Portland, ME
Portland Maine building permit fees
A Portland, Maine building permit is priced from the cost of work:
$30.00 for the first $1,000 plus $10.00 for each additional $1,000 — the formula printed on the City's own Building or Use Permit form. A $51,000 project prices $530.00.
How this fee is calculated
These are the components the schedule defines for this permit, as they applied on 2026-09-28. A component only applies to your project if its conditions match — read that column before assuming a figure. Want a figure for your own project? Estimate this fee with the permit fee calculator.
| Component | Formula | Applies when | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building permit, cost of work to $1,000 ($30.00)Permit fee | $30.00 flat fee | Project valuation up to $1,000 | — |
| Building permit ($30.00 for the first $1,000 + $10.00 per additional $1,000)Permit fee | $30.00 + $10.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $1,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $1,000 | — |
A real permit fee is these components added together. The department’s final calculation is the one that applies — this is the schedule it will be based on.
A worked example
Follow the arithmetic by hand. Every line is produced by the engine from the rules above, so the total cannot drift away from the schedule behind it.
Worked example
A single-family addition in Portland, Maine with a cost of work of $30,000.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Project valuation | $30,000 |
| Occupancy class | Residential |
Example total
$320.00
An estimate, not an official fee. It is calculated from the published fee schedule as it applied on 2026-09-28. The permit office’s own calculation is the one that applies, and your project may fall under rules this schedule does not describe.
Fee schedule as of 2026-09-28Rules applied 1Rules considered 2
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
Building permit ($30.00 for the first $1,000 + $10.00 per additional $1,000)Permit feeCity of Portland, Maine permit documents: '$10 PER $1,000 + $30 FOR THE FIRST $1,000' of cost of work — the same formula in clean type on the City's sign-permit application ('$30 for the first $1,000 of cost of work; $10 per $1,000'). Partial thousands round up.Show the working
| $30.00 + $10.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $1,000, or fraction thereof, in $1,000 steps | $320.00 |
| Total | $320.00 |
Fees that do not apply here
Listed so you can see what was considered and left out, rather than wondering whether something is missing. A rule can also be left out because it is not published for this permit at all, and that is stated where it matters.
- Building permit, cost of work to $1,000 ($30.00) — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Assumptions
- Calculated from 1 fee rule in effect on 2026-09-28.
- Amounts are rounded to the nearest cent, once, at the end of each component.
Cost of work $30,000: $30.00 for the first $1,000 plus $10.00 for each of the 29 additional thousands: $30.00 + 29 x $10.00 = $320.00.
The same project at $60,000 would price $30.00 + 59 x $10.00 = $620.00 — the fee scales linearly above the first thousand.
What is different in Portland
Portland's fee is a two-term formula. The City's permit forms print it directly: '$10 PER $1,000 + $30 FOR THE FIRST $1,000' of cost of work. The clean-type confirmation comes from the City's sign-permit application, which prices cost-of-work permits identically — '$30 for the first $1,000 of cost of work; $10 per $1,000' above. There are no bands to misread and no separate residential or commercial ladders.
Reading the fee: $11,000 of work is $30.00 + 10 x $10.00 = $130.00; $51,000 is $30.00 + 50 x $10.00 = $530.00. The first thousand is the $30.00 itself — not a minimum added to the rate — so a $500 repair prices $30.00, not $35.00.
The Code Enforcement division issues the building permit alongside the electrical and plumbing permits, which read the same cost-of-work formula on their own pages here. Maine's building code is administered municipally, so the division enforces the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code while charging the city's formula.
What this figure does not include
Impact fees, utility connections and other departments’ permits are the usual omissions, and in some jurisdictions they are larger than the permit fee itself.
Not included in these figures
This is the City's cost-of-work permit formula. It excludes:
- Sign fees ($30 plus $2 per square foot per sign) — their own rows.
- Certificates of occupancy and housing-safety program charges.
- Trade device/fixture rows — the trade pages here price the cost-of-work formula; the City's electrical and plumbing forms also carry flat device rows for specific installations.
- State charges — Maine does not add a surcharge to municipal permits.
Common questions
How much is a building permit in Portland, Maine?
$30.00 for the first $1,000 of cost of work plus $10.00 for each additional $1,000. A $30,000 project is $320.00; a $51,000 project is $530.00.
Is the $30 a minimum or the first thousand's fee?
It is the first thousand's fee: a $500 repair prices $30.00, and every additional thousand of cost adds $10.00.
How is a partial thousand charged?
Partial thousands round up, matching the formula's per-$1,000 arithmetic: $10,100 of work prices as 10 additional thousands plus the first.
Do electrical and plumbing permits cost the same?
They read the same cost-of-work formula — each trade permit is its own application priced from its own scope's cost.
Who issues the permits?
The City's Code Enforcement / Inspections Division at 389 Congress Street.
What code does Portland enforce?
The Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code, administered municipally — Maine is a home-rule state for code enforcement.
Does the fee differ for commercial work?
No — the cost-of-work formula prices either kind of project; only the code review differs.
Where is the fee schedule published?
The formula is printed on the City's own Building or Use Permit forms (available in the City's permits archive) and repeated on the sign-permit application.
Is there a plan review fee?
The City's permit forms print no separate plan-review percentage; the cost-of-work formula is the permit charge.
What happens if I build without a permit?
The city's enforcement process applies; the permit forms carry no doubling clause, so no doubled fee is charged here.
How do I apply?
Through the Code Enforcement division (389 Congress Street) or the City's online portal at portlandmaine.gov.
Does the permit cover the trades?
No — electrical and plumbing permits are separate applications, each priced from its own scope's cost of work.
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- City websiteCityPrimary source
City of Portland, Maine — Building or Use Permit (permit-fee formula as printed)
The City's own permit form prints the fee formula: '$10 PER $1,000 + $30 FOR THE FIRST $1,000' of cost of work. The same formula in clean type on the City's 2013 sign-permit application ('$30 for the first $1,000 of cost of work; $10 per $1,000' above) confirms the reading. The City's website migrated platforms in 2025-2026 and legacy DocumentCenter fee pages 404 at read time; the permit documents in the archive carry the formula the City charges.
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.