Easton, Massachusetts Building Permit Guide

Easton’s Inspectional Services Department, in the Town Offices at 136 Elm Street, North Easton, reviews plans for and issues building, electrical, plumbing, gas, roofing, siding, window, pool, sign, wood stove, HVAC, fire protection and demolition permits, and runs the whole process online through PermitEyes. Since May 1, 2025, a new house or an addition costs $1.75 per square foot and an alteration $1.40, and the department asks applicants to allow at least 48 hours for an application to be reviewed.

The Inspector of Buildings is also the Zoning Enforcement Officer, so zoning compliance is checked in the same office. Easton adopted the Stretch energy code at its May 17, 2010 annual town meeting, created a Local Historic District the same night, and has had a 12-month demolition delay for preferably preserved older buildings since 2004.

The department covers the whole Town of Easton, including the village of North Easton. Neighboring Stoughton, Norton, Mansfield, Raynham and Brockton run their own building departments.

What requires a building permit in Easton?

Easton applies the State Building Code’s permit rule and lists, on its own pages, the kinds of work it permits. Re-roofing, re-siding and replacement windows and doors are on that list, priced by the value of the job.

What the town decides and what the state holds

The Board of Building Regulations and Standards writes 780 CMR, and Easton cannot amend it. Town meeting and the town’s boards decide the rest: the fee schedules effective May 1, 2025, the zoning bylaw (Chapter 235), the wetlands bylaw (Chapter 227), the Board of Health’s on-site sewage rules (Chapter 350), the demolition review (Chapter 114), the Local Historic District (Chapter 152), the pool enclosure bylaw (Chapter 206) and the choice of the Stretch energy code (Chapter 203).

Easton building department: who handles permitting

Inspector of Buildings and Zoning Enforcement Officer Kevin Greiner, with the town since 2004 and a certified building official, leads the department. Two local inspectors handle building inspections, an electrical inspector works Monday to Thursday, and an alternate plumbing and gas inspector covers those trades. The department also inspects and certifies businesses for annual licensing and investigates zoning complaints.

Permit types

Residential permits

Easton’s system is paperless from registration to printed permit. Applicants create an account, choose Apply for New Permit, fill in every required field and upload their documents; the inspector then uses the chat feature or email to ask for anything missing. Residential building work is priced per square foot: $1.75 for new construction and additions, $1.40 for alterations and for accessory structures, garages and decks. Pools are $15 per $1,000 of value with a $150 minimum, and roofing and siding $10 per $1,000 with a $100 minimum. The building permit goes to a licensed construction supervisor or, under the state’s homeowner exemption, to an owner doing work on their own one- or two-family home.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial new construction and additions cost $2.00 per square foot and alterations $1.60. Commercial roofing and siding is $14 per $1,000 with a $150 minimum, mechanical and sheet metal 2% of the contract with a $75 minimum, and commercial wiring and plumbing 2% of the contract. Certificates of inspection under 780 CMR 110 start at $60, and antennas and towers are charged per $1,000 of value with a per-carrier fee.

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: Easton has a combined Planning & Zoning Board for site plans and special permits and a separate Board of Appeals for variances; the Inspector of Buildings decides zoning compliance on each application.
• Conservation Commission: the town’s wetlands bylaw covers freshwater wetlands, vernal pools, ponds of any size, streams and land subject to flooding; the commission opens a hearing within 21 days of a complete filing, and the applicant must notify the Select Board, Planning and Zoning Board, Board of Appeals, Board of Health, Engineering Division and Building Inspector.
• Board of Health and Title 5: septic systems follow Title 5 and the town’s on-site sewage disposal rules, through the Health Department; sewer connections go through Public Works.
• Local Historic District: exterior changes inside the district need approval from the Easton Historical Commission, which administers it under M.G.L. c. 40C.
• Demolition review: any building 75 years old or more, or of unknown age, goes to the Historical Commission first; a building found preferably preserved faces a 12-month delay.

Easton permit costs and fees

All of Easton’s current building, wiring, plumbing and gas, and mechanical fee schedules took effect on May 1, 2025. The building schedule sets a $75 minimum building fee and lists a $75 technology fee; the wiring and plumbing schedules list the same $75 technology fee. You pay online once the inspector marks the application Ready for Payment, by online check or card.

Worked example: a 500-square-foot addition is 500 × $1.75 = $875 in building fees, and a 300-square-foot deck is 300 × $1.40 = $420; the schedules also list the $75 technology fee. A demolition of a building valued at $50,000 is $75 plus 49 × $10, or $565.

