Burrillville, Rhode Island Building Permit Guide

In Burrillville, the town’s Building & Zoning Department issues building, plumbing, mechanical and electrical permits and runs zoning enforcement, from the Town Annex at 144 Harrisville Main Street in Harrisville. You apply and book inspections online through the town’s ViewPoint Cloud portal. The building permit fee follows the state’s fee schedule for Burrillville: $10 per $1,000 of project value up to $10,000, falling to $6 per $1,000 above $50,000, with a $65 minimum.

What requires a building permit in Burrillville?

Burrillville enforces the Rhode Island State Building Code, so the list of work that needs a permit is the state code’s, not a town list. The department’s own page describes four kinds of permit it issues, and most projects need more than one of them.

The Planning Department publishes the Subdivision & Land Development Regulations (revised January 2026), the Development Plan Review Regulations and a 2026 schedule of Planning Board meetings and submission deadlines. These reviews are separate from the building permit and have their own application packets.

What Burrillville handles, and what stays with the state

Chapter 6 of the Code of Ordinances creates the town’s department of building inspection and makes a permit from the building official the rule for building, enlarging, altering, removing or demolishing a building, for changing its use group, and for installing equipment the building code regulates. The same official rules on soil erosion: under Chapter 12, anyone disturbing vegetation, grades or contours in a way that may increase erosion first asks the building official for a “determination of applicability”.

Several approvals stay outside the Town Annex. RIDEM permits septic systems and work in freshwater wetlands, and a wetlands approval that carries its own erosion controls becomes part of the town’s erosion plan. Fire plan review is requested from the Fire Marshal through the same online application, and life safety inspections are booked separately with the town’s fire districts. Earth removal beyond what a permitted building displaces needs a Town Council permit after a public hearing.

Burrillville building department: who handles permitting

The Town of Burrillville’s Building & Zoning Department is the permit office for the whole town. Steven Detonnancourt is the Building & Zoning Official. The department also has an electrical inspector and a mechanical and plumbing inspector, and it administers the town’s zoning ordinance.

Burrillville permit types and online filing

All Burrillville permit applications go through the town’s online portal (ViewPoint Cloud, now hosted by OpenGov), which is also where you follow the application and request inspections. The Building Department’s section of the portal lists ten application types, and the building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing forms each let you add a related Fire Plan Review from the Fire Marshal.

Residential permits

• Building Permit for new construction, additions, alterations and other structural work.
• Roof Permit and Siding Permit, each a separate application.
• Swimming Pool and Spa, for pools and spas.
• Solar Energy System and Battery Storage Unit Permit, which covers solar panels, battery storage, or both.
• Demolition Permit for taking down a house or an accessory building.
• Electrical, Plumbing and Mechanical Permits for the trade work on the job.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial work uses the same building and trade applications, with the Fire Plan Review option for the Fire Marshal. A Sign Permit covers business signs, and the town asks for photos of any existing signage with every sign application. Chapter 6 values commercial demolition by the building’s volume in cubic feet, and commercial construction by floor area. Site and building plans that fall under the Development Plan Review Regulations go to the Planning Board as a separate filing.

Zoning relief is a separate filing: a Zoning Board of Review application for a variance or special use permit under Chapter 30 of the Code of Ordinances, or an appeal of a Zoning Official determination. The board publishes an annual calendar of deadlines and meeting dates.

A permit lapses if work has not started within six months of issue, or if work stops for six months; the building official can grant a written extension of up to 90 days for cause.

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

Burrillville permit costs and fees

Rhode Island sets each town’s building permit fee in one state regulation, 510-RICR-00-00-21 (the State Wide Permitting Fee rule, last amended effective December 10, 2023), and towns must charge according to it. Burrillville’s schedule is charged on the project valuation:

For example, a $150,000 addition costs $420 plus 100 × $6, or $1,020, under this schedule.

The schedule does not include the state levy that every town must add under R.I. Gen. Laws 23-27.3-108.2: 0.1% of the construction cost on each permit, capped at $50 per permit for one- and two-family dwellings. Zoning Board, Planning Board and sewer charges are separate from the building permit fee.

Chapter 6 of the town code, last amended in March 2009, still prints an older fee scale, which the state regulation has since replaced. The same section sets how the project value is worked out for homes: for example $70 per sq ft for a one- or two-family dwelling or addition, $40 for a finished basement, $35 for a garage and $12 for an uncovered deck. It also lists a $30 certificate of use and occupancy, a $30 re-inspection fee, and a late-filing administrative fee equal to the permit fee when an application is filed after work has started. Ask the department which of these figures it applies today.

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits

The Building & Zoning Department issues the trade permits as well as the building permit. Each trade has its own permit in the ViewPoint Cloud portal and its own inspector on the department staff: an electrical inspector for wiring and services, and a mechanical and plumbing inspector for piping, fixtures and heating or cooling equipment.

Alliance handles electrical permit expediting for contractors here. More on this: who pulls the electrical permit.

Who may pull them

Chapter 6 lets the owner or the owner’s agent apply for a permit, and trade permits are taken out by tradespeople holding the matching Rhode Island licence. Check an electrical, plumbing or mechanical licence on the state Department of Labor and Training’s professional regulation site, and a contractor’s registration with the Contractors’ Registration and Licensing Board, before work starts. Chapter 6 also allows the Town Council to waive one of the three inspector posts or to approve one person carrying out several kinds of inspection.

