Keene, New Hampshire Building Permit Guide

The City of Keene’s Building Safety staff in Community Development, on the fourth floor of City Hall at 3 Washington Street (603-352-5440), review, approve, issue and inspect structural, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, accessibility, energy and floodplain work for a Cheshire County city of about 23,000. Applications go in through the city’s online portal, by email or at the counter, and every building permit costs at least $100.

The staffing changes who answers what. Keene’s Building and Health Official, Rick Wood, is also the city’s fire marshal, and the same team handles floodplain development review, housing complaints and a voluntary minimum housing safety inspection program. Since December 18, 2025 the city’s own building chapter, Chapter 44 of the City Code, has set Keene’s permit rules and fees.

This guide covers the City of Keene in Cheshire County. Swanzey, Marlborough, Roxbury and Surry are separate municipalities with their own building inspector or code enforcement officer. Sullivan takes building permit applications at the Selectmen’s office in its town hall and says that where it has no town-specific building or electrical code it defers to the state codes. No New Hampshire county issues building permits in practice.

What requires a building permit in Keene?

Chapter 44 requires a permit from Community Development, and from the Keene Fire Department where it applies, before anyone erects, alters, builds or demolishes a building, structure or sign, or changes a building’s occupancy. That takes in any work the state building and fire codes regulate.

Keene’s own permit rules

Chapter 44 of the City Code, adopted on December 18, 2025, replaces the state’s 200-square-foot shed exemption with a 120-square-foot limit to match the zoning rule on accessory structures and setbacks. It also says a permit expires if work has not started within 180 days of issue or stops for more than 180 days between inspections, with written extensions of up to 180 days at a time, and it sends the demolition of more than 500 square feet of a building outside the historic district that is listed or eligible for listing in the National Register, or listed in the New Hampshire State Register, to a demolition review committee that can hold the permit for up to 30 days. Local building ordinances adopted since July 1, 2025 need confirmation by the State Building Code Review Board, and Keene’s submission was recorded as withdrawn on February 13, 2026; Chapter 44 is not on the board’s list of confirmed ordinances, so ask Building Safety (603-352-5440) whether a shed between 120 and 200 square feet needs a permit.

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

Keene building department: who handles permitting

The Building Division of Community Development is the permitting authority inside the city, administering the New Hampshire State Building Code through the enforcement mechanism Keene has adopted, with a building and health official who is also the city’s fire marshal, two building inspectors, a permit technician, a compliance officer and a housing inspector; the Building Division Manager post is listed as vacant. Applications, permit searches and inspection requests run through the city’s OpenGov portal, which went live on April 14, 2026. The environmental department issues shoreland, wetlands and sewage approvals, and the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification licenses the trades statewide.

In 2025, building permits issued in Keene authorized 3 new privately owned housing units, all of them single-family homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey.

Permit types

Residential permits

Where a one- or two-family job needs detailed plans, the office asks for two sets: one stays on file and the other comes back as the permit set, which must be on site for inspections. A pool application needs the manufacturer’s specifications, a site plan with the pool, deck and setbacks, and the piping, electrical and fencing details. Small rooftop solar applications are processed within three business days and get a set inspection appointment rather than a window. Owners and landlords can also ask for a voluntary minimum housing safety inspection.

Building or remodeling a home here? Alliance handles home building permits, so the crew isn't waiting on the counter.

Commercial permits

Commercial applications need three sets of plans; the third goes to the Fire Department for review. Projects over 5,000 square feet, and any complex project, are reviewed by a third party the department approves, with the reviewer’s qualifications and a no-conflict statement submitted first, and the permit fee then drops by 40%. Solar on commercial or multi-family property may also need administrative planning review, Historic District Commission review or a conditional use permit, depending on location, size and visibility from the street.

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

Floodplain, historic district and state permits

Floodplain development is a separate application to Community Development. Work that needs historic district review is approved through a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic District Commission, and a new curb cut needs a street access permit. Septic designs and shoreland and wetlands permits come from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services.

