Goffstown, New Hampshire Building Permit Guide

In Goffstown, building permits are issued by the Building & Health Department at Town Hall, 16 Main Street (603-497-8990 ext. 814). The owner signs the application, and the Town asks you not to send payment with it. Since February 11, 2025, a one- or two-family house costs $0.20 per square foot of all floors, with separate electrical and plumbing fees of $0.06 per square foot.

What requires a permit in Goffstown?

The Building Permit Application covers new construction, additions, alterations and repairs, replacements, demolition, age-in-place work, above-ground and in-ground pools and certificate of occupancy inspections, for residential, commercial, agricultural and industrial property. The Town’s fee schedule prices these permits:

The application also asks whether the lot is in the 100-year floodplain or the historic district, whether there are wetlands on site and whether the work creates an additional dwelling unit, since each brings its own review.

Who issues building permits in Goffstown?

The Town’s Building & Health Department handles building permits and fees, building inspections and code enforcement, and also serves as the health office. It is staffed by a Building/Health Officer and a clerk; Jack Shephard is the Building Inspector. Zoning questions go to the Planning and Zoning office at the same address.

Goffstown permit forms

All Building Department forms are on the Town’s Building Department Forms page or at Town Hall, and the owner must sign them. The ones in use for most projects:

• Building Permit Application (approved August 5, 2026), with the owner and builder, the improvement type, the construction value split into building, electrical, plumbing and other, the setbacks, bedrooms and baths, and the water and sewer type with any state septic approval number.
• Building Permit Requirements (updated August 4, 2026), the checklist of documents and inspections.
• Electrical Permit and Plumbing/Well Permit, pulled by the licensed electrician or plumber.
• EC-1 State Energy Form, the residential energy code form.
• Deck Details, Swimming Pools – Barrier Requirements, Demolition Permit Sign-off and the Day Care / Foster Home Permit Application.

A permit expires if work does not start within 180 days of issue or stops for 180 days. The building official can grant written extensions of up to 180 days each when you ask in writing and show cause.

Goffstown building permit fees

The Select Board amended the Building Department fee schedule on February 10, 2025, effective February 11, 2025. Fees are based on the gross area of all floors, measured from the outside of the walls and including cellars, basements and usable attic space. Building, electrical and plumbing fees are added together. The schedule also sets a non-refundable $25 building permit application fee, which is credited toward the final permit fee.

For example, a new 2,000 sq ft house is charged $400 for the building permit, and the electrical and plumbing tables price the same 2,000 sq ft at $120 each; the schedule says fees are additive. Work started without a permit costs the permit fee plus 25%, 50% or 75% depending on how far it has gone, or double the fee once it is complete.

The Fire Department’s fees, adopted April 3, 2023, include $30 per unit for a residential oil burner or gas appliance, $30 minimum for gas piping, $30 for a solid-fuel appliance, fireplace or chimney, and $30 per dwelling unit for the fire inspection before a certificate of occupancy.

Electrical, plumbing and heating permits in Goffstown

A licensed electrician must take out the electrical permit and a licensed plumber the plumbing permit, on the Building Department’s forms. The Building Department inspects rough plumbing, which may be tested with water or air, and rough electrical work.

All heating equipment, including oil and gas burners and wood, coal and gas fireplaces, falls under the Fire Department. Its Life Safety Permit Application covers plan review, sprinkler and fire alarm systems, gas or oil burner installations, and above- and underground tank installs and removals; gas work needs copies of the installer’s licences. Forms and payments go to the Planning & Zoning window at Town Hall, and heating inspections are booked with the Fire Department at 603-497-8287.

Documents to include with a Goffstown application

Smaller building, plumbing or electrical permits need a description of the work with the floor plans, dimensions, materials, plot plan and elevations that apply.

How to get a building permit in Goffstown

Inspections in Goffstown

The Building Department’s requirements sheet sets this order for new construction:

• Foundation: once rebar is in place before the footing pour, and again before backfill once the foundation is coated and the drains, stone and fabric are in. A certified foundation plan must be submitted before work continues.
• Frame: when framing is complete, including the roof covering.
• Rough plumbing, rough electrical and mechanical, with heating equipment inspected by the Fire Department.
• Insulation, only after all earlier inspections have passed.
• Final, once interior and exterior work is complete; rough grading that slopes away from the foundation is accepted if weather prevents final grading.

A first re-inspection costs $30 and later ones $40. Before a certificate of occupancy is issued, the Town needs final releases from Public Works, the Fire Department and the Sewer Department (or the operating approval from NHDES’s Subsurface Systems Bureau), passing well water test results, blower door test results, duct pressure test results where ducts run through unconditioned space, and payment of all fees owed, impact fees included.

Local Goffstown details that matter

Private wells: since March 23, 2018, a new certificate of occupancy (or a replacement well) needs a test from an accredited laboratory showing the well meets state limits for bacteria, chloride, sodium, iron, manganese, pH, hardness, fluoride, nitrate and nitrite, lead, arsenic, volatile organic compounds and radon. The whole 75-ft well radius must be on the lot.

Impact fees: the schedule effective December 8, 2011 charges a new single-family detached house $6,353 for schools, $1,000 for recreation, $786 for transportation and $732 for public safety facilities, $8,871 in all.

Stormwater: the Water Quality Standards the Town adopted on August 10, 2026, run by Public Works, apply to development and redevelopment projects. Projects that go to the Planning Board send their stormwater pollution prevention plan to Public Works and give it at least 10 working days’ notice before construction starts, and the Town may hold back occupancy until the site is stabilized.

Code editions: the requirements sheet lists the 2021 codes. Since July 1, 2026 the State Building Code has been the 2024 IBC and IRC with the 2018 energy code and the 2023 NEC; applicants may still choose the 2021 set, not a mix, for applications received through December 31, 2026.

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

Goffstown building permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in Goffstown?

The Building & Health Department at Town Hall, 16 Main Street, 603-497-8990 ext. 814. Heating and gas permits come from the Fire Department.

How much does a building permit cost in Goffstown?

For a one- or two-family house, $0.20 per sq ft of all floors ($50 minimum), plus $0.06 per sq ft each for electrical and plumbing. For a 2,000 sq ft house the building permit is $400.

Do I pay when I apply?

The Town asks you not to send payment with the application. There is a non-refundable $25 application fee, which is credited toward the final permit fee.

How much is a permit for a shed or garage?

$0.12 per sq ft, with a $40 minimum.

Can a homeowner pull electrical or plumbing permits?

The Town’s requirements sheet says a licensed electrician must obtain the electrical permit and a licensed plumber the plumbing permit.

What is needed for a certificate of occupancy?

Final building, fire, driveway and sewer or septic sign-offs, a passing well water test for homes on wells, blower door test results (plus duct pressure test results where ducts run through unconditioned space), and all fees paid.

Are there impact fees for a new house?

Yes. A single-family detached house pays $8,871 in school, recreation, transportation and public safety impact fees, under the schedule effective December 8, 2011.

Official Goffstown permit resources

These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.

• NH Department of Environmental Services
• New Hampshire State Building Code statute (RSA 155-A)
• Goffstown forms
• Goffstown Building & Health Department
• Goffstown Building Department Forms
• Goffstown Building Department Fee Schedule (February 2025)
• Goffstown Building Permit Requirements (August 2026)
• Goffstown impact fees
• Goffstown Water Quality Standards (adopted August 10, 2026)
• Goffstown Fire Department permits, forms and fees

Simplify Goffstown 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.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Goffstown permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.