in Dedham?

Dedham’s own advice is to call before any work starts, and even before buying or leasing a property: the Building Department or the Planning, Zoning and Natural Resources department can say which rules apply to a planned alteration. The fee schedule shows the range of jobs the department permits.

The schedule is detailed enough to show that Dedham expects a permit for jobs some owners treat as maintenance, such as a new roof, replacement siding, new windows or a sub-panel. Each of those has its own line and minimum fee.

What Dedham decides and what the state holds

The Building Department describes its work as administering and enforcing the codes and laws tied to Chapter 143 of the General Laws and 780 CMR, the 10th edition of the Massachusetts Building Code, which the state Board of Building Regulations and Standards writes and Dedham cannot amend. The Building Inspections Division also enforces the town’s Zoning By-Laws and Sign Code, cites violations and imposes fines, investigates complaints and inspects every place of assembly each year. Those local bylaws, and the fee schedule, are where Dedham makes its own choices. On energy, the town has opted into the Municipal Opt-in Specialized Energy Code through Chapter 122 of its General Bylaws, which applies to residential and commercial buildings, so a new home or a major project is designed to that code rather than the base or Stretch code.

Dedham building department: who handles permitting

Building Commissioner Bill McGrady leads the Building Department and its Building Inspections Division, which reviews applications, issues building permits and inspects the work. Two trade inspectors work in the same department: the electrical inspector performs wiring inspections, issues electrical permits and enforces the Massachusetts Electrical Code, and the plumbing and gas inspector issues plumbing and gas fitting permits and enforces the Massachusetts Uniform State Plumbing Code.

Weights and measures is no longer a Building Department task: since October 20, 2025 those inspections have been carried out by Norfolk County (781-234-3377).

Dedham permit types

Every Dedham application starts in OpenGov, where the department’s “Apply for a Building Permit Online” category lists the permit types. Applicants without a computer or phone, or who get stuck, can ask the Building Department team to help them complete the application.

Residential permits

One- and two-family work is charged at $10 per $1,000, but the minimum depends on the job: $350 for a new house, $75 for an addition or alteration, and $50 for a shed or garage, a window or door replacement, fire-damage repairs or interior demolition. Siding and roofing are cheaper at $8 per $1,000. Buildings with three or more units pay $18 per $1,000. Residential mechanical and sheet metal permits, on the schedule effective June 4, 2026, are $10 per $1,000 of the associated work with a $50 minimum. A new home’s electrical permit is a flat fee set by service size. A homeowner may apply for a building permit on their own one- or two-family home under the state code’s homeowner rule; otherwise the work is supervised by a Construction Supervisor License holder, and contractors working on existing owner-occupied homes of one to four units must be registered Home Improvement Contractors. The department keeps a page on accessory dwelling units for owners planning one.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial building permits are $15 per $1,000, with minimums of $300 for new construction, $150 for alterations and additions, and $100 for repairs, interior demolition, fire-damage replacement and replacement windows or doors. Commercial, mixed-use and other mechanical and sheet metal permits are also $15 per $1,000, with a $100 minimum. Places of assembly are inspected every year, and the annual certificate of inspection costs $125, or $50 for a church.

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

• Planning and zoning. The Planning and Zoning Division of Planning, Zoning and Natural Resources handles land-use questions, and the Building Inspections Division enforces the Zoning By-Laws when it reviews the permit.
• Conservation. Work near wetlands and other resource areas goes to the Conservation Division and the Conservation Commission.
• Stormwater. Planning, Zoning and Natural Resources also has a Stormwater Division, the office for stormwater questions on a site.
• Board of Health. Septic systems under Title 5 and other health permits go through the Health department.
• Signs. A sign permit costs $15 per $1,000, $75 minimum, and is reviewed under the town’s Sign Code.

Dedham permit costs and fees

Dedham posts its fees as a flip-book on the Building Department’s permit fees page. The building and electrical schedules are dated effective January 1, 2026, and the mechanical and sheet metal schedule effective June 4, 2026. Building permit fees are waived for buildings the town owns and operates.