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

Keene permit costs and fees

Building permit fees are set in Section 44-16 of the City Code (Ordinance O-2025-37, adopted December 18, 2025, and repeated in Appendix B). The value is taken from the signed contract; where an owner supplies the labor and buys the materials, it is the material cost multiplied by two. The department tells the applicant the fee once the permit is approved, and it is paid before the permit is issued.

Three reductions apply: 40% when a department-approved third party reviews the plans, 15% when a licensed architect or engineer prepares plans that state law does not require, and 10% for each licensed electrician or plumber hired where state law does not require one, up to 20%. The fee poster still on the city’s website, dated August 29, 2018, words these discounts differently; the adopted ordinance governs.

Trade permits and who may pull them

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 Keene building permit

Review, corrections and what actually causes delay

Keene does not publish a general review time, beyond its three-business-day target for small rooftop solar. Chapter 44 rejects incomplete applications outright, and plans sent back three times add 10% to the permit fee, so a complete first submission saves both time and money.

Inspections in Keene

Each permit comes with an inspection card listing the required inspections. The permit and card must be posted at the job site, and the inspector initials the card after each visit. The applicant schedules every inspection with Community Development (603-352-5440) or through the portal; the inspector may add inspections or visit at any time while the permit is open, and may stop work that does not match the code or the approved plans until it is corrected. A pool, for example, is inspected for structure, piping, electrical and grounding, and fencing. Re-inspecting the same element after its second rejection costs $50.

Keene permit search and official resources

• Keene Building Safety — the permit applications, the permit search and the staff list
• Keene online permit portal — applications, address look-up and inspections
• Community Development FAQ — plan sets, inspection cards, fences, stoves and pools
• Solar permitting and approvals — checklists and the three-day rooftop review
• Land Development Code fee schedule (2025 updates) — zoning, floodplain, historic district and sign fees
• Ordinance O-2025-37, Chapter 44 Building Construction and Demolition — City Council packet, December 18, 2025
• City Council minutes of December 18, 2025 — adoption of Chapter 44 (January 15, 2026 packet)
• State Building Code Review Board minutes, February 13, 2026 — Keene ordinance submission withdrawn
• Keene City Code of Ordinances — Chapter 44 and Appendix B fees
• 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

Frequently asked questions

Who issues building permits in Keene?

Building Safety, part of Community Development, on the fourth floor of City Hall at 3 Washington Street (603-352-5440, weekdays 8:00 am to 4:30 pm). No New Hampshire county issues building permits.

How much does a building permit cost in Keene?

At least $100. For work valued over $5,000 the city adds $8 per $1,000 of value for one- and two-family work and $10 per $1,000 for commercial work, with reductions for third-party review and professionally prepared plans.

Do I need a permit for a shed or a fence?

A fence needs no permit. For sheds, Chapter 44 sets the line at 120 square feet instead of the state’s 200; because the State Building Code Review Board has not confirmed the ordinance, Building Safety (603-352-5440) can say which applies to a shed between the two sizes.

Who makes the floodplain determination?

Building Safety staff, who review floodplain development on a separate application that costs $50 plus $100 per acre of flood hazard area altered.

Is the building official also the fire marshal?

Yes. Rick Wood serves as Keene’s Building and Health Official and as its fire marshal.

Can I check what permits a property has had?

Yes. The city’s online portal has an address look-up that shows permit activity and inspections.

Which code applies?

Keene enforces the state building code, which moved to the 2024 international codes on July 1, 2026 while keeping the 2018 energy code and the 2023 electrical code. Through December 31, 2026 an applicant may still choose the previous 2021 set instead, used whole rather than combined with the new one. New Hampshire code editions

How long does a permit stay valid?

Under Chapter 44, work has to start within 180 days of issue and cannot stop for more than 180 days between inspections; the Building Official can extend a permit in writing by up to 180 days at a time.

Simplify Keene permitting with Alliance Permitting

Keene answers the building, fire and flood questions in one division, which is an advantage if you ask early. We run the permit search before the offer and get the floodplain determination ahead of design.

Ready to break ground in Keene sooner?

Send us the scope and the parcel. We confirm the review path with the Keene Building Division, assemble the submittal, file it, and track it through issuance — corrections included.

More New Hampshire permitting guides

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