Wareham, Massachusetts Building Permit Guide

Wareham’s Inspectional Services Department, at Memorial Town Hall, 54 Marion Road (508-291-3100 ext. 3190), issues building, electrical, plumbing and gas permits, and every application is filed online through the Town’s OpenGov permit portal. Residential building permits cost $13.50 per $1,000 of estimated cost under fees effective October 1, 2022, with a $750 minimum for a new home. Town Hall is closed on Fridays, and inspections are booked by calling the inspector on the morning you want them.

What requires a building permit in Wareham?

Wareham is a Plymouth County town of about 23,700 people with what its Conservation Commission estimates is 54 miles of coastline as well as extensive inland wetlands. The department permits all new buildings and renovations, and its residential fee schedule names the jobs it prices separately:

What Wareham decides and what the state holds

The building code, 780 CMR, is written by the state Board of Building Regulations and Standards and applies in Wareham unchanged. The Town decides its permit fees, its zoning, the Stretch Energy Code (adopted at the April 23, 2018 Special Town Meeting and in force since July 1, 2018), three local historic districts, a demolition review bylaw and the Wareham Wetland Protective By-Law. The department also enforces its own administrative rules, such as the 2024 permit-expiry memo and the 2023 end of buildable-lot letters.

Wareham building department: who handles permitting

Inspectional Services issues the building permit and the electrical, plumbing and gas permits that go with it, and also houses the Sealer of Weights and Measures. Chris Carchia is the Building Commissioner. A building inspector, an electrical inspector and a plumbing and gas inspector each take their own inspection calls.

Inspection lines: building ext. 3191, plumbing and gas ext. 3192, wiring ext. 3193. The Health Department is at ext. 3197 and the Conservation agent at ext. 6505; sewer connections are handled by the Board of Sewer Commissioners at 6 Tony’s Lane (508-295-6144).

Wareham permit types and the approvals that come first

Wareham stopped taking paper applications when it moved to online permitting in February 2019. The portal carries residential, commercial, sheet metal, sign, trench, plumbing and gas applications. Staff review the filing and ask for anything missing; when review is complete you get an email that the fee has been added, and after payment you print the permit from the portal. The department asks applicants to scan attachments rather than photograph them, because staff often have to ask for a scanned copy of unclear phone photos.

Residential permits

A new house carries the $750 minimum fee and up to three electrical inspections in its $250-per-unit wiring fee. An in-ground pool is inspected at the steel rebar, the wiring and the 4-foot fence with its self-closing gate before the final. For any lot whose buildability is in doubt, the department no longer issues buildable-lot letters (since September 5, 2023): the owner submits a land use attorney’s letter under Chapter 40A, Section 6, with deeds for the lot and its abutters traced back to November 19, 1951, together with a complete building permit application, and a denial can be appealed to the ZBA within 30 days.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial new buildings are charged $16 per $1,000 of estimated cost with a $1,000 minimum, and alterations $16 per $1,000 with a $300 minimum; commercial roofing, doors and windows, mechanical, sheet metal and fire protection work run at $16.75 per $1,000. Commercial wiring is $2.10 per $1,000 of total project value. Sewer connections for commercial projects are decided case by case by the Sewer Commissioners.

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

• Sewer Commissioners: on June 13, 2024 the board voted to conditionally lift its sewer moratorium for new homes, residential additions and Chapter 40B projects; commercial requests are reviewed one at a time.
• Conservation Commission: work in or within 100 feet of a wetland, bank or other resource area comes under the state act and the Wareham Wetland Protective By-Law, which also sets a No Activity Zone in the buffer where no work, even clearing vegetation, is allowed.
• Health Department: septic (subsurface sewage) plans are reviewed and installations inspected by the Board of Health’s staff, who also issue well permits.
• Historic District Commission: exterior work in the Center Park, Parker Mills and Narrows historic districts needs a certificate from the Historic District Commission under Chapter 40C.
• Zoning Board of Appeals and Planning Board: variances, special permits and site plan matters; the Town posts ZBA instructions.

Wareham permit fees

The current schedule took effect on October 1, 2022. Estimated cost is rounded up to the nearest $1,000, the department may question the estimate, and fees are not refundable. Paying online by card adds 2.99% plus 99 cents.

Example: a $42,500 addition is rounded up to $43,000, so the fee is 43 × $13.50 = $580.50, above the $250 minimum. The 2022 sheet still lists a $150 buildable-lot review, but the department stopped offering those reviews in September 2023.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Plumbing and gas permits are filed in the portal by licensed plumbers and gas fitters, and only the license holder who pulled the permit may call in its inspection; the same rule applies to wiring. A building contractor works under a state Construction Supervisor License, and the department holds the construction supervisor responsible for seeing that every required inspection happens; work on an existing owner-occupied home also generally needs Home Improvement Contractor registration.

