The Town of Bedford's Building Department at 55 Constitution Drive issues permits for a Hillsborough County town of around twenty-four thousand immediately west of Manchester, one of the wealthiest and fastest-building municipalities in the state. The department runs its own plan review and inspections with named building inspectors and a permit coordinator, keeps a full weekday counter from eight to half past four, and by the account of the contractors who use it is among the more straightforward permit offices in the region.
The address is the thing to get right. Bedford's Town Office is at 24 North Amherst Road and its Building Department is at 55 Constitution Drive — two separate buildings with two separate telephone lines, and mapping services frequently return the Town Office for a building permit search. Beyond that, the town's process is conventional for a New Hampshire municipality that has adopted an enforcement mechanism: the state building code administered locally, plan review and inspection in-house, and the trades permitted separately by state-licensed tradespeople.
This guide covers the Town of Bedford in Hillsborough County. Manchester, Merrimack, Amherst, Goffstown and New Boston are separate municipalities with their own building officials, and no New Hampshire county issues building permits in practice.
The Building Department is not at the Town Office. Bedford's Building Department is at 55 Constitution Drive; the Town Office is at 24 North Amherst Road. They are separate buildings with separate telephone lines, and a search for a Bedford building permit will often return the Town Office instead. Confirm the address before travelling and dial the department's own number rather than the town switchboard.
What requires a building permit in Bedford?
New Hampshire applies one code everywhere and leaves the enforcing to the town. Under RSA 155-A all buildings, building components and structures constructed in New Hampshire must comply with the state building code and the state fire code — there is no opting out of the standard. What varies is who administers it: a municipality takes on permitting and inspection only by adopting an enforcement mechanism under RSA 674:51, and a good number of New Hampshire towns never have. The code itself is the twenty twenty-one international building, residential, existing building, plumbing, mechanical and swimming pool codes with the twenty eighteen energy code and the twenty twenty-three National Electrical Code, all with New Hampshire amendments, in force since the first of July twenty twenty-four. So in Bedford the questions are whether the municipality enforces, what it has amended, and the Building Department's separate address on Constitution Drive.
Two statutory rules shape every New Hampshire project and neither is in the model code. The first is a lock on the edition: the state building code in effect when the permit application is received by the governing authority remains in effect for the duration of the work covered by that permit, so a long project is not overtaken mid-build by a new code. The second is the concurrency period: for six months after a new edition takes effect an applicant may elect to show compliance under either the old code or the new one — but not a combination of the two. Beyond that, the code draws the ordinary permit line: construction, alteration, renovation, repair, removal and demolition are covered; ordinary repairs are not.
Typically permit required
- Construction, alteration, addition, demolition and change of occupancy, on a permit before work begins
- Swimming pools, decks and additions, all reviewed and inspected by the department
- Electrical, plumbing and mechanical work, each on its own permit by a state-licensed tradesperson
- New construction and renovation, on a permit obtained before work begins under RSA 155-A:4
- Alteration, renovation, rehabilitation, repair, removal and demolition of buildings previously erected
- Electrical, plumbing and mechanical work, by tradespeople licensed by the state
Often exempt
- Ordinary repairs that do not alter structure, egress, fire protection or building systems
- Painting, papering, flooring, cabinets and similar finish work
- Ordinary repairs that do not alter structure, egress, fire protection or building systems
- A tent of any size erected as an accessory structure at an owner-occupied one or two-family dwelling
- Painting, papering, flooring, cabinets and similar finish work
What the municipality may change, and what it may not
New Hampshire lets a municipality amend the state building code, and then puts a check on it. Local amendments are adopted by the legislative body under RSA 674:51, but since the twenty twenty-two amendment to that statute a local ordinance amending the code may not be enforced unless it has been confirmed by the state Building Code Review Board, which publishes the amendments it confirms. Issuing permits and collecting fees are not themselves amendments and need no confirmation. A municipality that has adopted an enforcement mechanism may contract the work to a local enforcement agency or a qualified third party rather than employ its own building official, and that contractor holds the same authority as a building inspector. Appeals from a local official go to the municipality's own building code board of appeals; appeals from the State Fire Marshal go to the Building Code Review Board. Beyond that, the Building Department's own address and line, separate from the Town Office, and the in-house plan review the department runs.
