Lakeville, Massachusetts Building Permit Guide

Lakeville’s Building Department, at 241 Main Street, issues building, wiring, plumbing and gas permits, with online applications through ViewPoint and paper applications still accepted. Residential building fees are charged by area: $0.40 per square foot for new homes, additions, garages and decks and $0.25 for sheds, with a $50 minimum. Commercial work pays $15 per $1,000 of estimated cost.

What requires a building permit in Lakeville?

Lakeville is a Plymouth County town of about 12,400 people. Its Building Department checks that construction, reconstruction, alterations, repairs, moving and demolition comply with the state building, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and gas codes and with the Zoning By-Law. The Town’s General Bylaws require a plan for any building or structure before it is built or altered, and the residential fee schedule lists what is permitted:

What Lakeville decides and what the state holds

The state writes the building code: 780 CMR, from the Board of Building Regulations and Standards, applies in Lakeville as written. The Town’s part is the fee schedule voted by the Select Board, the Zoning By-Law (Chapter 270 of the Town Code), and General Bylaws, readopted in full at the May 8, 2023 Annual Town Meeting, that adopt the Stretch Energy Code, set a six-month demolition delay and require a street number from the Assessors before a new building’s permit application. Septic permits come from the Board of Health under Title 5.

Lakeville building department: who handles permitting

The Building Department issues building permits and the wiring, plumbing and gas permits that go with them. Nathan P. Darling is the Building Commissioner, and a plumbing and gas inspector and a wiring inspector handle the trade work, supported by an executive assistant and a part-time clerk.

The Town’s fee sheets still print the Town Hall address, 346 Bedford Street, but the Building Department page gives the office as 241 Main Street, so call ahead if you are unsure where to go. Town Hall’s own line is 508-946-8800. Fees are collected through the Building Commissioner and paid over to the Town Collector.

Lakeville permit types and the approvals that come first

Lakeville takes building, wiring, plumbing and gas applications online through ViewPoint Cloud. Paper applications are still accepted, but the Town warns they can slow issuance, especially when information is missing. Either way the file needs the state building permit application, a copy of the license, proof of liability insurance and workers’ compensation, and a current email address.

Residential permits

The Town’s bylaw requires a plan, drawn to scale or otherwise acceptable to the Building Commissioner, showing the lot dimensions, adjacent ways, the size and location of existing and proposed buildings, and the intended use. Before applying for a new house, get its street number from the Board of Assessors; no permit issues without one.

The Zoning By-Law defines a building as any enclosed structure, a shed, garage or stable included, and it limits accessory buildings by lot size. The total floor area of all accessory buildings on a residential lot is capped at 300 square feet on lots under 10,000 square feet, 600 at 10,000, 800 at 30,000, 1,000 at 70,000, 1,500 at 140,000 and rising to 2,500 square feet on lots of 280,000 square feet or more. Anything larger needs a ZBA special permit, no accessory building may sit in a required setback without one, and an accessory building over 1,500 square feet must stay 40 feet from every property line.

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

Commercial permits

New commercial structures and additions are charged $15 per $1,000 of estimated total cost, with a minimum of $500 for 200 square feet or less and $1,000 above that. Commercial foundation-only permits carry the same $500 and $1,000 minimums, the commercial minimum fee is $100, demolition is $100 per structure and a commercial antenna $200. The Planning Board’s site plan review covers new business or industrial buildings, business additions over 1,500 square feet, changes to business use, multi-family buildings of three or more units, any residential project disturbing more than 43,560 square feet of ground, and a new accessory dwelling unit.

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 Board of Appeals: special permits for accessory buildings in setbacks or over the size cap, and other relief under Chapter 270.
• Planning Board: site plan review for the projects listed above, including any single new ADU.
• Board of Health: septic permits under Title 5 and inspections of subsurface sewage systems; the Board also runs a Septic Loan Program for owners repairing a failed system, and some of its permits are filed through ViewPoint. It meets on the first and third Wednesdays at 6 pm at the Police Station, 323 Bedford Street.
• Conservation Commission: work near wetlands follows the state Wetlands Protection Act; the Town Code has no separate local wetlands bylaw.
• Floodplain District: an overlay covering the mapped special flood hazard areas; development there must meet the state Wetlands Protection Act and the flood provisions of 780 CMR, and plans are routed to the Conservation Commission, Planning Board, Board of Health and Building Commissioner for comment before a permit issues.
• Water Resource Protection District: laid over the whole town, it prohibits a list of uses that threaten groundwater, and an existing prohibited use cannot be expanded without a special permit.
• Historical Commission: demolition of a significant structure, covered below.

Lakeville building permit fees

The building fee schedule was voted by the Board of Selectmen on April 14, 2014, took effect April 15, 2014, and was last revised June 1, 2023. Permits cannot be transferred and fees are not refunded; work started without a permit is charged double, and the bylaw gives the applicant a right to a hearing before the Select Board on that double fee.

