Foxborough, Massachusetts Building Permit Guide

In Foxborough, the Building Department (the Inspections Department) at Town Hall issues building permits and the electrical, plumbing and gas permits, under the Building Commissioner. All applications go through the town’s PermitEyes portal, which opened on May 1, 2023, and the current fee schedules took effect on July 1, 2023. Each inspector keeps a short daily office hour and fixed inspection windows, so plan calls around them.

What requires a building permit in Foxborough?

The Building Department makes sure that construction, reconstruction, alterations and repairs meet the state building, electrical, plumbing and gas codes and the town’s zoning, so work in any of those categories starts with a permit. It also makes annual inspections of existing buildings in the specified use groups.

Short-term rentals, meaning a home, apartment, condominium, room or other furnished space rented for 31 consecutive days or less, including through Airbnb or Vrbo, have their own page under the Inspections Department. Zoning enforcement requests under Chapter 275 of the town’s by-laws are filed with the department on a written form,.

What Foxborough decides and what the state holds

The building rules are the state’s: 780 CMR, the 10th edition of the Massachusetts State Building Code from the Board of Building Regulations and Standards, with the state electrical, plumbing and gas codes and the Architectural Access Board regulations. Foxborough controls its General and Zoning By-Laws (including the Chapter 267 wetlands by-law), the Design Review Board process, Board of Health regulations and the permit fees.

The department’s 2026 new-construction checklist asks for REScheck energy documentation mounted at the electrical panel, plus blower door and duct leakage test results, before the final inspection. The department’s pages do not name a Stretch or Specialized code adoption, so confirm the energy path with the department early in design.

Foxborough building department: who handles permitting

The Building Department, also called the Inspections Department, is led by Building Commissioner Scott Shippey, with a department administrator, a permit coordinator, a building inspector, an electrical inspector, a plumbing and gas inspector and the town’s sealer of weights and measures. It enforces the state codes and the town’s zoning.

Town Hall is open to the public, but the department accepts all permit applications through the portal rather than at the counter. The Health Department shares Town Hall (508-543-1207) under Director of Public Health Matthew Brennan.

Foxborough permit types

Foxborough moved its permits online on May 1, 2023. Register on the PermitEyes portal as a new user, then file building, electrical, plumbing, gas and sheet metal applications there; the same portal takes inspection requests and has a public records view of filed permits.

Residential permits

A new house or accessory dwelling unit is permitted with the inspection sequence the department published for 2026 in mind: plan for an as-built survey at the foundation if the setbacks are close, a separate electrical permit for the Ufer (footing ground) inspection when the footing holds at least 20 feet of rebar, and energy testing before the final. Licensed contractors list their Construction Supervisor License and, for home improvement work on an existing owner-occupied home, their Home Improvement Contractor registration on the application.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial projects go through the same portal and, where the use group calls for it, receive annual inspections after occupancy. Projects that need design review file the Design Review Board application form from the department page.

The form, on Building Department letterhead, takes referrals from the Planning Board or the Zoning Board of Appeals, or self-referral, for site plan review, special permits, variances and nonconforming uses and structures. It asks for building heights, year built, frontage and setbacks, base zoning, and whether the site is on a scenic road, has wetlands or is a historic property. Its checklist calls for five 11 by 17 inch copies of the site plans and of the renderings, PDF files of both, and the engineer’s P.E. license.

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

• Zoning. The department applies the Zoning By-Laws at permit review; variances and special permits go to the Zoning Board of Appeals, and projects that need design review file the Design Review Board application.
• Conservation Commission. The Chapter 267 wetlands by-law bars building, filling or altering land within 25 feet of a bordering vegetated wetland or inland bank, and the commission’s wetland regulations of April 11, 2016 govern every filing. The commission can require a bond to secure an order of conditions.
• Board of Health. Septic systems follow Title 5 (310 CMR 15) and the town by-law: a system for a new structure must be at least 150 feet from any wetland, river, stream or pond (100 feet for a DEP-approved enhanced nitrogen-removal system), 250 feet from other systems over an aquifer and 200 feet in a recharge area.
• Stormwater. The DPW (508-543-1228) handles stormwater concerns, and the department links construction stormwater guidance.

Foxborough permit costs and fees

Foxborough raised its permit fees on July 1, 2023. The building, plumbing and gas, and electrical fee schedules, each dated August 15, 2023, are posted as scanned sheets on the department’s Building Permit Fees page; the main bands are below. The fee is assessed on the application.

Worked example: a 400 square foot residential addition costing $40,000. By area, $0.55 × 400 = $220; by cost, 1% of $40,000 = $400. The schedule charges whichever is greater, so the building permit is $400, before the separate electrical, plumbing and gas permits.

Fees are not refundable or transferable. A re-inspection, when the work is not ready, unacceptable or not accessible, costs $75 residential or $100 commercial ($60 residential for electrical). Work started without a permit pays double; for electrical work, the fee doubles when no permit is taken within five days of starting. An emergency call-out after business hours costs $100 an hour with a four-hour minimum, which matches the $400 urgency or emergency fee, paid in advance, that the department page lists for inspections outside normal hours.

