The Town of Derry's Code Enforcement and Building Department at 14 Manning Street serves a Rockingham County town of around 34,000 on the interstate corridor south of Manchester, staffed by a code enforcement director who is also the building inspector and an assistant who doubles as the electrical inspector. Permit applications are accepted online only, with plot plans, documents and materials uploaded and correspondence with inspectors and office staff running through the same system; the town notes this reduces turnaround.
Two Derry rules do real work. The first is the proofs-before-filing rule: since the first of January 2022 the town has required an applicant to have all required proofs before submitting, and asks that anyone whose project is several months away simply hold off — the stated purpose is to let the inspectors process complete applications rather than chase incomplete ones. The second is the split: mechanical, gas piping and oil burner permits are handled by Fire Administration, not by the building department, and the town asks applicants not to submit a building permit application for them. New houses, additions with added sleeping rooms and all commercial applications need a separate plan review application to the Fire Prevention Bureau as well.
This guide covers the Town of Derry in Rockingham County. Londonderry, Windham, Chester, Hampstead and Auburn are separate municipalities with their own building officials, and no New Hampshire county issues building permits in practice.
Do not file until you have everything. Derry requires all required proofs to be in hand before an application is submitted, and asks applicants whose project is months out to wait rather than file early. An application is also deemed abandoned 180 days after filing unless pursued in good faith or a permit has issued, though the building official may grant extensions of up to a further 180 days each.
What requires a building permit in Derry?
In Derry the questions are whether the municipality enforces, what it has amended, and the proofs-before-filing rule and the fire permits handled separately.
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- Building work, filed online with all required proofs and plot plans in hand
- A separate Fire Prevention Bureau plan review for new houses, additions with added sleeping rooms and all commercial applications
- Electrical work of any kind, new or repair, with the permit taken out by a New Hampshire licensed master electrician or by a qualifying owner-occupant on a homeowner affidavit
- 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 gas work, by tradespeople licensed by the state
Often exempt
- Fencing, which needs no permit and which the town does not regulate, though it advises setting a fence inside the boundary
- Ordinary repairs that do not alter structure, egress, fire protection or building systems
- 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
Locally, what stands out is the online-only filing with proofs in hand, the fire permits handled by Fire Administration, and the master electrician requirement on any electrical work.
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
Who handles permitting in Derry?
The Code Enforcement and Building Department is the permitting authority inside the town, administering the New Hampshire State Building Code through the enforcement mechanism Derry has adopted, with a code enforcement director who is also the building inspector and an assistant building inspector who is the electrical inspector. Fire Administration handles mechanical, gas piping and oil burner permits, the Fire Prevention Bureau takes plan review on new houses and commercial work, and the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification licenses the trades statewide.
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Get a free quote →| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Department | Derry Code Enforcement and Building Department |
| Office | Derry Municipal Center, 14 Manning Street, Derry, NH 03038 · Monday to Friday, 7:00 am to 4:00 pm |
| Phone | (603) 432-6148 — Fire Administration (603) 432-6751 |
| Filing | Online only; card payment through the portal, cheque or exact cash in person |
| Fire permits | Mechanical, gas piping and oil burner, through Fire Administration |
| Inspections | Booked by telephone, typically next business day |
Permit types
Residential permits
A Derry house project assembles every proof first, files online, and sends the mechanical, gas piping and oil burner work to Fire Administration rather than to the building department. A new house or an addition with added sleeping rooms needs a Fire Prevention Bureau plan review alongside. Electrical and plumbing permits are taken out by a New Hampshire licensed master electrician or master plumber; the one exception is an owner who lives in the house as a primary residence, who may do the work on a notarised homeowner affidavit with a diagram the building inspector approves first. A fence needs nothing at all, though the town advises setting it a couple of feet inside the line so it can be maintained without trespassing.
Commercial permits
Commercial work in Derry — the Broadway downtown, the retail and light industrial frontage along the interstate corridor and the airport parcels — requires a Fire Prevention Bureau plan review application on top of the building permit in every case. The town publishes its permit reports by year, which makes the volume and pattern of local development a matter of public record rather than an enquiry.
The state permits that sit outside the town
In Derry the ponds and the wetlands through the town bring the state environmental department's shoreland and wetlands approvals ahead of the local permit on affected parcels, and the interstate corridor drives a commercial and multi-family pipeline larger than the town's size suggests.