Each fixture counts toward the plumbing or gas fee, new or replacement, including boilers, water heaters and generators. Since October 30, 2023, temporary electrical service for building a home may stay in place for no more than one year, and you need the department’s permission before installing it.

How to apply for a Wareham building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

A permit issues only after every approval is in and the payment has been processed; no inspection is scheduled before then. 780 CMR 105.3.1 gives the building official 30 days from filing to act on a complete application. Board approvals, unreadable attachments and lot-buildability questions can all add time. A permit lapses if work does not start within 180 days or stops for 180 days, and Inspectional Services will not inspect on an expired permit; ask in writing for an extension of up to 180 days before the expiry date.

Inspections in Wareham

Inspections are not booked in advance, online or by email. Call the inspector directly on the morning you want the visit: building inspections Monday to Thursday, calling between 8 and 10 am (ext. 3191); wiring Monday to Thursday (ext. 3193); plumbing and gas Tuesday to Thursday (ext. 3192). Have the address or permit number ready.

For a new building or an addition the sequence is sonotubes, footing and foundation (tarred and sealed), rough frame (weather-tight, after rough electrical and plumbing), fireplace throat, insulation, siding, the electrical and plumbing finals and then the building final, with a fire inspection where it applies. Decks are inspected at excavation, sonotubes, frame and final. Each inspector signs the original permit card; if the card is not on site the inspector leaves and a $100 re-inspection fee must be paid before the next request. The occupancy permit is $75 per unit.

Building code and local by-laws in Wareham

Wareham enforces 780 CMR, 10th edition, and the Stretch Energy Code under Division IV, Article V of its Town By-Laws, which incorporates future editions of the Stretch code. The by-law on preserving historically significant buildings sends any demolition application for a building at least 75 years old (or of unknown age) to the Wareham Historical Commission, which has 15 days to decide whether the building is significant. For a building found preferably preserved, the procedure section bars a demolition permit, and any permit for new construction on the site, for six months from the determination, although the by-law’s definitions still describe a twelve-month delay; ask the department which period it applies. FEMA lists Wareham as a participating community in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective July 6, 2021.

The Floodplain Overlay District in Section 420 of the Zoning By-Laws (October 2023 text) covers the special flood hazard areas on the Plymouth County flood insurance rate map dated July 6, 2021. The Building Commissioner is the floodplain administrator, and a permit is required for every kind of development in the district: new buildings and changes to existing ones, manufactured homes, fences, sheds, storage, paving and any other alteration that could raise flood risk for neighbors. Applicants also submit a checklist showing they hold every other local, state and federal permit the job needs. For work on an existing building in a flood zone, the department posts a cost breakdown worksheet used to decide whether the project is a substantial improvement or repairs substantial damage.

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

Wareham permit search and official resources

The Town’s permit reports page sends the public to the online portal’s search, where you enter a job address or record number to see permits and inspections. For older paper files, contact Inspectional Services at ext. 3190.

• Wareham Inspectional Services
• Online permit portal (OpenGov)
• Public permit search
• Online permitting information
• Inspection scheduling
• Permit fee schedule page
• Residential building permit fees (October 1, 2022)
• Commercial building permit fees (October 1, 2022)
• Electrical permit fees (October 1, 2022)
• Plumbing and gas permit fees (October 1, 2022)
• Expiration of permits memo (April 29, 2024)
• Sewer moratorium update (October 31, 2024)
• Buildable lot inquiry policy (September 5, 2023)
• Shed installation instructions
• Substantial improvement and damage cost worksheet
• Town By-Laws (revised August 2025)
• Zoning By-Laws (October 2023)
• Conservation Commission
• Health Department
• ZBA variance and special permit instructions
• Massachusetts State Building Code (780 CMR)
• FEMA Community Status Book, Massachusetts

Wareham building permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in Wareham, MA?

Inspectional Services at Memorial Town Hall, 54 Marion Road (508-291-3100 ext. 3190). Chris Carchia is the Building Commissioner.

How much does a building permit for a new house cost?

$13.50 per $1,000 of estimated cost, rounded up to the next $1,000, with a $750 minimum. Card payments online add 2.99% plus 99 cents.

Can I pay in cash or apply on paper?

No. Applications are online only, and the Town takes cards or checks online or mailed checks and money orders, never cash.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Call the inspector the morning you want it; inspections are same-day only and cannot be booked online or by email.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

A shed of 200 square feet or more needs a building permit. A smaller one needs a zoning review application with a site plan.

Can I build a new house on sewer?

The Sewer Commissioners conditionally lifted the moratorium on new homes and residential additions on June 13, 2024; commercial connections are decided case by case.

How long is a Wareham permit valid?

Work must start within 180 days of issue and not stop for 180 days; extensions of up to 180 days must be requested in writing before expiry.

What happens if I start work without a permit?

The building fee becomes 300% of the normal fee; electrical, plumbing and gas fees double.

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