Whitman, Massachusetts Building Permit Guide

Whitman’s Building Department, at Town Hall, 54 South Avenue (781-618-9770), issues building, electrical, gas and plumbing permits through the PermitEyes online system, and an application is not reviewed until it is paid. New fees took effect on September 22, 2026: the residential building fee lines are a $30 permit charge and $15 for each $1,000 or part of the job cost, with a $50 minimum. Town Hall is closed on Fridays, and each inspector books inspections by phone.

What requires a building permit in Whitman?

Whitman is a Plymouth County town of about 15,500 people. The Building Department enforces the state codes for building, renovation, remodeling, demolition and change of use, and its FAQ lists the everyday jobs that need a permit:

What Whitman decides and what the state holds

The building code itself, 780 CMR, is set by the state Board of Building Regulations and Standards, and Whitman cannot amend it. Locally, the Select Board sets permit fees on the Building Commissioner’s recommendation (Zoning Bylaw Section 240-12.4), Town Meeting adopted the Stretch Energy Code in Chapter 124 of the General Bylaws, and the Zoning Bylaw (Chapter 240, adopted in its current form at the June 2, 2021 Annual Town Meeting and amended since) sets the districts, setbacks, site plan rules and the Floodplain and Watershed Protection Districts.

Whitman building department: who handles permitting

The Building Department issues building, electrical, gas and plumbing permits, enforces the Zoning Bylaw and helps applicants with Zoning Board of Appeals filings. Jim Ewell is the part-time conditional Building Commissioner and Zoning Enforcement Officer, and he also serves as the town’s floodplain administrator under the Zoning Bylaw. A wiring inspector and a plumbing and gas inspector each schedule their own inspections.

Because the commissioner is part time, call ahead before visiting, especially if you need a plot plan from the files; the office keeps one only if an earlier permit required it. The Board of Health is at 781-618-9754 (Monday to Thursday, 8 am–4 pm) and the Conservation Commission at 781-447-3309.

Whitman permit types and the approvals that come first

Whitman takes building, electrical, gas and plumbing applications online through Full Circle Technologies’ PermitEyes, the same system the Board of Health and Select Board use for their licenses. Each applicant creates an account, uploads the required documents, follows the application through each department’s review and messages staff by chat or email. Copies of the contractor’s licenses must be attached, or the permit will not issue.

Residential permits

Homeowners may file building and electrical permits themselves; plumbing and gas permits must be filed by a licensed plumber or gas fitter. Every application to build, alter or move a building comes with a plot plan showing the lot, the structures, septic system locations, street utilities and grading, although for an addition under 750 square feet outside the required yards the commissioner may accept a simpler sketch. Fees are figured on job cost, and the fee sheet notes that estimated construction cost is based on $120 per square foot.

An accessory dwelling unit is allowed by right on a lot with a house in the A-1, A-2 and General Residence districts, up to half the floor area of the main house or 900 square feet, whichever is smaller, with no owner-occupancy requirement; the lot still needs site plan approval from the Board of Appeals.

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Commercial permits

Any new building other than a one- or two-family house and its accessory buildings, and any external enlargement or change of use, needs a site plan endorsed by the Zoning Board of Appeals before the permit issues; the plans are filed with the Town Clerk. Commercial building permits list a $50 permit charge and $18 per $1,000 of job cost, with a $100 minimum, and commercial electrical permits carry a $150 application fee.

For tenant improvements and new commercial builds, Alliance handles commercial permit filing through issuance. More on this: commercial building permits explained.

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning Board of Appeals: special permits, variances, site plan approval and appeals of the commissioner’s decisions; petitioners pay for abutter mailings and newspaper notices.
• Conservation Commission: work in a wetland or buffer zone needs a Request for Determination of Applicability or a Notice of Intent under the Wetlands Protection Act.
• Board of Health: septic systems and other sanitary-code matters; the commissioner consults the Board of Health before issuing a certificate of occupancy.
• Watershed protection: land within 100 feet of the banks of the Schumatuscacant River, Meadow Brook and their tributaries is in the Watershed Protection District overlay.
• Historic Commission: Whitman has a Historic Commission (781-618-9746) but no demolition-delay chapter in its codified bylaws.

Zoning Board of Appeals fees and timeline

The ZBA fee schedule effective February 3, 2026 charges $150 for site plan approval, $200 for site plan approval with a special permit or variance, $100 for a variance or special permit alone, and $1,000 plus $50 for every unit over 50 for a Chapter 40B comprehensive permit. Payment is by check only, with a second check for the newspaper advertisement. The Building Commissioner must review the plans before the application goes to the Town Clerk; site plan filings need an original and 10 copies of plans stamped by a land surveyor or civil engineer, and variance or special permit filings eight stamped plot plans.