Worked example: a new house with 2,400 square feet of living space, a 1,200-square-foot basement and a 500-square-foot garage totals 4,100 square feet at $0.40, or $1,640. A 120-square-foot shed is 120 × $0.25 = $30, so the $50 minimum applies. Temporary signs are $50; other signs run $50 up to 20 square feet, $100 above that and $150 when a special permit is needed.

Wiring, plumbing and gas permits in Lakeville

The wiring, plumbing and gas schedules were voted by the Board of Selectmen on January 28, 2013 and took effect February 1, 2013. Each trade permit expires one year after it is issued. When a gas water heater or boiler is replaced, no separate gas fee is charged if the plumbing and gas permits are taken out together.

Commercial wiring is based on the overall construction cost on the building permit: $50 for the first $15,000, then 0.2% of the cost up to $500,000 and 0.1% above that, as the schedule sets it out. Electrical work without a building permit is $100. Residential wiring also lists $50 each for wiring an added garage or an underground service, and any item not listed is $50 per inspection.

How to apply for a Lakeville building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The Building Commissioner approves a permit only when the plan meets the bylaw, the fees are paid and the Zoning By-Law is satisfied. The State Building Code sets 30 days from the filing of an application for the building official to act on it (780 CMR 105.3.1). Paper applications, missing insurance papers, a missing street number, accessory buildings over the size cap and Planning Board site plan review for an ADU are the usual causes of delay.

Inspections in Lakeville

Lakeville’s inspection request procedure is by email: write to the building, plumbing and gas, or wiring inspector, as the job requires, and copy the Building Department; the addresses are on the Town’s Inspection Request Procedure page, and the office phone is 508-946-8804. Wiring re-inspection fees must be paid before the visit, and because wiring, plumbing and gas permits expire one year after issue, the final inspections should be booked within that year.

A building re-inspection costs $50, and occupancy permits, including temporary ones, are $50 per unit. Replacing a lost field card costs $100, and a permit renewal is $50. Off-hours emergency electrical inspections are billed at $50 an hour with a three-hour minimum.

Building code and local bylaws in Lakeville

Lakeville enforces 780 CMR, 10th edition, with the Stretch Energy Code adopted at the June 13, 2011 Annual Town Meeting and approved by the Attorney General on September 14, 2011 (Chapter 120, Article IV of the General Bylaws). Article II of the same chapter requires a permit before anyone installs wires, conduits, fixtures or appliances that carry or use electricity for heat, light or power in, or connected to, a building. FEMA lists Lakeville as a participating community in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective July 6, 2021.

Chapter 133, the Demolition Delay bylaw, covers structures outside historic districts that are on the National Register, listed in the Historical Commission’s Cultural Resources Inventory, or voted significant by the Commission. The Building Commissioner sends the application to the Commission, which holds a hearing after at least 14 days’ published notice. If the Commission finds the structure should preferably be preserved, no demolition permit can issue for at least six months, unless it is satisfied that no buyer will preserve it. Demolishing a significant structure in violation of the bylaw bars any building permit on the lot for two years.

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

Lakeville permit search and official resources

Applicants follow their own permits in ViewPoint Cloud, where the Board of Health’s online permits also sit. For older permits or files on another property, contact the Building Department at 508-946-8804; lot lines, owners and parcel data are in the Town’s online assessing database. A home occupation permit and a zoning determination letter cost $50 each from the same office, and a home business may not enlarge the house or accessory building it uses.

• Lakeville Building Department
• Lakeville ViewPoint Cloud sign-in
• Inspection request procedure
• Building Department fee schedules
• Building fee schedule
• Wiring fee schedule
• Plumbing fee schedule
• Gas fee schedule
• Building Department helpful resources
• Lakeville Board of Health
• Lakeville General and Zoning Bylaws (eCode360)
• Lakeville assessing database (AxisGIS)
• FEMA Community Status Book, Massachusetts
• Massachusetts State Building Code (780 CMR)

Lakeville building permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in Lakeville, MA?

The Building Department at 241 Main Street (508-946-8804). Nathan P. Darling is the Building Commissioner.

How much is a building permit for a new house in Lakeville?

Residential fees are $0.40 per square foot of new dwelling, basement, attic, garage and deck area, so a house and garage totaling 4,100 square feet costs $1,640.

How big can a shed or garage be?

It depends on the lot. All accessory buildings together may total 300 square feet on a lot under 10,000 square feet, up to 2,500 square feet on the largest lots; more needs a ZBA special permit.

Can I file on paper?

Yes, but the Town says paper applications may delay the permit. Online filing is through ViewPoint Cloud.

How do I request an inspection?

By email to the building, plumbing and gas, or wiring inspector, with a copy to the Building Department.

Which energy code applies in Lakeville?

The Stretch Energy Code, adopted by Town Meeting on June 13, 2011.

Does an ADU need Planning Board review?

Yes. The Zoning By-Law lists new construction of a single accessory dwelling unit among the projects that go through site plan review.

Can a historic building be torn down right away?

Not if it is significant. The Historical Commission can delay demolition for at least six months.

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