If the project is near a wetland, the Conservation Commission’s Chapter 267 filing fees (adopted in 2011 and last revised June 29, 2015) apply on top of the building fees:

Fees rise by 50% for work in the Riverfront Area when another resource area is also involved, and the applicant pays for the legal notice in the Foxboro Reporter.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Each trade has its own inspector, permit and daily timetable in Foxborough.

• Electrical: pulled by a licensed electrician under 527 CMR 12. The electrical inspector is in the office from 2 to 3 pm and inspects from 3 to 5 pm on weekdays. A new house needs an electrical permit early, for the Ufer inspection at the footing.
• Plumbing and gas: pulled by a licensed plumber or gas fitter. The inspector is in the office from 8:30 to 9:30 am and inspects from 7 to 8:30 am on weekdays, before the building inspector’s rounds.
• Sheet metal: rough sheet metal is inspected together with rough framing and fire stopping, and the final sheet metal check is part of the final building inspection.
• Fire Department: inspects smoke, heat and carbon monoxide detectors before the final building inspection.

Rough plumbing and electrical inspections must be passed before you can request building inspections.

How to apply for a Foxborough building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

780 CMR 105.3.1 gives the building official 30 days from the application to act on it. In Foxborough, common holdups are a wetland filing near a bordering vegetated wetland, a septic design that cannot meet the by-law’s 150-foot setback, a Design Review Board step for a commercial project, or trade permits filed late so that the rough inspections cannot be booked in order.

Inspections in Foxborough

Schedule inspections by calling 508-543-1206 or through the PermitEyes portal. Plumbing and gas inspections run from 7 to 8:30 am and electrical from 3 to 5 pm on weekdays; building inspections run from 9:30 am to 3 pm on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 9:30 am to 3 pm and 4 to 7 pm on Tuesday, and 9:30 am to 12:30 pm on Friday. Anything outside normal hours costs $400 in advance.

For a new home or ADU the minimum sequence is excavation, the electrical Ufer inspection, footing, foundation (damp-proofed first), rough plumbing, gas and electrical once the house is weather-tight, a shared rough framing, rough sheet metal and fire stopping inspection, insulation, the trade finals, the Fire Department’s detector check and the final building inspection. Before the final, submit the blower door and duct leakage results, mount the REScheck documents at the panel, insulate hot water pipes in unconditioned spaces and weather-strip doors to unconditioned areas. After the final, every required town department signs off before the certificate of occupancy issues.

Massachusetts building code

Foxborough enforces the 10th edition of 780 CMR together with its own Zoning By-Laws. FEMA lists Foxborough as a participating community in the National Flood Insurance Program, with 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

Foxborough permit search and official resources

To look up a permit, use the PermitEyes Online Public Records view, which shows permits filed through the portal. For older paper records, plans or certificates of occupancy, contact the department at 508-543-1206 or make a public records request to the town.

• Foxborough Building Department (Inspections)
• PermitEyes online permitting portal
• PermitEyes online public records
• Building Permit Fees page (fees in force since July 1, 2023)
• Building permit fee schedule (8/15/2023)
• Plumbing and gas permit fee schedule (8/15/2023)
• Electrical permit fee schedule (8/15/2023)
• New construction inspection sequence
• Inspection requests
• Short-term rentals
• Request for zoning enforcement
• Conservation Commission by-laws and regulations
• Chapter 267 Wetlands Protection Bylaw
• Wetlands by-law filing fee schedule
• Health Department
• Design Review Board application form
• FEMA Community Status Book, Massachusetts
• Massachusetts State Building Code, 780 CMR

Foxborough building permit FAQs

How do I apply for a building permit in Foxborough?

Online through PermitEyes, which the town has used since May 1, 2023. Register as a new user first; the department accepts all permit applications through the portal.

How much does a permit cost?

Under the schedules in force since July 1, 2023, a home addition, new house or shed costs $0.55 per square foot or 1% of construction cost, whichever is greater, with a $75 minimum. Plumbing and gas permits start at $75 and electrical at $60, paper applications add a $50 technology fee, and an after-hours inspection costs $400.

When can I reach an inspector?

The building inspector is in the office from 8:30 to 9:30 am on weekdays and 3 to 4 pm Monday to Thursday, the plumbing and gas inspector from 8:30 to 9:30 am, and the electrical inspector from 2 to 3 pm.

What is needed before the final inspection on a new house?

All trade finals and the Fire Department detector inspection, blower door and duct leakage test results, REScheck documents at the electrical panel, insulated hot water pipes in unconditioned spaces and weather-stripped doors.

How close can I build to a wetland?

Foxborough’s wetlands by-law bars building, filling or altering land within 25 feet of a bordering vegetated wetland or inland bank, and a septic system for a new building must be at least 150 feet from wetlands and water.

What does the Design Review Board need from me?

A completed application, five 11 by 17 inch copies each of the site plans and architectural renderings, and PDF files of both. The form lists the referring board and the zoning relief you are asking for.

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