The Town of Londonderry's Building and Zoning Enforcement division at 268B Mammoth Road issues permits for a Rockingham County town of around 28,000 between Manchester and Derry, one of the three fastest-growing municipalities in the state by net gain. The office runs from half past eight to five on weekdays, with a permit technician as the general point of contact for building, health and zoning questions alike.
Two mechanical rules govern how a Londonderry file moves. Some permits can be obtained through the town's online permit portal and all others must be submitted in person or by mail — the town does not accept permit submissions by email, which catches out applicants used to sending a PDF. And oil burner, fire alarm and sprinkler permits are issued at the Fire Department at 280 Mammoth Road, only on Mondays from one to four in the afternoon and Thursdays from half past eight to noon. Seasonal and daily burn permits are excluded from those windows. Miss both and the wait is most of a week.
This guide covers the Town of Londonderry in Rockingham County. Derry, Manchester, Litchfield, Hudson and Windham are separate municipalities with their own building officials, and no New Hampshire county issues building permits in practice.
Two windows a week for the fire permits. Oil burner, fire alarm and sprinkler permits are issued only on Mondays from one to four and Thursdays from half past eight to noon, at the Fire Department on Mammoth Road rather than at the building office. And no permit submission is accepted by email — it is the portal, the counter or the post. Both rules are scheduling facts, and both are cheap to plan around and expensive to discover.
What requires a building permit in Londonderry?
In Londonderry the questions are whether the municipality enforces, what it has amended, and the two weekly fire permit windows and the refusal of email submissions.
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- Structural work of any kind, on a permit through the portal, in person or by post
- Oil burner, fire alarm and sprinkler permits, at the Fire Department in its two weekly windows
- Replacement of building framing found to be damaged during a re-roof or re-side, with a follow-up inspection
- 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
- Replacing roof shingles or siding, provided no structural work is involved
- 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 two weekly windows for fire permits at the Fire Department, the refusal of email submissions, and the growth pressure on the town's building stock.
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 Londonderry?
The Building and Zoning Enforcement division is the permitting authority inside the town, administering the New Hampshire State Building Code through the enforcement mechanism Londonderry has adopted, with a permit technician as the general contact for building, health and zoning questions. The Fire Department issues oil burner, fire alarm and sprinkler permits in its own windows, the environmental department issues shoreland, wetlands and sewage approvals, and the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification licenses the trades statewide.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Department | Londonderry Building and Zoning Enforcement |
| Office | 268B Mammoth Road, Londonderry, NH 03053 |
| Phone | (603) 432-1100 extension 440; the permit technician, for building, health and zoning questions, on extension 115 |
| Fire permits | Fire Department, 280 Mammoth Road, (603) 432-1124 |
| Filing | Portal for some permits; all others in person or by post — not email |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm |
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Residential permits
A Londonderry house project checks which permits the portal covers, files the rest at the counter or by post, and books its oil burner or sprinkler work into one of the Fire Department's two weekly windows. A re-roof or a re-side needs no permit provided no structural work is involved — but the town is explicit that if framing is found to need replacement because of moisture damage, a permit and a follow-up inspection are then required, which is a mid-job discovery worth anticipating.
Commercial permits
Commercial work in Londonderry — the airport-adjacent development, the industrial and distribution parcels along the interstate, and the growing retail frontage — runs through the same division with the state fire code alongside and the Fire Department handling the alarm and sprinkler permits on its own schedule. The town's position on the airport's edge puts a share of larger institutional and logistics work into the file.
The state permits that sit outside the town
In Londonderry the brooks and wetlands through the town bring the state environmental department's approvals ahead of the local permit on affected parcels, the airport's approach surfaces reach the northern edge, and the interstate corridor drives a distribution and logistics pipeline larger than the town's residential base 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
Londonderry permit costs and fees
Londonderry charges permit fees under the town's published fee schedule, with the Fire Department's permits carrying their own fees and the state's approvals charged by the department issuing them.
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Call 1-855-478-4290 →| Item | Fee or rule |
|---|---|
| Building permit | Per the town's published fee schedule |
| Fire permits | Oil burner, fire alarm and sprinkler, through the Fire Department |
| Trade permits | Electrical, plumbing and mechanical, by state-licensed tradespeople |
| State permits | Shoreland, wetlands and sewage approvals through the environmental department |
| Planning and zoning | Board application fees where the project reaches them |
| Follow-up inspection | Where framing replacement is discovered during a re-roof or re-side |
A re-roof can become a permit mid-job. Londonderry needs no permit to replace roof shingles or siding provided no structural work is involved. But the town states that if framing is found to need replacement because of moisture damage, a permit and a follow-up inspection are required — a discovery that happens after the covering is off and the crew is on site. Build the contingency into the quote rather than the argument.
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 Londonderry 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 and Zoning Enforcement division reviews for the state building code and the town's zoning, with the Fire Department reviewing its own permits. What delays a Londonderry project is a submission emailed rather than filed, a fire permit that missed both weekly windows, and an unanticipated framing replacement on a re-roof.
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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. Londonderry inspections are arranged by contacting the office against the permit number, with each trade inspected on its own permit and a follow-up inspection where framing replacement has been required mid-job.
Londonderry permit search and official resources
- Londonderry Building and Zoning Enforcement — the fire permit windows, the filing rules and the fee schedule
- 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
- 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 Londonderry?
The town's Building and Zoning Enforcement division at 268B Mammoth Road. No New Hampshire county issues building permits in practice.
Can I email my permit application?
No. The town does not accept permit submissions by email. Some permits go through the online portal; all others are submitted in person or by post.
When are fire permits issued?
Oil burner, fire alarm and sprinkler permits are issued at the Fire Department, 280 Mammoth Road, on Mondays from one to four and Thursdays from half past eight to noon.
Do I need a permit to replace shingles or siding?
Not provided no structural work is involved. If framing is found to need replacement because of moisture damage, a permit and a follow-up inspection are required.
Which code applies?
The New Hampshire State Building Code — the 2024 international codes with the 2018 energy code and the 2023 electrical code, in force since the first of July 2026.
Who do I call with a zoning or health question?
The permit technician, on (603) 432-1100 extension 115, handles building, health and zoning questions alike.
Simplify Londonderry permitting with Alliance Permitting
Londonderry runs on two weekly windows and a closed inbox. We book the fire permits into the right window, file the way the town accepts, and price the framing contingency into a re-roof.
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Send us the scope and the parcel. We confirm the review path with the Londonderry Building and Zoning Enforcement Division, 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 Londonderry permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.