Hull, Massachusetts Building Permit Guide

Hull’s Building Department, at Town Hall, 253 Atlantic Avenue, issues building, electrical, plumbing and gas permits. Building applications are taken by mail, in the drop box outside Town Hall or in person, never by email, while trade permits are filed online through OpenGov. Under the fee schedule in force since March 14, 2022, one- and two-family work costs $15 per $1,000 of value, and a new house carries a $1,000 minimum.

What requires a building permit in Hull?

Hull is a coastal Plymouth County town of about 10,300 people, whose zoning includes a Floodplain District with coastal VE zones and a Nantasket Beach Overlay District. The Building Department permits the construction, alteration, repair and demolition of buildings, the installation of equipment, and the use and occupancy of buildings and land, and it inspects rooming houses and restaurants every year. The 2022 fee schedule lists the work it permits:

What Hull decides and what the state holds

Building standards are set by the state in 780 CMR, issued by the Board of Building Regulations and Standards, and Hull cannot alter them. Hull’s choices are its fee schedule, the Zoning By-law (Chapter 410 of the Town Code) with its Floodplain District and Nantasket Beach Overlay District, the Hull Village Historic District, a pool enclosure by-law taller than the code minimum, and conservation fees for after-the-fact wetland filings. The Town Code has no Stretch or Specialized energy code chapter, so check with the department which energy compliance path your plans need to show.

Hull building department: who handles permitting

The Building Department issues building and trade permits and enforces the state code and the Town’s zoning. Bartley Kelly is the Building Commissioner, and the Zoning By-law also makes the Building Commissioner the Town’s Floodplain Administrator, with the Director of Climate Adaptation and Conservation as backup. The electrical, plumbing and gas inspectors are part-time and are reached directly at the numbers listed on the department page.

The Climate Adaptation and Conservation Department staffs the Conservation Commission and helps run the Floodplain Overlay District By-law, so flood and wetland questions often go to both offices.

Hull permit types and the approvals that come first

The department posts two building applications, one for one- and two-family buildings and one for everything else, plus mechanical, sheet metal, certificate of inspection, demolition sign-off, historic commission, conservation and site plan review forms. A Tax Verification Form is required with every permit application. The department will not accept applications by email: mail the application and plans, drop an envelope in the Building Department drop box in front of Town Hall, or bring it in.

Residential permits

Fill in and sign every page. A homeowner ticks the homeowner box and signs; when a contractor files, the homeowner must sign in two places or the contractor attaches a signed contract, and the contractor’s Home Improvement Contractor registration and Construction Supervisor License are required. Additions, decks, accessory structures and vertical expansions need a site plan of existing and proposed conditions with setbacks and lot coverage, and floor plans, structural drawings and footing and foundation details.

In a single-family district a detached accessory building of 80 square feet or less may sit 3 feet from side and rear lines and 25 feet from the front, up to 8 feet tall. Over 80 square feet the side and rear setback is 6 feet, the height limit 14 feet and lot coverage 30%. An attached garage needs 10 feet at the side, 20 feet at the rear and 25 feet at the front.

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

Commercial permits

Buildings other than one- and two-family homes pay $20 per $1,000 of value, with minimums of $900 for a new structure, $325 for an addition, $300 for an alteration and $150 for a change of use or certificate of occupancy. New non-residential buildings and projects of three or more units, and expansions of 5,000 square feet or more, go through Planning Board site plan review first, and the Nantasket Beach Overlay District has its own Planning Board special permit.

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

• Floodplain: every project in the Floodplain Overlay District needs a permit, and applicants are shown the Town’s sea level rise flood maps (1.2-foot and 2.4-foot scenarios, dated May 19, 2022). In a VE zone, new construction must be landward of mean high tide and dunes cannot be altered in ways that raise flood damage.
• Conservation Commission: a notice of intent or a request for determination of applicability before work affecting wetland resources; after-the-fact filings pay added fees from $50 to $750 or more.
• Hull Village Historic District Commission: a certificate for exterior changes visible from a public way or the water.
• Zoning Board of Appeals: variances and special permits under Chapter 410.
• Sewer and Light Plant: sewer connection permits from the Sewer Department (781-925-1207) and the Hull Light Plant requirements sheet, posted with the building forms, for electrical service work.

Hull building permit fees

Hull’s fee schedule took effect on March 14, 2022. Value is counted in $1,000 steps with fractions rounded up. For main buildings the department uses current RS Means square-foot costs, and it sets fixed values for some work: $50 per square foot for garages and breezeways, $35 for a garage under the house and $40 for porches and decks.

Worked example: a 300-square-foot deck valued at the schedule’s $40 per square foot is $12,000, so the permit is 12 × $15 = $180. All fees are non-refundable, the Building Commissioner may waive them in whole or in part, and they double when a permit is not taken out in the required time.

