Permits in Coös County depend on where the land is. Berlin, Gorham and several towns run building or code enforcement offices; many North Country towns issue a Select Board, zoning or land use permit; and the 23 unincorporated places, such as Dixville, Millsfield and Second College Grant, need a zoning permit from the County, which governs them. Every office is listed below.
What needs a permit in Coös County?
- Unincorporated places: the County’s Zoning Ordinance makes it unlawful to erect, construct, reconstruct or alter a structure, change a use or lot coverage, or add a dwelling unit without a County zoning permit.
- Northumberland: a building permit when the footprint changes, and for remodeling or repairs only when materials cost more than $5,000.
- Randolph: a permit before any building or structure, including a prefabricated one, is built, extended or placed, and for pools, manufactured homes, outdoor wood boilers, wind equipment, solar panels and signs; alterations that change the use, exterior dimensions, basic materials or number of bedrooms also need one.
- Pittsburg: a free Building Notification for any new construction, addition or upgrade.
- Berlin: separate City permits for building, demolition, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, fences, pools, signs, roofing and siding.
Septic systems need approval for construction from the NHDES Subsurface Systems Bureau; the County ordinance requires the state approvals for water supply and sewage disposal to accompany a zoning permit application.
Who issues permits in each Coös County town?
All 20 municipalities are listed here; the unincorporated places follow in the next section.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| Town | Who issues permits | Office and phone |
|---|---|---|
| Berlin (city) | Code Enforcement (building inspection and zoning) | City Hall, 168 Main Street, basement level; 603-752-1630 |
| Carroll | Land use office; building permit application approved by the Selectboard in June 2025, with a Building Inspector | 92 School Street, Twin Mountain; 603-846-5754 |
| Clarksville | Select Board; its 2025 town report lists no building inspector or planning board. Call the town office before building. | Town office 603-246-7751 |
| Colebrook | Zoning Ordinance certificate application (Planning Board page) | 17 Bridge Street; 603-237-4070 |
| Columbia | Zoning Compliance Certificate (the form posted as the Town’s building permit application) | 603-237-5255 |
| Dalton | No building permit form is published, and voters rejected emergency temporary zoning on September 24, 2026. Ask the town office before building. | 756 Dalton Road; 603-837-2092 |
| Dummer | Select Board; a Building Inspector does the final inspection; no application fee | Select Board 603-449-2468 |
| Errol | No building or zoning permit form is published; a proposed zoning ordinance was posted in 2025. Ask the town office before building. | 33 Main Street; 603-482-3351 |
| Gorham | Building & Code Enforcement (online permits) | 20 Park Street; 603-466-3322 ext. 7 |
| Jefferson | Select Board building permit | 603-586-4553 |
| Lancaster | Land Use Coordinator: Land Use Permit for development and demolition | 25 Main Street; 603-788-3391 |
| Milan | Selectmen’s Office and Building Inspector (meets every other Monday, 6 to 7 p.m.) | 20 Bridge Street; 603-449-2484 |
| Northumberland | Building Facilitator signs, Board of Selectmen approves; Building Inspector / Code Enforcement Officer inspects | 10 Station Square, Groveton; 603-636-1450 |
| Pittsburg | Board of Selectmen: free Building Notification | 1526 Main Street; 603-538-6697 |
| Randolph | Town building permit under the Land Use Ordinance | 130 Durand Road; 603-466-5771 |
| Shelburne | Code Enforcement Officer; applications go to the Town Administrator | 74 Village Road; 603-466-2262 |
| Stark | No building permit form is published; the Town posts subdivision, timber and excavation forms. Ask the town office before building. | 1189 Stark Highway; 603-636-2118 |
| Stewartstown | Selectboard; its 2025 town report lists a Planning Board but no building permit. Call the town office before building. | Town office 603-246-3329 |
| Stratford | Selectboard: Building Certificate | 603-922-5533 |
| Whitefield | Planning office: Development Permit | 603-837-9871; Town Office 603-837-2551 |
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →The County’s town list gives Gorham’s number as 603-446-3322; Gorham’s own Building & Code Enforcement page uses 603-466-3322, extension 7.
Unincorporated places: the County zoning permit
Coös County governs 23 unincorporated places: Atkinson & Gilmanton Academy Grant, Bean’s Grant, Bean’s Purchase, Cambridge, Chandler’s Purchase, Crawford’s Purchase, Cutt’s Grant, Dix’s Grant, Dixville, Erving’s Grant, Green’s Grant, Hadley’s Purchase, Kilkenny, Low & Burbank’s Grant, Martin’s Location, Millsfield, Odell, Pinkham’s Grant, Sargent’s Purchase, Second College Grant, Success, Thompson & Meserve’s Purchase and Wentworth Location.
There, the County Commissioners enforce a Zoning Ordinance for the Unincorporated Places, last amended December 13, 2024. A zoning permit is required before building, rebuilding or altering a structure; it is a certificate of compliance with that ordinance only. The application needs proof of title, a plot plan with lot and yard dimensions, buildings and driveways, and the state approvals for water and sewage. Any conditional use permit, special use permit, variance or Planning Board approval must be in place first.