Who handles permitting in Bedford?
The Building Department is the permitting authority inside the town, administering the New Hampshire State Building Code through the enforcement mechanism Bedford has adopted, with named building inspectors carrying out plan review and field inspection and a permit coordinator handling intake. The State Fire Marshal permits state, university and community college buildings, the environmental department issues shoreland, wetlands and sewage approvals, and the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification licenses the trades statewide.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Department | Bedford Building Department |
| Office | 55 Constitution Drive, Bedford, NH 03110 |
| Phone | (603) 472-3838 |
| Not this address | Bedford Town Office, 24 North Amherst Road, (603) 472-5242 |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm |
| Trade licences | Office of Professional Licensure and Certification, statewide |
Permit types
Residential permits
A Bedford house project files with the Building Department on Constitution Drive, with the trades on their own permits and New Hampshire licences on the tradespeople. The town's residential file runs heavily to additions, pools and larger new houses rather than to conversions, and the department handles the plan review and the inspections itself rather than contracting them out — which shortens the path from a question to an answer.
How New Hampshire contractor credentials work
New Hampshire issues no general contractor licence. A builder needs no state credential to take on a house, and the statute puts the duty squarely on them anyway: the contractor is responsible for meeting the minimum requirements of the state building code and state fire code, and no municipality may be held liable for a contractor's failure to comply. The trades are licensed through the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification: electricians under the electricians' board, plumbers under the plumbers' board, and gas fitters and mechanical trades under the licensing required by RSA 153:27. In Bedford the credential is checked at permit issue where the municipality enforces, and where it does not the licence requirement still applies to the tradesperson doing the work.
Commercial permits
Commercial work in Bedford — the Route 101 corridor, the office and medical parcels along the Manchester line and the retail frontage — runs through the same department with the state fire code alongside. Larger projects reach the State Fire Marshal's pre-construction review list, which runs on the state's timetable rather than the town's and is worth starting early on an institutional or assembly building.
The state permits that sit outside the town
Several New Hampshire approvals come from the state rather than the municipality, and they are the ones most often missed. The Shoreland Water Quality Protection Act requires a permit from the Department of Environmental Services for construction, excavation and filling within two hundred and fifty feet of a protected water body — a state permit, not a local ordinance. Wetlands work and subsurface sewage approval run through the same department. The State Fire Marshal permits, inspects and certifies buildings owned by the state, the university system and the community college system wherever they stand, and operates the State Building Permit Program for municipalities without a code enforcement mechanism that have asked for help in writing. In Bedford the Merrimack River along the eastern boundary and the brooks and wetlands inland bring the state environmental department's approvals ahead of the local permit on affected parcels, and the town's larger lots put septic and well approvals into a good share of the residential file.
Bedford permit costs and fees
Bedford charges building and trade permit fees under the town's schedule, with the state's own approvals charged by the department issuing them and board fees where the project reaches planning or zoning.
| Item | Fee or rule |
|---|---|
| Building permit | On the declared construction value, per the town's schedule |
| Trade permits | Separate electrical, plumbing and mechanical fees |
| State permits | Shoreland, wetlands and sewage approvals through the environmental department |
| Planning and zoning | Board application fees where the project reaches them |
| Fire review | State fire code review where the project reaches the pre-construction list |
| Plan review | Carried out in-house by the department's inspectors |
In-house review is a schedule advantage. Bedford reviews plans and carries out inspections with its own staff rather than contracting the work out, which is not universal in New Hampshire — a municipality that has adopted an enforcement mechanism may contract it to a third party instead. Where review is in-house, a correction is usually a conversation rather than a round trip, and that is worth something on a schedule.