Worked example: a new single-family house with a construction cost of $500,000 pays 500 × $10 = $5,000 for the building permit, and a $40,000 addition to a house pays $400. Both are above their minimums. The schedule lists the certificate of occupancy at $25 on the residential page and $75 on the miscellaneous page, so ask the department which applies to your project.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical permits are issued by the electrical inspector and filed by a licensed electrician; plumbing and gas-fitting permits are issued by the plumbing and gas inspector and filed by a licensed plumber or gas fitter. Both schedules punish work done ahead of the permit with triple fees: the electrical sheet says its rates are subject to triple fees for all work started without a permit on file within 5 days, and the plumbing sheet triples the fee for work started before a permit is obtained or without the plumbing inspector’s consent.

Electrical and plumbing inspections outside normal hours are charged at overtime rates: Monday through Saturday, 4 hours of inspector overtime at 1.5 times the rate plus 20%, and on Sundays 2 times the rate plus 20%. The electrical schedule notes that its miscellaneous fees are determined by the electrical inspector.

How to apply for a Dedham 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 the permit or refuse it in writing with reasons. A Dedham file can also wait on something outside the Building Department, such as a zoning, conservation or health approval that has not yet been granted. Talking to the department before applying, as the town asks, is the easiest way to find those steps early. The inspectors’ morning and late-afternoon office hours, and the alternating Wednesday evenings, are the times to raise plan questions in person.

Inspections in Dedham

Building inspections are carried out by the Building Inspections Division, electrical inspections by the wiring inspector and plumbing and gas inspections by the plumbing and gas inspector, each reachable on their own line listed above. The stages follow the State Building Code for the work, such as foundation, framing, insulation and final, with separate trade rough and final inspections.

Re-inspections cost $25 on the building schedule, $100 for electrical (paid in advance) and $50 for plumbing. After-hours electrical and plumbing inspections can be arranged at overtime rates. A new building or a change of use is closed with a certificate of occupancy, and places of assembly then receive an annual inspection from the department.

Massachusetts building code in Dedham

Dedham enforces 780 CMR, the 10th edition of the Massachusetts Building Code, under Chapter 143 of the General Laws, together with the electrical code on the wiring side and the state plumbing code on the plumbing side.

Dedham’s Specialized energy code

Article I of Chapter 122 of the General Bylaws, “Specialized Energy Code”, was adopted by the May 17, 2010 Annual Town Meeting (Article 39) and amended in its entirety by the May 20, 2024 Annual Town Meeting (Article 18). It incorporates the Specialized Code, 225 CMR 22.00 and 23.00 with Appendices RC and CC, into the bylaws, as a more energy-efficient, lower-emission alternative to the Stretch code or the base Massachusetts energy code, for both new construction and existing buildings. The bylaw says the Specialized Code applies to residential and commercial buildings and is enforced by the building commissioner or any assistant inspector of buildings. Read it in Dedham General Bylaws, Chapter 122.

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

Dedham permit search and official resources

Dedham’s OpenGov portal holds digital building records from 2007 to the present, which anyone can review there. Records from before 2007 can be requested from the Building Department or through the town’s online records request.

• Dedham Building Department
• Dedham OpenGov: apply for a building permit
• Building Department permit fees
• Dedham permit fee schedules (PDF, effective January 1 and June 4, 2026)
• Planning and Zoning Division
• Conservation Division
• Dedham Health Department
• General Bylaws Chapter 122: Specialized Energy Code

Dedham building permit FAQs

How much is a building permit for a new house in Dedham?

$10 per $1,000 of construction cost with a $350 minimum, so a $500,000 house pays $5,000.

Do I need a permit for a new roof or siding?

Yes. Siding and roofing permits are $8 per $1,000, with a $50 minimum.

What does an electrical permit for a new home cost?

It is based on the service size: $325 up to 200 amps, $450 for 201 to 400 amps, $675 for 401 to 600 amps and $800 up to 800 amps.

Can I get help applying if I am not online?

Yes. The Building Department team will help with the OpenGov application; call 781-751-9180.

Can I look up old permits for my house?

Records from 2007 onward are in OpenGov; older ones can be requested from the department or through an online records request.

What if work starts before the permit?

The electrical and plumbing schedules triple the fee for work started without a permit.

Which energy code applies in Dedham?

The Municipal Opt-in Specialized Energy Code, adopted in Chapter 122 of the General Bylaws (amended in its entirety in May 2024), for residential and commercial buildings.

When are Dedham inspectors in the office?

Weekdays from 8:30 to 10:00 am and 3:30 to 4:30 pm, and on alternating Wednesday evenings.

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