Westborough, Massachusetts Building Permit Guide

In Westborough, the Building Department in the Forbes Municipal Building, 45 West Main Street, issues building, sheet metal, electrical, plumbing and gas permits and enforces the zoning bylaw, with applications filed in the Town’s PermitPro system. Under the fee schedules the Board of Selectmen adopted on April 26, 2022, one- and two-family work costs $11 per $1,000 of construction cost with a $50 minimum, and the permit fee covers every inspection and the certificate of occupancy. Town Meeting voted in March 2026 to move new construction to the Specialized energy code on January 1, 2027.

What requires a building permit in Westborough?

The Building Department’s FAQ answers the question plainly: a permit is needed for any structural change, whenever ceilings, walls or floors are opened up, and for new structures or rooms. Electrical and plumbing permits may be needed even when a building permit is not.

What Westborough decides and what the state holds

The building rules are the State Building Code, 780 CMR, from the Board of Building Regulations and Standards, and Westborough cannot amend them. The Town controls its fees, set by the Board of Selectmen under Article 62 of its bylaws, its Zoning Bylaw on eCode360, its demolition delay and wetlands bylaws, and its energy code choice. The bylaws also carry a 1979 rule that every new house have at least 200-amp electrical service, with underground service conductors in conduit at least 2 inches across.

Westborough building department: who handles permitting

The Building Department is part of Community Development, headed by Community Development Director Fred Lonardo. Bill Hezlitt is Building Commissioner and Zoning Enforcement Officer, and a wiring inspector and a plumbing and gas inspector work from the same office and phone line. The Department also makes the yearly inspections of day cares, restaurants, churches, schools and other places of assembly, and enforces the state’s architectural access rules.

The Conservation Department shares the Forbes building, while the Public Health Department is at Town Hall, 34 West Main Street (508-366-3045).

Westborough permit types and forms

PermitPro is used to apply for a permit, check its status and look up permits on any property. Paper applications are accepted for a $25 fee. After filing, check PermitPro after one or two business days: it shows which forms are missing and each department’s approval, and a thumbs-down icon shows, on hover, what is still required. Incomplete applications are not reviewed until every form and the payment are in.

Residential permits

For a residential building permit the Department asks for plans uploaded to PermitPro and, for a new house, renovation or addition, two full-size paper sets delivered to the office; the owner authorization; the workers’ compensation affidavit (with a list of contractors and their insurance if you choose the affidavit’s option 5); and a certificate of insurance naming the Town of Westborough, 45 West Main Street, as certificate holder. New houses, additions and pools also need a proposed certified plot plan, with a certified as-built plan at completion, the total proposed gross floor area, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and the Department’s permit calculation worksheet. The Department posts guidelines for finished basements, pool demolition and smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and a page of water heater permitting requirements.

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

Commercial permits

A commercial application needs one full-size paper set of plans delivered to the office as well as plans in PermitPro, a certificate of insurance naming the Town, the workers’ compensation affidavit, a description of work, the building owner’s authorization, the 10th edition construction control documents, architectural, fire suppression and fire alarm narratives, energy compliance (COMcheck), the existing and proposed use groups, the type of construction and the occupant load for each area of work. The estimated cost on a commercial application leaves out land, electrical and plumbing or gas costs. Depending on scope, the office may call the applicant in for a plan review meeting with the Building Commissioner, by appointment only. Industrial and business new construction is $11 per $1,000 and remodels $12 per $1,000, each with a $125 minimum. Multi-family and apartment buildings are $11 per $1,000. A separate permit is needed for every building, dwelling unit or tenant space. The building fee schedule also lists site plan review fees, from $1,000 plus 6 cents a square foot for a minor review to $2,500 plus 6 cents a square foot for a major one; the Planning Board’s site plan rules were last approved in January 2025.

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

• Conservation. The seven-member Conservation Commission applies the Wetlands Protection Act and Westborough’s own wetlands bylaw and regulations, and its staff screen projects filed with the Building, Planning and Health Departments for wetland permits. The Commission usually meets on the second Tuesday of the month; call 508-366-3014.
• Health. Septic and other sanitary questions, including the effect of a new bedroom on a septic system, go to the Public Health Department, whose staff include a sanitarian; its permits are also in PermitPro.
• Zoning. The Building Commissioner is also the Zoning Enforcement Officer; site plans go to the Planning Board.
• Demolition review. Buildings built before 1950 go to the Historical Commission before a demolition permit (see the code section).

Westborough permit costs and fees

All three schedules were adopted by the Board of Selectmen on April 26, 2022. For new buildings the fee follows the gross floor area times the construction cost per square foot for the use, rounded to the nearest $1,000, and the building fee includes every inspection and the certificate of occupancy. Under Article 62 of the Town bylaws, the current schedule is kept on file with the Town Clerk and in the Building Department office.

For example, a kitchen and family room renovation in a single-family home valued at $60,000 has a building fee of $660 (60 × $11); the electrical and plumbing permits are separate. Work begun without a permit pays double, and a $25 charge applies if the inspector is not told within five days that the work is finished.