Electrical, plumbing and gas permits in Hull

Licensed electricians, plumbers and gas fitters apply online through OpenGov, and a permit is not issued until it is paid. Electrical permits must be taken out within 5 days of starting work or the fee doubles. Minimum fees are built around a set number of inspections, with $50 for each extra inspection on a one- or two-family home, and a renovation of more than half a dwelling is charged the full new-dwelling rate.

Alarm wiring is $50 in an existing building and $75 for new work, trenching is charged $50 per 100 feet, and the electrical schedule lists an annual maintenance permit at $150. Fees for unusual work not on the schedule are set by the inspector or the Building Commissioner.

Alliance handles electrical permit applications for contractors here. More on this: who pulls the electrical permit.

How to apply for a Hull building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Because building applications arrive on paper, an unsigned page or a missing site plan sends the file back before review can start. Once an application is filed, 780 CMR 105.3.1 gives the building official 30 days to issue or deny it. On Hull’s waterfront lots the longer waits are usually floodplain compliance, Conservation Commission orders of conditions and, in Hull Village, the Historic District Commission, which has 21 days from the permit application to issue its certificate.

Inspections in Hull

Call the Building Department at 781-925-1330 to schedule a building inspection. Electrical, plumbing and gas inspections are booked by calling the part-time inspectors directly, using the numbers posted on the department page; one plumbing inspector covers Tuesdays and Thursdays and another Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

A re-inspection for work that fails costs $50 on a one- or two-family home and $75 on other buildings. Chapter 280 of the Town Code adds a $100 fine, per day, for failing to arrange a required inspection or to pay its fee. Certificates of inspection follow the building code’s schedule, and a change of use or certificate of occupancy on a non-residential building starts at $150.

Building code and local by-laws in Hull

Hull enforces 780 CMR, 10th edition. Chapter 364 of the Town Code requires any pool, pond or other body of water 24 inches deep or more to be fenced off from small children: at least 4 feet high for older pools and at least 6 feet for any created after the November 1989 amendment, with self-latching gates latched 4 feet up. A natural barrier can substitute only with the Building Commissioner’s approval. FEMA lists Hull as a participating community in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective July 3, 2024; it also lists Hull in Community Rating System class 7, with a 15% flood insurance discount.

The Hull Village Historic District, set up in 1994 under Chapter 40C, covers Main Street, Spring Street and nearby lots toward Hull Bay. No building there may be built, moved, demolished or altered in a way that shows from a public way or the water without a certificate, and the Building Commissioner will not issue the permit until the Commission acts. Paint color, storm doors, single-color roofing and rebuilding after a fire or storm to the same design are exempt.

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

Hull permit search and official resources

Trade permits filed online can be followed in your OpenGov account. For building permits, which are filed on paper, and for older records on a property, call the Building Department at 781-925-1330 or visit Town Hall Monday to Thursday.

• Hull Building Department
• Building Department forms
• Obtaining a building permit
• Accessory structure requirements
• Permit and miscellaneous fee schedule (March 14, 2022)
• Hull OpenGov trade permit portal
• Building Department FAQs
• Climate Adaptation and Conservation
• Hull Sewer Department
• Town of Hull Code (eCode360)
• Hull Zoning By-law, Chapter 410
• FEMA Community Status Book, Massachusetts
• Massachusetts State Building Code (780 CMR)

Hull building permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in Hull, MA?

The Building Department at Town Hall, 253 Atlantic Avenue (781-925-1330). Bartley Kelly is the Building Commissioner.

Can I email my building permit application?

No. Hull takes building applications by regular mail, the drop box in front of Town Hall or in person. Plumbing, gas and electrical permits can be filed online.

How much does a building permit cost in Hull?

$15 per $1,000 of value for one- and two-family work, with minimums from $75 to $1,000 by type, and $20 per $1,000 for other buildings.

Do I need a permit for a fence or shed in a flood zone?

Yes. The Floodplain District rules require a permit for all development there, including fences, sheds and paving.

How far from the lot line can a small shed go?

In a single-family district, a detached shed of 80 square feet or less can sit 3 feet from side and rear lines and 25 feet from the front, up to 8 feet tall.

How tall must a pool fence be?

At least 6 feet for pools built after the 1989 by-law change, with self-latching gates.

When is the Building Department open?

Monday to Thursday, 7:45 am to 5 pm; it is closed on Fridays. An inspector usually meets the public 8 to 10 am and 2 to 3 pm.

Do I need approval to change a house in Hull Village?

Yes, if the change is visible from a public way or the water. The Hull Village Historic District Commission must issue a certificate before the building permit.

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