Building Department Information

        Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The Building Department in Town Hall receives all applications for building construction.

 These applications are reviewed for completeness and accuracy and are acted upon or referred to other town departments for review and action. 

 The building department also reviews plans for compliance with related building and fire codes and enforces other ordinances within the town.

 Residents may also obtain certificates of occupancy, electrical, plumbing, heating and water pump permits in the building department.

The Building Department’s Role

A building permit must be obtained for the following activities:  All structures, building alterations and additions, swimming pools, re-roofing, siding, building demolition and signs.

The application form for the permit is obtained from the building department and contains several pages that require some preparation prior to submittal.

When the application is presented to the building department, it must have the tax collector’s signature and be accompanied by two sets of construction drawings.

These drawings will be reviewed by members of the building department and either approved as submitted or returned with requests for changes to make the plan conform to the Connecticut Basic Building Code.

It is the responsibility of the applicant to secure approvals and/or sign-offs from the Pomperaug District of Health (PDDH), Zoning, Inland Wetlands, and the driveway inspector.

The above plan review and sign-off procedure usually takes a week to two weeks for one-family homes and could take up to a month or more for large complex projects.

Building Permit Fee Schedule

 For the construction of one and two-family dwellings or their enlargement or alteration, the fee for a permit is $20 for the first $1,000; $8 per thousand, or fraction thereof, for the remainder of the construction costs.

 If the estimated cost of residential construction is disputed, the determination of the value of each building only, exclusive of electrical work, plumbing, heating and cooling, will be determined on the following basis:

                                                                              Per Square Foot

(a)  Living space                                               $ 40.00

(b)  Garage                                                          20.00

(c)  Basement (unfinished)                                    15.00

(d)  Basement (finished)                                       35.00

(e)  All other accessory buildings                          20.00

(f)   Deck                                                             10.00

(g)  Bathrooms

                   First two included additional                     1,000.00

                   Each additional ½                                       500.00

(h)                    (h) Chimneys

                    First included

                    Each additional                                        1,000.00

 The estimated cost of commercial construction shall be the contract cost, and the fees for this type of construction shall be as follows:

(1)        For the construction of a commercial building or its enlargement, fee for a permit is $20 for the first $1,000; $10 per thousand, or fraction thereof, for the remainder of construction costs.

(2)        For mechanical work, either new construction or for alterations the fee for a permit is $3/hundred for the first $1,000; $8 per thousand, or fraction thereof, for the remainder of the construction cost.

 A separate permit is required for work in each of the following trades: (a) electrical, (b) plumbing, (c) heating and cooling.

 Re-inspection fee $25 for each inspection.

 The fee for all building permit Certificate of Occupancy is 10 cents/square foot.

 For moving of a building from one lot to another or to a new location on the same lot, the fee for a permit is the estimated cost including all labor plus cost of new foundations and other work necessary to place the building in its completed condition in the new location.

 The fee for a permit is the same as the fee for the construction or enlargement of a one or two-family dwelling (Item #1 above).

 For demolition of any structure for which there is an assessed value on the last completed Grand List of the town assessor, the fee for a permit is the same as the fee for the construction or enlargement of a one or two-family dwelling (Item #1 above).

 Buildings destroyed by fire with no assessed value have a permit of $10.

 The fee for the construction or enlargement of signs and other display structures for which permits are required under Article 29 of the Basic Building Code of the state of Connecticut is the same as the fee for the construction or enlargement of a one or two-dwelling (first item above).

 Updated 10/01/03