Falmouth, Massachusetts Building Permit Guide

In Falmouth the Building Department, part of Inspectional Services on the lower level of Town Hall at 59 Town Hall Square, issues building, electrical, plumbing, gas and sheet metal permits, and all applications go through the town’s PermitEyes portal. New construction and alterations are both charged $8 per $1,000 of construction value with a $100 minimum under the fee schedule the Select Board adopted for January 1, 2025, and the town says permits average 10 to 30 days to clear every department.

Falmouth runs its permit rules through town meeting bylaws and Select Board fee votes: the Stretch energy code since July 1, 2020, a 12-month demolition delay for buildings on the Historical Commission’s list, seven local historic districts, and a pool enclosure bylaw of its own.

The Falmouth Building Department covers the whole town, villages included. Mashpee and Bourne run their own building departments.

What requires a building permit in Falmouth?

Construction, alteration, repair, demolition and change of use need a permit under 780 CMR, and Falmouth’s own filing rules spell out the local details. The new-building instructions say plainly that no work, including excavation, may start until the permit issues, and the fee schedule doubles the cost of any permit for work begun before issuance.

What the town decides and what the state holds

The building code itself belongs to the Board of Building Regulations and Standards, and Falmouth cannot amend it. What town meeting and the Select Board control is the fee schedule (set under Chapter 119 of the Code of Falmouth), the zoning bylaw (Chapter 240), wetlands regulations (Chapter 235), nitrogen control and watershed rules, the historic district and demolition-delay bylaws, and the energy code path.

Falmouth building department: who handles permitting

The Building Commissioner, Gary Street, is also the town’s Zoning Enforcement Officer and takes questions from 8 am to noon on weekdays at 508-495-7470. Three building inspectors split the field work, and the town’s electrical inspector and plumbing and gas inspector run their own trades. An assistant zoning compliance agent sees the public by appointment on weekday mornings (508-495-7468).

Permit types

Residential permits

A new house in Falmouth needs a fuller package than the code minimum. The department’s instructions ask for site and sewage plans, a sewage installation permit where there is no sewer, building plans at 1/4 inch to the foot showing elevations, framing, insulation, foundation and a cross section, with smoke and heat detectors marked for fire department sign-off, plus a Cape Cod Commission checklist showing the lot is exempt from regional review. A construction supervisor attaches a copy of the license, and a contractor on an owner-occupied home attaches the Home Improvement Contractor registration; an exempt homeowner signs the town’s exemption form. The department posts an HIC-CSL table showing which projects need which credential, and forms for releasing or withdrawing a contractor.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial work uses the same $8 per $1,000 rate. Business occupancies file the department’s Business Occupancy Narrative and Occupancy Load Calculation Form, a certificate of commercial use and occupancy costs $100, and buildings on the department’s annual certificate-of-inspection list need a certificate of inspection ($100 per establishment, with a $100 late fee). Tents go through the department’s tent permit requirements at $150 a tent; signs follow the sign bylaw (Chapter 184) at $8 per $1,000, $100 minimum.

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

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning: most lots have setbacks of 25 feet at the front and 10 feet at the sides and rear, per the town’s FAQ. A ZBA special permit or variance is filed with the building application along with the Town Clerk’s certificate that no appeal was taken and the registry book and page. The Planning Board handles special permits, site plan review and subdivisions.
• Conservation Commission: site work within 100 feet of a wetland needs the commission’s written approval (a determination or an order of conditions, recorded at the Barnstable County Registry of Deeds) under the Wetlands Protection Act and Falmouth’s Chapter 235 regulations.
• Health and Title 5: the Health Department handles septic permits and also files through PermitEyes; the town’s $50 consolidated permit bundles a sewer service connection, trench and plumbing permit with a Title 5 septic abandonment.
• Historic districts: Falmouth has seven local historic districts first created by Chapter 654 of the Acts of 1975 and now run by the Historical Commission under the 2015 historic district bylaw; work in a district needs the commission’s approval letter with the permit application.
• Demolition delay: before applying to demolish, the owner files a request for review with the Town Clerk; a building on the List of Significant Buildings faces a 12-month delay unless the commission grants a waiver after an advisory review.
• DPW: a new driveway onto a town road needs a street opening permit from the Department of Public Works.

Falmouth permit costs and fees

The current schedule took effect on January 1, 2025, after the Select Board voted it at a public hearing on December 16, 2024 under Chapter 119, Section 2 of the Code of Falmouth. Fees are calculated in PermitEyes and paid online, and every permit fee is non-refundable.

