Swampscott, Massachusetts Building Permit Guide

The Swampscott Building Department, at Town Hall, 22 Monument Avenue, issues building, electrical, plumbing, gas and mechanical permits for the whole town through the OpenGov online portal. A residential building permit costs $15 per $1,000 of project cost with a $50 minimum, and new bedrooms also carry a $2,200-per-bedroom sewer infiltration and inflow fee before occupancy.

All inspection requests, for every trade, go through the department during business hours, and the town says inspections are typically made within 24 hours.

What needs a building permit in Swampscott?

The department enforces the State Building Code, the Architectural Access Code, the plumbing and gas code, the Massachusetts Electrical Code and the town Zoning By-Law, and its fee schedule and guidance sheets show the jobs it permits most often:

What Swampscott decides and what the state holds

The building, plumbing, gas and electrical codes are state regulations, with 780 CMR written by the state Board of Building Regulations and Standards. Swampscott’s choices sit in its General By-Laws (version of August 6, 2026) and Zoning By-Law (version of May 21, 2025): the Specialized energy code (Article XVI-A, added after the Stretch code article of 2010), a demolition delay for buildings 75 years old or more, four local historic district areas, a gas permit article, and the fee schedule and sewer infiltration and inflow (I/I) offset policy the town applies at permit and occupancy. Article XII of the General By-Laws also lets the Inspector of Buildings, like the Board of Health, enforce building regulations through non-criminal fines.

Swampscott building department: who handles permitting

The Building Department issues every construction permit in Swampscott and takes all inspection requests. Richard Baldacci is the Building Commissioner; the department also has a building inspector, a plumbing inspector (who also handles gas) and an electrical inspector. Under the gas article of the bylaws, gas fitters must get their permit from the town’s gas inspector before starting work.

Permit types in Swampscott

Residential permits

Residential rates apply to one- and two-family homes and to work inside individual units of a multi-unit building. A homeowner may pull the building permit on an owner-occupied one- or two-family home by signing the town’s homeowner exemption: the owner takes responsibility for code and zoning compliance and for injuries on an unsafe site, acts as supervisor of anyone hired, and gives up the protection of the state Home Improvement Contractor guaranty fund. Kitchen and bath applications need the existing and proposed layouts with the range marked, the manufacturer’s clearance to combustibles, the hood’s exhaust rate (makeup air above 400 cfm), structural and header details, and any glazing within 60 inches of a tub; the subfloor must not be nailed before the framing inspection. A stationary generator needs the manufacturer’s instructions and a drawing or plot plan, 5 feet of clearance to combustibles and openings, and exhaust at least 10 feet from a forced-air inlet; its fuel tank is permitted by the Fire Department.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial rates apply to every building other than a one- or two-family home: $20 per $1,000 for building and electrical work with an $80 minimum, $80 for the first plumbing fixture and $20 for each one after, and $80 per mechanical unit. The I/I fee applies to commercial projects too, based on new sewer flow.

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: the department enforces the Zoning By-Law; detached accessory buildings stay back from side and rear lines by the greater of 5 feet or half the district setback, garages for up to three cars are allowed in the Residence A-1 to A-4 districts, and a second accessory building needs a ZBA special permit. Detailed building or zoning questions are handled by appointment. The use table lists an accessory dwelling unit, under section 5.11, as allowed by right in the A-1 to A-4 and B-1 and B-2 districts, while assisted living needs a special permit in the A districts and a home occupation is either allowed as of right or by special permit depending on its scale.
• Historic review: work affecting exteriors in the Frederick Law Olmsted, Fish House, Railroad Depot, or Cemetery and Andrews Chapel local historic district areas needs a certificate from the Historic District Commission; demolition of older buildings goes to the Historical Commission.
• Sewer: under the I/I Offset Policy every project seeking a new building permit is assessed on its net new bedrooms, and sump pumps may not be connected to the sewer.
• Health: the Health Director signs off on demolition permits, can require a licensed rodent control company, and requires asbestos removal before demolition.
• Wetlands and flood zones: the Zoning By-Law has a Wetland Protection Overlay District, drawn on the town’s Wetland Protection District Map of April 1, 1976 as amended and kept at the Town Clerk’s office, with separate special regulations for areas on the FEMA flood insurance rate map. An owner who shows at a public hearing that mapped land is not in fact wetland or flood-prone can ask the Board of Appeals to permit building there. The Conservation Commission reviews work in resource areas under the Wetlands Protection Act.
• Stormwater: construction that disturbs one acre or more, or is part of a larger plan that will, needs a Stormwater Management Permit under the General By-Laws; routine yard care at a single-family home, fences that leave the terrain alone and emergency work are exempt.
• Planning Board: larger projects need site plan review, and awnings go through an administrative site plan review by the Planning Board.

Swampscott building permit fees

The Building Department’s posted fee schedule is undated. It defines project cost as the estimated market value of the entire project, including all trades and materials, and the department may ask for a detailed description of the work.

