East Longmeadow, Massachusetts Building Permit Guide

The Town of East Longmeadow’s Building Department, at Town Hall, 60 Center Square, issues building, electrical, plumbing and gas permits for the town, taking applications through the OpenGov portal and plans in electronic form. Residential work costs $7 per $1,000 of construction cost, with a $1,000 minimum on a new single-family house and $75 on most other jobs, under Chapter 500 of the town code, adopted by the Town Council on February 27, 2024.

Building and electrical inspections are by appointment, and the plumbing and gas inspector inspects on weekday mornings from Monday to Thursday.

What needs a building permit in East Longmeadow?

The Building Commissioner issues permits for the erection, alteration, demolition and moving of buildings and structures and enforces the Zoning By-Laws. The town’s fee schedule lists the residential jobs it prices, which is the clearest local guide to what needs a permit:

Those structures still have to meet the Zoning By-Laws, and work within 100 feet of a wetland or water body comes under the town’s wetlands bylaw.

What East Longmeadow decides and what the state holds

The building code, 780 CMR, is set by the state Board of Building Regulations and Standards and enforced locally under MGL c. 143. East Longmeadow, which has a Town Council form of government, makes its own choices by council vote: the Chapter 500 fee schedule (with amendments posted in June 2025), the Stretch energy code in Chapter 319, the Wetlands Protection bylaw in Chapter 424, and the Zoning By-Laws, which were amended again in 2025 and 2026, including new rules for accessory dwelling units. Violations of 780 CMR can draw fines of up to $1,000 a day, and zoning violations $200.

East Longmeadow building department: who handles permitting

The Building Department issues every construction permit in town. Matthew Goodchild is the Building Commissioner and Code Enforcement Officer, and also the building inspector. The electrical inspector’s post is listed as vacant, with an alternate electrical inspector covering; the plumbing and gas inspector has an alternate as well. A building and planning clerk works in the same office.

Permit types in East Longmeadow

Residential permits

The town publishes separate applications for one- and two-family buildings and for everything else, plus electrical, plumbing, gas and sheet metal applications, a sign permit, a certificate of inspection request and a request for zoning enforcement. A building application comes with the workers’ compensation affidavit and the waste disposal affidavit that names where construction debris will go. Owners doing their own work on their home use the town’s homeowner’s license exemption form. Construction plans and drawings must be submitted electronically, on a thumb drive or by email; only drawings that fit legibly on letter-size paper are accepted on paper.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial, industrial, business, assembly, mercantile and hazardous buildings pay $9 per $1,000 of cost, with a $1,000 minimum for a new building and $150 for additions, alterations, roofing, solar, sheds of 200 square feet or more, decks, demolition, fences of 7 feet or more, retaining walls, sprinkler systems and other work. Tents and signs are $75 each, and a certificate of inspection, requested on its own form, is $75. Commercial electrical permits start at $200 for work up to $12,500.

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

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning: the Building Commissioner enforces the Zoning By-Laws. Planning Board site plan review or a special permit costs $250 plus $2 per abutter notice (a site plan review waiver is $25), an approval-not-required plan $70 and a zoning verification letter $30 per property. A variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals is $100, and an administrative appeal $100 plus $2 per abutter notice. In the residential districts (AA, A, B and C) the bylaw text the town posted with its February 12, 2025 accessory dwelling unit amendments limits buildings to 25% of the lot, applies the district setbacks to accessory buildings, and lets an accessory building in the side or rear yard come within 5 feet of the lot line only if no part of it is closer to the street than the house’s rear setback line plus 10 feet; an accessory building may not be lived in unless it meets the accessory dwelling unit rules in section 5.11.
• Wetlands: under Chapter 424, the Conservation Commission regulates work on or within 100 feet of banks, wetlands, ponds, streams and land subject to flooding, and within 100 feet of the 100-year flood line.
• Septic: the Health Department reviews disposal works under Title 5: $200 for plan review, $150 for the construction permit, and $150 for a soil suitability assessment covering the first two hours ($50 for each hour after).
• Street work: the DPW issues trench permits ($50) and permits to open a public way ($200).

East Longmeadow building permit fees

Building, electrical, plumbing and gas fees are written into Chapter 500 of the town code, adopted by the Town Council on February 27, 2024; the town’s Fees page also dates the update to that day. Building fees are a rate per $1,000 of construction cost, subject to a minimum.

