Rehoboth, Massachusetts Building Permit Guide

Rehoboth’s Building Department, run by the Interim Building Commissioner, who also serves as Zoning Officer, issues building, sheet metal, electrical, plumbing and gas and sign permits from 340 Anawan Street, and has taken applications online through PermitEyes since December 1, 2019. The building fee sheet on the town website, headed “fee rate as of 8/1/14”, charges new homes and additions $0.45 per square foot and alterations $9 per $1,000 of contract value, with a $75 minimum.

Rehoboth’s Board of Health permits both septic systems and private wells, so a new home on an unserved lot starts with a perc test, a septic design review and a well permit. The zoning bylaw adds a Flood Plain District overlay, where uses need a ZBA special permit, and a Groundwater Protection District.

The department covers all of Rehoboth. Neighboring Seekonk, Swansea, Dighton and Attleboro each issue their own permits.

What requires a building permit in Rehoboth?

New construction, reconstruction, alterations, repairs, moving or demolishing a building all need a permit under 780 CMR, and the department reminds owners to check with it before starting any new construction or remodeling. Its online system takes residential and commercial building, sheet metal, plumbing and gas, electrical and sign permits.

What the town decides and what the state holds

Rehoboth enforces 780 CMR as written by the state Board of Building Regulations and Standards and cannot change it. Town meeting adopts the zoning bylaw, which is Chapter E of the town’s bylaws, and the general bylaws. The Select Board sets permit fees, and the zoning bylaw ties the penalty for work without a permit to the fee the Board of Selectmen has established. The Inspector of Buildings enforces the zoning bylaw and may also issue $25 noncriminal tickets for zoning violations, with each day counted as a separate offense.

Rehoboth building department: who handles permitting

The Building Department is the single filing point for building, electrical, plumbing and gas permits and schedules all their inspections. It has a wiring inspector with an alternate and a plumbing and gas inspector with alternates, and the Building Commissioner enforces the zoning bylaw as Zoning Enforcement Officer.

The Building Department and the Board of Health keep the same hours: Monday to Thursday 8 am to 4 pm and Friday 8 am to noon. The department’s fax is (508) 252-6159, and the Board of Health meets on the fourth Tuesday of the month at 5 pm at Francis Farm.

Permit types

Residential permits

Applicants register on PermitEyes with the New User link, after which their details fill in automatically on later applications. A registered account shows the status of each application and the comments of other departments, allows edits until the permit issues, takes attachments up to 11 by 17 inches, offers a chat with Building Department staff and shows inspection results. Anyone without a computer can use the terminals in the department’s reception lobby.

Applicants no longer collect signatures from other departments themselves. Where the Fire Department, Health Department, Planning Department, Conservation Commission or Highway Department must review plans that cannot be uploaded, one set no larger than 11 by 17 inches is brought to the Building Department, which passes it on.

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

Commercial permits

Non-residential buildings on the 2014 sheet, whether assembly, commercial, educational, factory, storage or hazardous uses, are charged $0.50 per square foot of new construction, and alterations $15 per $1,000 of value, with the contract required. The non-residential minimum is $150, a certificate of occupancy is $175 under 1,000 square feet and $250 above, signs are $100 each, mechanical work $125 per unit and tents $100 each. Site plan approval is governed by section 6.7 of the zoning bylaw, and the Fire Department reviews commercial plans routed to it by the Building Department.

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

• Board of Health: a new home on a septic system needs a witnessed perc test ($350, plus $100 for each extra hole), a reviewed and inspected septic design ($300 for a new residential system) and, where it will use a well, a well installation permit ($100) and a $25 permit to connect the well to the house.
• Zoning Board of Appeals: the ZBA, five members and three associates, hears variances and special permits, including any use in the Flood Plain District and fences over 6 feet.
• Flood Plain District: the overlay covers Zones A and AE on the Bristol County flood maps; development there must meet the state Wetlands Protection Act, and uses allowed in the underlying district need a ZBA special permit.
• Conservation Commission: work near wetlands, streams and flood areas is reviewed by the commission; plans it must see are routed through the Building Department.
• Highway Department: where the Highway Department must review a plan, it receives it through the same Building Department routing.

Rehoboth permit costs and fees

The building fee sheet available on the town website is headed “Town of Rehoboth Building Department, Fee rate as of 8/1/14”. PermitEyes calculates the fee for each application, and the zoning bylaw sets the penalty for starting work without a permit at three times the then-current fee set by the Board of Selectmen, up to $300 per offense.