How to apply for a Burrillville building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Several approvals have to be in place before the building permit: a zoning decision, a Planning Board approval under the land development or development plan review rules, a RIDEM septic or wetlands permit, or a soil erosion plan. Where Chapter 12 applies, the erosion plan must be drawn by a registered engineer, landscape architect or certified erosion specialist, and five copies go to the building official. Reviewing departments have 21 days to comment, and the building official then has 10 days to approve or refuse the plan in writing. A performance bond is required when the work is within 100 feet of a watercourse, in a flood hazard district or on slopes over 10%.

Additions to a house with less than 1,000 sq ft of ground coverage, kept more than 100 feet from any watercourse and on slopes of 10% or less, need no erosion determination, and neither does small landscape grading (up to 2,000 sq ft, 2 feet of grade change and 18 cubic yards of fill).

Inspections in Burrillville

Request inspections for a permit in the ViewPoint Cloud portal, or call the Building Department on (401) 568-4300 ext. 128 or 127. The department’s electrical inspector and its mechanical and plumbing inspector take the trade inspections.

Local details that matter in Burrillville

Flood maps: Burrillville takes part in the National Flood Insurance Program, and FEMA lists its current effective flood map date as June 23, 2026. Check a lot against the new maps before design starts, because the code’s flood provisions apply in mapped flood zones.

Sewer and septic: the town’s Wastewater Treatment Facility and Sewer Commission handle sewer connections and assessments and post construction standards; lots without sewer need a septic system approved by RIDEM’s Onsite Wastewater (OWTS) program.

Zoning hearings: the Zoning Board of Review meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers at Town Hall, 105 Harrisville Main Street, and does not meet in July. Questions about applications go to the Building & Zoning Department.

Fire districts: the town portal lists three fire districts for inspections: East Burrillville, Pascoag and Harrisville. The Pascoag Fire District (105 Main Street, Pascoag, (401) 568-4470) takes requests for residential smoke and carbon monoxide inspections, life safety inspections at the rough and final stages of construction, hot work permits valid for one day, and tent permits filed at least 7 days ahead.

Work sites: an excavation within 5 feet of a public right-of-way must be fenced to at least 4 feet and lit at night, materials or machinery may be stored in the right-of-way only with the building official’s written approval, and rubbish must be cleared within 10 days of finishing.

Pending code changes: the town’s online code lists a Chapter 30 zoning amendment adopted on August 26, 2026 that is not yet codified, so check the current zoning text with the department before you design.

Permit search and records

The portal has a public “Search for Records” tool for finding an application, and a “Claim a Record” option to link an existing application to your account. Keeping public records of town construction is one of the department’s stated purposes, and Chapter 6 requires the building official to tell the tax assessor about each permit for a new building, a demolition or a substantial alteration within 30 days. For older files, the Town Clerk posts a fillable public records (APRA) request form.

Rhode Island building code

The codes in force in Burrillville are the state’s: since December 1, 2025, the 2021 International Codes with Rhode Island amendments, the 2023 National Electrical Code and the 2024 energy code.

Rhode Island has one state building code, kept by the State Building Code Office and enforced by each city or town’s building official; there is no county layer, and appeals go first to the town’s board of appeals, then to the state Building Code Board of Standards and Appeals. Rhode Island rules

Burrillville building permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in Burrillville?

The town’s Building & Zoning Department at the Town Annex, 144 Harrisville Main Street. It issues building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits.

How much is a building permit in Burrillville?

Under the state fee schedule for the town, $10 per $1,000 of project value up to $10,000, $100 plus $8 per $1,000 up to $50,000, and $420 plus $6 per $1,000 above that, with a $65 minimum. A $150,000 project comes to $1,020 before the state levy.

How do I book an inspection?

In the portal, or by calling (401) 568-4300 ext. 128 or 127.

Who handles a zoning variance?

The Zoning Board of Review, which meets on the second Tuesday of each month except July. Applications and questions go through the Building & Zoning Department.

Who approves a septic system?

RIDEM’s Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems (OWTS) program, not the town.

How long is a Burrillville permit good for?

Work must start within six months of issue and must not stop for six months; the building official can extend a permit by up to 90 days in writing.

Is a new roof or new siding a separate permit?

Yes. The town portal has separate Roof and Siding permit applications.

Do I need an erosion control plan for an addition?

Not if the addition covers less than 1,000 sq ft, stays more than 100 feet from any watercourse and sits on slopes of 10% or less. Otherwise ask the building official for a determination of applicability.

Burrillville permit search and official resources

• Burrillville Building & Zoning Department
• Burrillville ViewPoint Cloud permit portal
• Burrillville Zoning Board of Review
• Burrillville subdivision and land development application documents
• 510-RICR-00-00-21, statewide building permit fee schedules
• RI Building Code Commission: laws, rules and regulations
• RI municipal building department directory
• RIDEM septic (OWTS) permitting
• RIDEM freshwater wetlands permitting
• RI Contractors’ Registration and Licensing Board
• FEMA Community Status Book, Rhode Island
• Burrillville online Building Department applications
• Pascoag Fire District online services
• Burrillville Code Chapter 6, Buildings and Building Regulations
• Burrillville Code Chapter 12, Environment

Simplify Burrillville permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Rhode Island. 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 Burrillville permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.