Trade permits and who may pull them
Trade work is permitted separately where the municipality enforces, and carried out by tradespeople holding the state licence their trade requires. New Hampshire declines to enforce arc-fault protection beyond the twenty fourteen electrical requirements, whichever edition of the electrical code the state has adopted.
Permit required
- Electrical — by an electrician licensed by the state electricians' board
- Plumbing — by a plumber licensed by the state plumbers' board
- Gas fitting and mechanical — under the state licensing required by RSA 153:27
- Fire protection — under the state fire code, with the fire marshal's review where it applies
Typically exempt
- Arc-fault protection beyond the twenty fourteen electrical requirements, which is not enforced in New Hampshire
- Like-for-like replacement the adopted code places below the permit threshold
How to apply for a Bedford building permit
Permitting exists locally only where an enforcement mechanism has been adopted under RSA 674:51; the code applies either way.
A local amendment is unenforceable unless the Building Code Review Board has confirmed it, and the board publishes what it confirms.
Shoreland, wetlands and subsurface sewage approvals come from the environmental department, not from the town.
Electricians, plumbers and gas fitters are licensed by the state; there is no general contractor licence, and the contractor carries the compliance duty.
The code in effect when the application is received governs the whole of the work; during a concurrency period elect one edition, not a blend.
Footing to final with the trades on their own permits, then the certificate of occupancy.
Review, corrections and what actually causes delay
The Building Department reviews plans in-house against the state building code, with the state fire code alongside. What delays a Bedford project is an application taken to the Town Office instead of the department, a trade permit pulled by someone without a New Hampshire licence, and a wetland parcel where the state approval was left until after the design.
Inspections in Bedford
Where the municipality enforces, inspections follow the code's sequence — footing, foundation, framing, rough trades, insulation and final — requested from the building official by permit number, with the trades inspected on their own permits and a certificate of occupancy at the end. Where the State Building Permit Program covers the work instead, inspections are booked with the State Fire Marshal's office at least forty-eight hours ahead, non-compliant work draws a written order to correct, and the re-inspection carries its own fee. Bedford inspections are carried out by the department's own inspectors against the permit number, with each trade inspected on its own permit and a certificate of occupancy at the close.
Bedford permit search and official resources
- New Hampshire State Building Code — the adopted editions and the statewide amendments
- RSA chapter 155-A — the statute on the code, permits, enforcement and appeals
- State Building Permit Program — the fire marshal's permitting and pre-construction review
- New Hampshire State Building Code — the adopted editions, the amendments and RSA 155-A
- State Building Permit Program — the fire marshal's permits, inspections and certificates where a municipality does not enforce
- RSA chapter 155-A — the statute on the code, permits, enforcement and appeals
Frequently asked questions
Who issues building permits in Bedford?
The town's Building Department at 55 Constitution Drive, which is a different building from the Town Office. No New Hampshire county issues building permits in practice.
Is the Building Department at the Town Office?
No. The Town Office is at 24 North Amherst Road with its own line; the Building Department is at 55 Constitution Drive. Searches frequently return the wrong one.
Which code applies?
The New Hampshire State Building Code — the twenty twenty-one international codes with the twenty eighteen energy code and the twenty twenty-three electrical code, in force since the first of July twenty twenty-four.
Does the town do its own plan review?
Yes. Bedford carries out plan review and inspections with its own staff rather than contracting them to a third party.
Do I need a licensed contractor?
New Hampshire issues no general contractor licence, but electricians, plumbers and gas fitters hold state licences and the contractor carries the compliance duty by statute.
Who approves a septic system?
The state environmental department approves subsurface sewage disposal; the town does not. That approval belongs in the file before the building permit.
Simplify Bedford permitting with Alliance Permitting
Bedford's department is easy to work with and easy to arrive at the wrong building for. We file at Constitution Drive, put state licences on the trades, and start the environmental approvals ahead of design.
Ready to break ground in Bedford sooner?
Send us the scope and the parcel. We confirm the review path with the Bedford Building Department, assemble the submittal, file it, and track it through issuance — corrections included.
More New Hampshire permitting guides
More New Hampshire permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Bedford permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.