Worked example on the 2014 rates: a 2,200 square foot house pays 2,200 × $0.45 = $990, plus a $75 certificate of occupancy. A $60,000 kitchen and bath renovation pays 60 × $9 = $540. The Board of Health’s schedule, effective November 1, 2018, adds $300 to review and inspect a new residential septic system, $150 for a repair, $100 more for an innovative or alternative design, and $50 for each re-inspection or plan resubmittal. The board also issues a $50 trench permit per lot, valid for the life of the Dig Safe ticket, and licenses septic installers at $100.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical, plumbing and gas permits are filed through the same PermitEyes account and handled by the town’s wiring inspector and plumbing and gas inspector. The plumbing page states that all plumbing work must be done by a Massachusetts licensed plumber; electrical work likewise needs a licensed electrician. Structural work is supervised by a Construction Supervisor License holder, or by a homeowner on their own home, and Home Improvement Contractor registration covers contractors on existing owner-occupied homes.

Plumbing and gas inspections are done on Tuesdays and Thursdays, except holidays when Town Hall is closed. Underground electrical work needs two inspections: the first with 6 inches of stone dust or sand under the conduit, the second with 10 inches over it and the caution tape set 8 inches below finish grade; the whole trench stays open for that tape inspection, which counts as the final. Mechanical work carries a $100 residential building-side fee on the 2014 sheet.

How to apply for a Rehoboth building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

780 CMR 105.3.1 requires the building official to act on a permit application within 30 days of filing. Rehoboth’s system shows other departments’ comments in the applicant’s account, so missing items are visible early; the usual causes of delay are septic and well approvals, paper plans that have not yet reached a reviewing department, and ZBA hearings for flood plain uses or tall fences.

Inspections in Rehoboth

The department schedules all required inspections, and inspection results are posted to the applicant’s PermitEyes account. Before issuing a permit the Building Official may examine the building or site, and work must stay accessible and exposed until it has been approved. Plumbing and gas visits are limited to Tuesdays and Thursdays, so plan rough and final plumbing around those days.

A failed or incomplete building inspection costs $50 to repeat. Certificates of occupancy cost $75 for a new home, $50 for an addition or garage and $175 or $250 for a non-residential building, and an annual certificate of inspection is $100.

Building and energy code in Rehoboth

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

Rehoboth enforces the 10th edition of 780 CMR. Article 10 of the warrant for the May 13, 2019 special town meeting proposed a new Chapter O of the general bylaws adopting the Stretch energy code from January 1, 2020; the warrant notes that it affects new construction, not existing buildings or renovations. The town’s Green Energy Committee page now reports that Rehoboth has been designated a Massachusetts Green Community and awarded $148,380, and the committee’s FAQ says a town must adopt the Stretch code to earn that designation. Confirm the energy path with the Building Department before design. FEMA lists Rehoboth as a participating National Flood Insurance Program community, with flood maps effective July 16, 2014.

Rehoboth permit search and official resources

The PermitEyes public view lists Rehoboth permits issued after September 18, 2019. For anything older, contact the Building Department, which keeps the earlier records, or file a public records request with the town.

• Rehoboth Building Department — staff, hours and notices
• Online permitting guidelines — how PermitEyes works in Rehoboth
• Rehoboth PermitEyes login — applications
• PermitEyes public view — permits since September 2019
• Building Department fee rate as of 8/1/14 — building fees
• Electrical Department — underground inspections
• Plumbing information — inspection days and septic rules
• Board of Health — septic and well permits
• Board of Health fee schedule, November 1, 2018 — perc, septic and well fees
• Zoning By-law, amendments through May 28, 2019 — Flood Plain District, ZBA
• May 13, 2019 town meeting warrant — Stretch code article
• Green Energy Committee — Green Community designation
• FEMA Community Status Book, Massachusetts — flood insurance participation

Rehoboth building permit FAQ

How much does a building permit cost in Rehoboth?

On the posted 2014 rate sheet, new homes and additions are $0.45 per square foot and alterations $9 per $1,000 of contract value, with a $75 minimum. A 2,200 square foot house comes to $990 before the certificate of occupancy and trade permits.

Do I need a permit for a shed in Rehoboth?

The department says any detached accessory building or shed of 200 square feet or larger needs a permit, and that one of 400 square feet or less does not need a footing or foundation.

When are plumbing inspections done in Rehoboth?

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, unless Town Hall is closed for a holiday.

What does the Board of Health charge for a new septic system?

$350 for a witnessed perc test on a new lot and $300 to review and inspect a new residential system, plus $100 for an innovative or alternative design.

Can I find an old permit online?

Only those issued after September 18, 2019 are in the PermitEyes public view; the Building Department holds earlier records.

Do I need ZBA approval for a tall fence?

Yes. The fee sheet notes that a fence over 6 feet must go before the Zoning Board of Appeals before its $45 permit.

Can a homeowner pull a permit in Rehoboth?

Yes for building work on their own home, but the department warns that a homeowner who pulls the permit is fully responsible for all of the work. Plumbing must still be done by a Massachusetts licensed plumber.

Which energy code applies in Rehoboth?

The town’s pages point to the Stretch energy code: the May 2019 special town meeting warrant proposed it from January 1, 2020, and the town has since been designated a Green Community, which the committee’s FAQ says requires it. Confirm with the Building Department.

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