Mail the application and fee to the Coös County Planning Board, PO Box 310, West Stewartstown, NH 03597, or deliver it to the County Administrator at 34 County Farm Road, West Stewartstown. The County Administration Office answers on 603-237-1920, Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (the department line is 603-237-1905) Work must start within one year and be finished within two.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Permit fees in Coös County
| Permit | Fee |
|---|---|
| County zoning permit, new construction (unincorporated places) | $25 |
| County zoning permit, renovations | $10 |
| County zoning permit, after the fact | $100 |
| Pittsburg Building Notification | No cost; $50 penalty for not filing |
| Dummer building permit | No application fee |
| Shelburne after-the-fact building permit | $150 penalty |
| Berlin, new home (1 or 2 family) | $100 |
| Berlin, residential addition or alteration / garage | $35 / $35 |
| Berlin, residential siding, roof or pool / storage building | $20 / $20 |
| Berlin, new multifamily or commercial building | $200 |
| Gorham, residential new construction or remodel | $35 each; ordinary repairs need a permit but cost nothing |
| Gorham, commercial or more than 2 units | New construction $200 + .35 sq. ft.; remodel $100 + .20 sq. ft. (as printed; effective May 23, 2022) |
| Gorham, after-the-fact permit | $150 penalty |
| Columbia, residential structure / accessory building over 100 sq ft | $50 / $30 (after-the-fact penalty $200) |
| Jefferson, house without / with heating system inspection | $25 / $50 |
| Jefferson, addition without / with heating system inspection | $10 / $40 |
Rather not deal with the Coös County building department?
Get a free quote →The County also charges certified-mail costs for abutter notices and newspaper costs for public notices when a hearing is needed. Berlin’s trade permits for a home are $30 for an upgrade and $50 for a new electrical or plumbing system, and $30 for mechanical work; Gorham charges $50 for a residential electrical, plumbing or mechanical permit applied for as a separate project. Columbia’s fees were last amended by voters on March 8, 2016.
Trade and heating permits
Berlin issues its own electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits, and Gorham’s office posts electrical, mechanical and plumbing permit forms alongside its online permits. Lancaster has a liquid propane tank installation permit. Jefferson’s building permit form says any heating system needs a pre-installation inspection by the Jefferson Fire Department, and its fee is higher when that inspection is included. In Dummer, wood-fired heating systems must be inspected by the Milan Fire Chief.
Getting a permit in Coös County
Town land goes to the town office in the table; land in a grant, purchase or township goes to the County.
Check the town’s zoning or land use ordinance, or the County’s Zoning Ordinance and land use guidance map, for setbacks and allowed uses.
NHDES approval for a septic system and, near water, a shoreland or wetlands permit; NHDOT for a driveway on a state road.
Online in Gorham, at City Hall in Berlin, at the town office elsewhere, or by mail to the County Planning Board for unincorporated places.
Northumberland requires the permit to be posted on site and visible from the highway.
A County zoning permit lapses if work does not start within one year; once work has started, the County may extend the two-year completion deadline.
Inspections
Berlin’s Code Enforcement office, which covers building inspection and zoning, is open Monday to Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. In Northumberland the appointed Building Inspector / Code Enforcement Officer may inspect buildings, structures and construction sites, and in Dummer the Town Office must be told when work is finished so the Building Inspector can do a final inspection. Pittsburg’s notification lets the Town’s assessor enter to inspect new construction for assessment, and the Town states that its acknowledgment does not mean the project meets state requirements.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →New Hampshire building code
Every building in New Hampshire must meet the state building and fire codes (the 2024 codes since July 2026). Only towns that have adopted an enforcement mechanism issue local permits, and any local amendment must be administrative and confirmed by the state. New Hampshire rules
Coös County building permit FAQ
Does Coös County issue building permits?
No. In the 23 unincorporated places the County Commissioners issue a zoning permit under the County’s Zoning Ordinance; Berlin and the towns issue their own permits.
How do I get a permit in Dixville, Millsfield or another unincorporated place?
Send the County zoning permit application, with a plot plan and state septic and water approvals, to the Coös County Planning Board, PO Box 310, West Stewartstown, NH 03597. New construction costs $25 (603-237-1920).
Who issues building permits in Berlin?
The City’s Code Enforcement office in City Hall, 168 Main Street (603-752-1630), which handles building inspection and zoning.
Who issues building permits in Gorham?
Gorham’s Building & Code Enforcement office at 20 Park Street (603-466-3322, ext. 7); permits can be applied for online.
Does Pittsburg require a building permit?
Pittsburg requires a free Building Notification at the Town Office for new construction, additions and upgrades; not filing carries a $50 penalty.
Does Lancaster have a building permit?
Lancaster issues a Land Use Permit for residential or commercial development and demolition through its Land Use Coordinator (603-788-3391).
Official Coös County permitting resources
These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →- Coös County cities, towns and unincorporated places
- Coös County Administration Office and Unincorporated Places
- Zoning Ordinance for the Unincorporated Places, amended December 13, 2024 (PDF)
- Coös County zoning permit application (PDF)
- Coös County Planning Board fee schedule (PDF)
- Berlin Code Enforcement
- Gorham Building & Code Enforcement
- Lancaster land use permits
- Pittsburg permits and building notification
- NH Department of Environmental Services
- New Hampshire State Building Code, RSA 155-A
Simplify Coös County permitting with Alliance Permitting
Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in New Hampshire. 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.
Ready to break ground in Coös County sooner?
Let Alliance prepare, file, and track your Coös County permits while your crew stays on the job.
More New Hampshire permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Coös County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.