New Hampshire has no general contractor licence; the contractor carries the duty to meet the state codes, and the trades hold state licences. New Hampshire rules
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Derry charges permit fees under the town's schedule, payable by card only through the online system, or by cheque or exact cash in person — the office keeps no cash register.
| Item | Fee or rule |
|---|---|
| Building permit | Per the town's schedule, paid by card online |
| In-person payment | Cheque payable to the town, or cash in exact change |
| Fire permits | Mechanical, gas piping and oil burner, through Fire Administration |
| Fire Prevention plan review | A separate application on new houses, added sleeping rooms and all commercial work |
| Electrical permit | Taken out by a New Hampshire licensed master electrician, or by an owner-occupant on a notarised homeowner affidavit |
| Fence | No permit and no fee; the town does not regulate fences |
An application expires at 180 days. Derry applies the code's own time limit: an application is deemed abandoned 180 days after filing unless it has been pursued in good faith or a permit has issued. The building official may grant one or more extensions of up to 180 days each — but they are granted, not automatic, and an abandoned application means starting again.
Trade permits and who may pull them
Permit required
- Electrical — by an electrician licensed by the state electricians' board
- Plumbing — by a plumber licensed by the state mechanical licensing board
- Gas fitting — by a gas fitter licensed by the state mechanical licensing board
- Fire protection — under the state fire code, with the fire marshal's review where it applies
Typically exempt
- Arc-fault protection beyond the 2014 electrical requirements, which is not enforced in New Hampshire
- Like-for-like replacement the adopted code places below the permit threshold
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →Trade work follows the town’s permit process where the town enforces, and is done by tradespeople holding the state licence their trade requires. New Hampshire rules
How to apply for a Derry building permit
Permitting exists locally only where an enforcement mechanism has been adopted under RSA 155-A:3; the code applies either way.
A local amendment may cover only administrative matters, 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 trade inspections as the town requires, then the certificate of occupancy where the town issues one.
Review, corrections and what actually causes delay
The building department reviews the online application once it is complete, with the Fire Prevention Bureau reviewing in parallel where its application is required. What delays a Derry project is filing before the proofs are assembled, sending mechanical or gas work to the wrong department, and an electrical permit attempted by anyone other than a licensed master electrician or a qualifying owner-occupant.
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Get a free quote →Inspections in Derry
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 48 hours ahead, non-compliant work draws a written order to correct, and the re-inspection carries its own fee. Derry inspections are booked by telephone with the department against the permit number and are typically scheduled for the next business day, though the town warns scheduling can take up to a week in busy periods.
Derry permit search and official resources
- Derry Code Enforcement and Building — the department, its staff and the Fire Prevention requirement
- Derry online permits — the online-only rule, the proofs requirement and payment methods
- Items that require a permit in Derry — what needs a permit, and what Fire Administration handles instead
- 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
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Frequently asked questions
Who issues building permits in Derry?
The town's Code Enforcement and Building Department at 14 Manning Street, online only. No New Hampshire county issues building permits in practice.
Can I file before I have my plans?
The town asks you not to. Since 2022 all required proofs must be in hand before submitting, and applicants with projects months away are asked to wait.
Where do mechanical and gas permits go?
To Fire Administration, not the building department. The town asks that no building permit application be submitted for mechanical, gas piping or oil burner work.
Who can pull an electrical permit?
A New Hampshire licensed master electrician, for any electrical work whether new or a repair. The exception is a property owner who lives there as a primary residence: they may do the work themselves on a notarised homeowner affidavit, with a copy of their driving licence and a wiring diagram the building inspector approves before work starts.
Do I need a permit for a fence?
No. Derry requires no permit and has no fence regulations, though it recommends setting the fence inside your boundary so you can maintain it.
How long does my application stay live?
180 days from filing, unless pursued in good faith or a permit has issued; the building official may grant further extensions of up to 180 days each.
Simplify Derry permitting with Alliance Permitting
Derry asks for a complete file and means it. We assemble every proof before the portal sees the application, route the fire permits to Fire Administration, and keep the 180-day clock in view.
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Send us the scope and the parcel. We confirm the review path with the Derry Code Enforcement and 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 Derry permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.