Trade permits and who may pull them

• Electrical: the residential fee covers one rough and one finish inspection, with $50 for each extra visit, and an electrical permit lapses if work has not begun within 90 days. A separate permit is needed for each dwelling unit or tenant space, and after-hours inspections are billed for at least three hours plus a 10% administrative fee.
• Plumbing and gas: priced per fixture, with separate rates for residential and commercial work and a flat fee for a single replacement fixture.
• Sheet metal: priced like building work at $11 per $1,000.
• Water heaters: installing or replacing any water heater needs a plumbing permit before work starts; a gas water heater needs a gas permit as well, while an electric one needs only the plumbing permit.

A kitchen or bath job that only swaps cabinets, countertops or fixtures in place needs electrical and plumbing permits but no building permit.

How to apply for a Westborough building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

780 CMR 105.3.1 requires the building official to act within 30 days of the filing of an application. In Westborough, PermitPro holds an application until every form and the payment are in, and each department’s approval shows separately, so a missing form or sign-off is visible to the applicant within a day or two. Work may begin only with verbal or written authorization from Building Department staff, not on filing.

Inspections in Westborough

Book building inspections by calling the Department with 24 hours’ notice; same-day requests are taken when possible. The permit card must be posted on site or the inspection will not take place, and a reinspection for faulty or non-complying work costs $50. A certified as-built plot plan is required when a new house, addition or pool is finished.

Certificates of occupancy are provided on request; allow 72 hours for the paperwork. Building permits lapse if no work starts within 180 days of issue or if work stops, and electrical permits after 90 days. The yearly inspections of restaurants, schools, day cares and other places of assembly cost $100 per application, and pool fence inspections at public pools $40 a year, with a $50 reinspection charge if needed.

Building code and local bylaws in Westborough

Westborough has enforced the Stretch Energy Code under Article 63 of its bylaws since January 1, 2019. At the March 21, 2026 Annual Town Meeting, Article 30 replaced it with the Municipal Opt-in Specialized Energy Code, passed 120 to 72, effective January 1, 2027 and enforced by the Building Commissioner. The Specialized code applies to new construction: the Town’s summary says mixed-fuel buildings must be pre-wired for later electrification and add solar (at least 4 kW on a single-family home unless the roof or shading prevents it), and multi-family buildings over 12,000 square feet must meet passive house standards. FEMA lists Westborough as a participating community in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective July 16, 2014.

Article 64, the demolition delay bylaw, applies to buildings built before 1950. The Building Commissioner forwards the application to the Historical Commission within seven days; within 30 days the Commission either clears the building or sets a hearing, with the applicant mailing notice by registered or certified mail to owners within 300 feet. A building found significant cannot be demolished for 270 days, unless before then the Commission finds the owner has made a diligent effort to save it or the owner accepts demolition conditions approved by the Commission and the Building Commissioner; the Commission may photograph the building before it comes down.

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

Westborough permit search and official resources

PermitPro lets anyone review the permits issued on a property, and the Town’s Laserfiche public portal holds older permit files and any plot plan the Department has on record. The Department suggests checking both before selling a house to be sure all permits are closed.

• Westborough Building Department
• Online permitting instructions
• Westborough PermitPro
• Residential building permit requirements
• Commercial building permit requirements
• Shed requirements
• Water heater permitting requirements
• Building Department FAQs
• Building fee schedule (April 26, 2022)
• Electrical fee schedule
• Plumbing and gas fee schedule
• Town bylaws through 2024
• 2026 Annual Town Meeting minutes (Specialized code, Article 30)
• Specialized energy code information
• Zoning Bylaw (eCode360)
• Conservation Department
• Public Health Department
• Laserfiche public records portal
• FEMA Community Status Book, Massachusetts

Westborough building permit FAQ

How much is a building permit in Westborough?

$11 per $1,000 of construction cost for one- and two-family homes, with a $50 minimum; minor repairs such as windows, siding and roofing are $15 per $1,000. The fee includes all inspections and the certificate of occupancy.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

Only if it is over 200 square feet. Smaller sheds need a free online shed request, approved by the Building and Conservation departments.

Which energy code applies in Westborough?

The Stretch Energy Code until December 31, 2026. From January 1, 2027, new construction follows the Specialized code adopted by the March 2026 Town Meeting.

Can I start work as soon as I apply?

No. Work may start only with verbal or written authorization from Building Department staff, and the permit card must be posted before inspections.

Do I need a permit to replace windows or a roof?

Yes. Replacement windows, doors, roofing and siding all need a building permit, charged at $15 per $1,000.

How do I check for open permits before selling?

Look the property up in PermitPro and in the Laserfiche public portal, then close any open permits with the Department.

How long is the demolition delay?

Up to 270 days for a building built before 1950 that the Historical Commission finds significant.

Does a party tent need a permit?

Yes, if it is over 400 square feet, with some exceptions the inspectors can explain.

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