Worked example: a $150,000 addition is 150 × $8 = $1,200, and a $9,000 deck works out to $72, so the $100 minimum applies. Trade permits are added separately.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical, plumbing and gas permits are filed in PermitEyes or on the department’s fillable forms and inspected by Falmouth’s own inspectors under 527 CMR 12 and 248 CMR. The trade inspectors expect the licensed electrician, plumber or gas fitter doing the work to set up the inspections, and both require a rough and a final. Each inspector also posts code bulletins on topics such as outdoor emergency disconnects, generators and gas venting, and the electrical page carries a separate note on homeowners pulling electrical permits.

Termination forms let an electrician or plumber end a permit when they leave a job. Sheet metal and mechanical permits are priced like building permits at $8 per $1,000.

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 a Falmouth building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Under 780 CMR 105.3.1 the building official must act on an application within 30 days of filing. Falmouth puts its own average at 10 to 30 days for a permit to be reviewed by every department and signed off, with express permits for roofing, siding, windows and doors usually faster. Applications slow down when a prior approval is missing, when the address was typed rather than chosen from the list, or when sewage and site plans are not attached for a new house.

Inspections in Falmouth

Building inspections are booked one day ahead by calling 508-495-7470 with the address, permit number and inspection type; the Building page gives the booking window as 8:00 am to 3:30 pm and the Inspections page as 8 am to 3 pm, so call before 3. Electrical and plumbing inspections work differently: the licensed tradesperson calls the inspector between 7:00 and 8:30 am on the day the inspection is wanted. Inspectors answer code questions from 3:00 to 3:30 pm.

For a new building or an addition the sequence is footing, foundation or sonotube; rough electrical and plumbing; rough frame with HVAC; insulation; final electrical and plumbing; final building; and a fireplace throat inspection where there is one. A deck needs sonotube, frame and final; a shed or aboveground pool needs only a final; an in-ground pool needs electrical, a rebar or collar rough and a final. The town makes the homeowner responsible for seeing that every required inspection happens, and each re-inspection costs $100.

Building and energy code in Falmouth

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

Falmouth enforces the 10th edition of 780 CMR with the Stretch energy code, adopted under Article 18 of the November 13, 2019 fall town meeting and in force since July 1, 2020, including future editions (Chapter 201 of the Code of Falmouth). The town code contains no Municipal Opt-in Specialized code bylaw. FEMA lists Falmouth as a participating National Flood Insurance Program community with maps current from July 16, 2014; work in a flood plain district needs plans certified by a Massachusetts engineer or architect showing the base flood elevation and lowest floor.

Falmouth permit search and official resources

The PermitEyes public view lets anyone search Falmouth permits and records without logging in, and the Health Department’s septic records sit in the same system. Older files and anything not online can be requested from the Building Department or through a public records request to the town.

• Falmouth Online Permitting (PermitEyes) — account set-up, filing tips and the public view
• PermitEyes public view — permit and record search, no login
• Falmouth 2025 Building Department fees — Select Board schedule effective January 1, 2025
• Falmouth building inspections — booking rules and required inspections
• Falmouth inspector information — Building Commissioner and trade inspectors
• Instructions for filing a permit for a new building — the new-house checklist
• Falmouth building forms — HIC-CSL table, contractor notices, workers’ comp
• Code of Falmouth Chapter 201, Stretch Energy Code — effective July 1, 2020
• Code of Falmouth Chapter 107, Demolition — 12-month delay
• Code of Falmouth Chapter 36, Falmouth Historic District — the seven local districts
• Falmouth Conservation Commission — wetlands filings and hearing dates

Falmouth building permit FAQ

How much does a building permit cost in Falmouth?

$8 per $1,000 of construction value with a $100 minimum, for both new buildings and alterations, under the schedule effective January 1, 2025.

Do I need a permit for a pool in Falmouth?

Yes, if it is 24 inches deep or more, in-ground or aboveground. The pool or lot also needs an enclosure at least 4 feet high with a self-closing, self-latching gate.

How long does a Falmouth building permit take?

The town says 10 to 30 days on average to clear every department; express permits for roofing, siding, windows and doors usually take less.

How do I schedule a building inspection in Falmouth?

Call 508-495-7470 a day ahead with the permit number. Electrical and plumbing inspections are booked by the licensed tradesperson with the inspector between 7:00 and 8:30 am the same day.

Does Falmouth use the Stretch energy code?

Yes, since July 1, 2020, under Chapter 201 of the town code.

Can I tear down an old house in Falmouth?

Only after filing a request for review with the Town Clerk. If the building is on the List of Significant Buildings, a 12-month delay applies unless the Historical Commission waives it.

Where can I look up permits on a Falmouth property?

On the PermitEyes public view site, which needs no login.

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