After a grant, the ZBA has 14 days from the hearing to file its decision with the Town Clerk, and the 20-day appeal period runs from that filing. On the 21st day you collect a certification letter from the Town Clerk, record the decision at the Registry of Deeds, and show the Registry receipt and stamped letter to the Building Department before the building permit can issue.

Conservation Commission filings follow a similar rhythm: both a Request for Determination of Applicability and a Notice of Intent go to an advertised public hearing with abutter notice and a site visit, the Commission decides within 21 days of closing the hearing, and work may begin only after a 10-day appeal period. Each Commission meeting opens with a 15-minute public forum where residents can ask about a possible wetlands issue.

Whitman permit fees

The Town’s fee pages say prices changed effective September 22, 2026. Fees double for any work started without a permit.

The sheet lists the $30 permit charge and the $15 per $1,000 rate on separate lines without saying how they combine, so confirm the total with the department before you budget; job cost is estimated at $120 per square foot.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Only a licensed plumber or gas fitter may file plumbing and gas permits, and only the licensed plumber or electrician may call in the trade inspections. Building contractors attach their state Construction Supervisor License and, for work on an existing home, their Home Improvement Contractor registration; homeowners may file electrical permits for their own work.

Failing to take out a wiring permit doubles the fee. Commercial wiring starts at $125 for the first $100,000 of a new building plus $2 per $1,000, and commercial solar is $500 plus $1 per panel.

How to apply for a Whitman building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The department’s FAQ says it has up to 30 days to issue or deny a permit, which matches 780 CMR 105.3.1, and the time depends on the queue, the scope of work and missing information. A missing surveyor’s plan, unpaid fees and pending ZBA or Conservation decisions can all hold an application up. A permit lapses if work does not start within 180 days, and if the zoning or building code has changed in the meantime the project may lose its grandfathered status.

Inspections in Whitman

The permit holder is responsible for calling each inspector; the commissioner is available for building inspections on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons from 4 to 6 pm, and the wiring and plumbing and gas inspectors take calls from 7 to 8 am. For new houses, in-ground pools and anything close to the setback lines, a certified as-built plot plan must reach the department after the foundation is in, and framing may not start until it has. Permits without a final sign-off stay open on the Town’s records.

A certificate of occupancy ($50 residential, $75 commercial) is required before anyone occupies a new or structurally altered building, a building changing use or a changed nonconforming use. A $100 re-inspection fee applies to failed building and trade inspections, and if the permit is not on site the reprint costs $75.

Building code and local bylaws in Whitman

Whitman enforces 780 CMR, 10th edition, with the Stretch Energy Code under Chapter 124, Article II of its General Bylaws, which takes in future editions of the Stretch code automatically and is enforced by the Building Commissioner. The Zoning Bylaw’s Floodplain District covers the special flood hazard areas on the Plymouth County flood insurance rate map dated July 6, 2021, and the Watershed Protection District covers the areas on the 1973 map plus a 100-foot strip along the Schumatuscacant River, Meadow Brook and their tributaries. FEMA lists Whitman as a participating community in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective July 6, 2021.

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

Whitman permit search and official resources

Whitman’s PermitEyes site has no public search page; its public view sends visitors to a staff login. Applicants can track their own permits in their account. For other permit records, call the Building Department, or ask the Town Clerk, who is the Records Access Officer for every department.

• Whitman Building Department
• Online permitting
• PermitEyes login
• PermitEyes registration guide
• Building permit fees (September 22, 2026)
• Plumbing and gas permit fees
• Electrical permit fees
• Building Department FAQ
• Whitman General Bylaws (eCode360)
• Zoning Bylaw, Chapter 240
• Zoning Board of Appeals application, fees and procedure
• Conservation Commission
• Board of Health
• Town Clerk (public records)
• Maps and GIS
• Massachusetts State Building Code (780 CMR)
• FEMA Community Status Book, Massachusetts

Whitman building permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in Whitman, MA?

The Building Department at Town Hall, 54 South Avenue (781-618-9770). Jim Ewell is the part-time conditional Building Commissioner.

How much is a building permit in Whitman?

Since September 22, 2026, residential permits list a $30 permit charge and $15 per $1,000 of job cost, with a $50 minimum; commercial permits are $50 and $18 per $1,000, with a $100 minimum.

Can a homeowner pull permits?

Yes for building and electrical permits. Plumbing and gas permits must be filed by a licensed plumber or gas fitter.

Do I need a surveyor’s plot plan?

For a new structure, addition, deck, shed or pool, yes; plot plans must carry a Registered Land Surveyor’s stamp, and you cannot draw your own.

Can I start work once I have applied?

No. Work waits until the permit is issued, and the application is not even reviewed until the fee is paid.

When can I get a building inspection?

Call the commissioner at 781-618-9770; building inspections are offered Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 4 to 6 pm.

Can I add an accessory apartment?

One ADU is allowed by right on a house lot in the A-1, A-2 and General Residence districts, up to 900 square feet or half the house, with Board of Appeals site plan approval.

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