Worked example. A new house with a construction cost of $480,000 pays 480 × $7 = $3,360, above the $1,000 minimum. A $30,000 kitchen renovation pays 30 × $7 = $210, while an $8,000 deck works out to $56 and is charged the $75 minimum.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical, plumbing and gas permits have their own applications and inspectors in the Building Department, and their fees are set by Chapter 500 rather than by project cost. Licensed electricians, plumbers and gas fitters file them under the state licensing rules; a replacement gas water heater needs both a gas and a plumbing permit, filled out together, for a single $75 fee.

A $20,000 commercial electrical job, for example, is $200 for the first $12,500 plus three $2,500 steps at $25, or $275.

How to apply for an East Longmeadow building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Under 780 CMR 105.3.1 the building official acts on an application within 30 days of its filing. In East Longmeadow, an application can also wait on outside approvals, such as a Planning Board hearing that needs abutter notices or a Conservation Commission filing, or on paper plans that have to be resubmitted electronically. Starting work before applying doubles the permit fee, and violating a stop-work order costs $150.

Inspections in East Longmeadow

Because the Building Commissioner is also the town’s building inspector, building inspections are scheduled by appointment with him at extension 1151, and electrical inspections by appointment through the office at extension 1150 while the electrical post is covered by the alternate inspector. The plumbing and gas inspector keeps office hours from 8 to 9 a.m. and inspects from 9 a.m. to noon, Monday to Thursday, at extension 1153. A building re-inspection costs $50. Buildings that need periodic safety certification request a certificate of inspection on the town’s form, at $75 for commercial buildings.

Energy code and local rules in East Longmeadow

The Town Council adopted the Stretch energy code on November 9, 2021, as Chapter 319 of the general bylaws, including any future editions, and the Building Commissioner has enforced it since January 1, 2022. The Wetlands Protection bylaw, Chapter 424, reaches beyond the state Act: the Conservation Commission’s jurisdiction covers anything that removes, fills, dredges, builds on or alters land within 100 feet of banks, wetlands, waters and land subject to flooding, and within 100 feet of the 100-year flood line, and it can reach the buffer around a temporary wetland when a qualified wildlife expert finds the wetland vital to a species that breeds only there. Emergency projects, as the state Act defines them, are outside the bylaw, and the Commission can accept plans filed under the state Act for its own review.

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

East Longmeadow permit search and official resources

Permits filed since the town moved to OpenGov are tracked in the portal. For older permits, plans and inspection records, the Building Department page says all public records requests go through the Town Clerk’s office at Town Hall, 60 Center Square (413-525-5400).

• East Longmeadow Building Department
• OpenGov online permitting
• Permits and applications
• Building Department fees
• Chapter 500 fee, fine and penalty schedule (2025 amendments)
• Residential building permit fees, 2024
• Commercial building permit fees, 2024
• Electrical permit fees, 2024
• Plumbing and gas permit fees, 2024
• Homeowner’s license exemption form
• Application for certificate of inspection
• Town code and bylaws
• General bylaws (eCode360)
• Zoning bylaws (eCode360)
• FEMA Community Status Book, Massachusetts
• 2020 U.S. Census municipal populations
• Massachusetts municipal energy-code adoption
• Massachusetts building energy codes

East Longmeadow building permit FAQ

How much is a building permit in East Longmeadow?

$7 per $1,000 of construction cost for residential work, with a $1,000 minimum for a new single-family house and $75 for most other jobs; commercial work is $9 per $1,000.

Do I need a permit for a shed in East Longmeadow?

Only for a shed or accessory structure over 200 square feet on a home lot ($7 per $1,000, $75 minimum). Smaller ones must still meet the district setbacks and the 25% lot coverage limit.

Do I need a permit for a fence?

Only for a fence over 7 feet high, or a pool fence not covered by another building permit.

Can I submit paper plans?

Only if they fit legibly on 8.5-by-11-inch paper. All other construction plans go to the Building Department electronically, on a thumb drive or by email.

Which energy code applies in East Longmeadow?

The Stretch code, adopted by the Town Council in November 2021 and in force since January 1, 2022.

What does a new house cost in permits in East Longmeadow?

The building permit is $7 per $1,000 of construction cost, at least $1,000; a $480,000 house pays $3,360. The electrical permit for a new house with service adds $175, and plumbing and gas each start at $75 plus $10 per fixture.

What if I start work before getting a permit?

The building permit fee is doubled, late electrical permits are doubled, and late plumbing and gas permits carry a $50 residential charge.

How do I get copies of old permits?

Through a public records request to the Town Clerk’s office, which handles all such requests for the Building Department.

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