Worked example. A $60,000 kitchen and bath remodel pays 60 × $15 = $900 for the building permit. If $12,000 of it is electrical work, the electrical permit is 12 × $15 = $180, and five new plumbing fixtures cost $50 + (4 × $15) = $110. A three-bedroom house replaced by a four-bedroom house owes the I/I fee on one net bedroom, $2,200.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical, plumbing, gas and mechanical permits are each applied for in OpenGov and inspected by the department’s own inspectors. Electrical fees follow the cost of the electrical work itself, not the whole project, while plumbing and gas are counted by fixture and mechanical work by the unit (furnaces, boilers, condensers, air handlers and rooftop units each count as one). The homeowner exemption the town publishes covers building permit work only; wiring, plumbing and gas follow the state trade licensing rules, and the gas article requires every gas fitter installing appliances or piping to obtain a permit from the gas inspector first, unless the same plumber who installs the gas piping is installing the gas-heated fixtures. A generator usually needs three sign-offs: building, gas or electrical, and a Fire Department permit for its fuel storage.

How to apply for a Swampscott building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

780 CMR 105.3.1 has the building official act on an application within 30 days of its filing. In Swampscott the steps that can add time include a demolition referral to the Historical Commission, a certificate from the Historic District Commission, a ZBA special permit for a second accessory building, and the Health Director’s demolition conditions, including the 10-day state notice for asbestos work.

Inspections in Swampscott

Every inspection, building, plumbing, gas, electrical and mechanical, is requested through the Building Department during business hours, and inspections are typically made within 24 hours. Building inspections and plan reviews are scheduled at 781-596-8857; the plumbing and gas inspector is on extension 1246 and the electrical inspector on extension 1245, each during short morning office hours. The kitchen and bath sheet is a reminder that framing must be seen before the subfloor is nailed down. The occupancy permit is not issued until any I/I fee has been paid.

Energy code and demolition delay in Swampscott

Swampscott first adopted the Stretch energy code at the May 3, 2010 Annual Town Meeting, and Article XVI-A of the General By-Laws now incorporates the Specialized code (225 CMR 22 and 23 with Appendices RC and CC), including future editions, for residential and commercial buildings; the inspector of buildings enforces it. Under the demolition delay bylaw, an application to demolish a building 75 years old or more (using the Assessors’ database or MACRIS, with MACRIS controlling) is sent to the Historical Commission within seven business days. The Commission decides within 45 days of that notice, or 60 days of the application if sooner, whether the building is significant, then holds a hearing within 45 days. A building found preferably preserved is subject to a nine-month delay from the determination.

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

Swampscott permit search and official resources

Applications made since the town moved to OpenGov are tracked in the portal. The Building Department keeps the property records for older permits and plans, and the Town Hall office handles requests to see them; email requests should give the permit number or street address.

• Swampscott Building Department
• OpenGov online permitting
• Inspection requests
• Building Department permit fees
• Infiltration and Inflow Offset Policy
• Building Department FAQ
• Homeowner building permit exemption
• Kitchen and bathroom renovation requirements
• Generator installation requirements
• Health Department demolition conditions
• Accessory buildings and structures
• General By-Laws (version August 6, 2026)
• Zoning By-Law (version May 21, 2025)
• FEMA Community Status Book, Massachusetts
• 2020 U.S. Census municipal populations
• Massachusetts municipal energy-code adoption
• Massachusetts State Building Code

Swampscott building permit FAQ

How much is a building permit in Swampscott?

$15 per $1,000 of project cost for homes, with a $50 minimum, and $20 per $1,000 for commercial work, with an $80 minimum. A $60,000 remodel pays $900.

What is the I/I fee in Swampscott?

A sewer infiltration and inflow offset charge of $2,200 for each net new bedroom, on new construction and additions, paid before the occupancy permit is issued.

Which energy code applies in Swampscott?

The Specialized code, adopted in Article XVI-A of the General By-Laws, including future editions.

How fast are inspections in Swampscott?

Requests made through the Building Department during business hours are typically inspected within 24 hours.

Can I pull my own building permit?

Yes, on an owner-occupied one- or two-family home, by signing the homeowner exemption. You take on responsibility for the work and lose access to the state HIC guaranty fund.

How many sheds or garages can I have?

One detached accessory building per lot without a special permit, up to 15 feet high, at least 10 feet from the house and covering no more than 25% of the required rear yard.

Is my house in a local historic district?

Only if it sits in one of the four district areas on the town’s Local Historic District Map at the Town Clerk’s office: Frederick Law Olmsted, Swampscott Fish House, Swampscott Railroad Depot, or Swampscott Cemetery and Andrews Chapel. Exterior work there needs a certificate from the Historic District Commission.

How long can demolition of an old house be delayed?

For nine months from the determination, if the Historical Commission finds a building 75 years old or more to be preferably preserved after its hearing.

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