Smaller items on the building schedule include a temporary certificate of occupancy ($50 residential, $75 commercial), a temporary trailer ($75), a replacement permit card ($75) and residential mechanical or sheet metal work ($60 plus $15 per appliance). On the wiring side, a service upgrade is $60 ($120 when a trench inspection is needed), remodels and repairs are $60 per inspection, inspections beyond two cost $60 each, and a re-inspection for defective workmanship is $60.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Easton issues its own wiring, plumbing and gas permits, and its fee schedules spell out who is responsible: plumbers and gas fitters must get their own jobs inspected, and must file a copy of their workers’ liability insurance and their plumber or gas fitter license. A gas-fired hot water tank replacement needs separate plumbing and gas permits. Residential solar PV wiring is charged at 2% of the contract cost; commercial electrical work is also 2% of the contract, with a $100 minimum per inspection.

An emergency call-out of the electrical inspector after business hours by a town department is billed at $250 to the property owner, under the wiring schedule.

Massachusetts has no general contractor license: the supervising individual holds a Construction Supervisor License, and contractors working on existing owner-occupied homes register as Home Improvement Contractors. Massachusetts rules

How to apply for an Easton building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Under 780 CMR 105.3.1 the building official must decide within 30 days of filing; Easton’s own guidance is to allow at least 48 hours for the first review. The usual holds are an application left in “waiting for additional information”, a fee paid but not yet matched by the inspector, a wetlands hearing, or a 12-month demolition delay on an older building.

Inspections in Easton

Inspection requests go in online through the “Request an Inspection” link once the permit is issued, never before; the request then shows as scheduled in your account. Building inspectors go out Monday to Thursday between 10:00 am and 1:00 pm and on Friday between 10:00 am and noon. The plumbing and gas inspector inspects on Monday, Wednesday and Friday between noon and 2:00 pm. The wire inspector inspects Monday to Thursday from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm and also takes requests by phone at (508) 230-0586.

Inspection records are online from 2015. The department issues the certificate of occupancy when the project is complete, and charges $75 when more than one follow-up inspection is needed.

Building and energy code in Easton

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

Easton enforces the 10th edition of 780 CMR. Under Article 29 of the May 17, 2010 annual town meeting the town adopted the Stretch energy code, recorded as Chapter 203 of the town code; the code records no Municipal Opt-in Specialized adoption. FEMA lists Easton as a participating National Flood Insurance Program community with flood maps current from July 7, 2009.

Easton permit search and official resources

The PermitEyes public record database shows issued permits and pending applications: building permits from 2004 on, plumbing, gas and electrical permits from October 2014, and inspection records from 2015. Older files can be requested through the town’s public records request process.

• Easton Inspectional Services — staff, responsibilities and scam alert
• Easton forms and permit applications — PermitEyes steps and inspection times
• Easton PermitEyes login — apply and request inspections
• Easton public permit records — issued permits and pending applications
• Easton fee schedules — effective May 1, 2025
• Building Department fee schedule — square-foot and value-based fees
• Wiring permit fee schedule — electrical fees
• Plumbing and gas fee schedule — trade fees and rules
• Town Code Chapter 203, Stretch Energy Code — 2010 adoption
• Town Code Chapter 114, Demolition Permit Review — 12-month delay
• Town Code Chapter 227, Wetlands Protection — local wetlands bylaw
• Easton public records requests — older files

Easton building permit FAQ

How much does a building permit cost in Easton?

For a house, $1.75 per square foot for new construction and additions and $1.40 for alterations, decks and garages, under the schedule effective May 1, 2025. The minimum building fee is $75.

Can I apply on paper in Easton?

The town describes its permitting as completely automated and paperless; applications go through PermitEyes in Firefox or Chrome.

How long does an Easton permit take?

The department asks applicants to allow at least 48 hours for review; state law gives the building official up to 30 days.

When do Easton inspectors come out?

Building inspections Monday to Thursday 10:00 am to 1:00 pm and Friday 10:00 am to noon; plumbing and gas Monday, Wednesday and Friday noon to 2:00 pm; wiring Monday to Thursday 10:00 am to 1:00 pm.

Does Easton use the Stretch energy code?

Yes, since the May 17, 2010 annual town meeting adopted it.

I got an email asking me to pay my permit fee by wire. Is it real?

The town has warned of exactly this scam. Pay only through PermitEyes, and call the department on its published number before paying anything requested by email.

Does a pool in Easton need a fence?

Yes. Chapter 206 of the town code requires an enclosure around the property or the pool area that keeps the water out of reach of small children, and the pool itself needs a building permit and a wiring permit.

Do I need two permits to replace a gas water heater in Easton?

Yes, a plumbing permit and a gas permit, each with its own fee.

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