Manchester, NH
Manchester building permit cost
Manchester charges a building permit as a percentage of the estimated cost of the work:
.006 — six tenths of one percent — for a new one- or two-family dwelling, and .010 for every other new building, every addition, and every alteration, renovation or repair. A $25.00 non-refundable application fee is added to all permits, a $30.00 minimum permit fee applies to any permit requiring inspections, and buildings other than one- and two-family dwellings and accessory structures also pay plan review at $0.02 per square foot.
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 application fee, $25.00Other fee | $25.00 flat fee | Every permit of this type | — |
| Demolition permit, by aggregate floor areaPermit fee | Project area — $20.00 up to $10; $75.00 from $10 to $50; $150.00 above $50 | demolition is true | — |
| Building permit — new one- or two-family dwellingPermit fee | 0.6% of project valuation | new one two family is true | — |
| Building permit — other new work, additions, alterations and repairsPermit fee | 1% of project valuation | not (new one two family is true) and not (demolition is true) | — |
| Minimum permit fee, $30.00Permit fee | the shortfall up to the $30.00 minimum on calculated permit fee | permit fee under 3000 | — |
| Plan review fee, $0.02 per square footPlan review | $0.02 per sq ft | not (new one two family is true) and not (accessory structure is true) and not (demolition is true) | — |
| Re-inspection fee, $30.00 minimumInspection fee | $30.00 flat fee | reinspection is true | — |
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 commercial building project with a certified estimated construction cost of $750,000 and 20,000 square feet of building area.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Project valuation | $750,000 |
| Project area | 20,000 sq ft |
Example total
$7,925.00
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 3Rules considered 7
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
Building permit application fee, $25.00Other feeSec. 109.8: "There shall be a $25.00 non-refundable application fee for all permits except yard sale permits". Charged on every permit, and charged in addition to the $30.00 minimum permit fee.Show the working
| $25.00 flat fee | $25.00 |
Building permit — other new work, additions, alterations and repairsPermit feeSec. 109.8 items 1(B) and 1(C) — for all other new buildings and structures, additions to existing buildings and structures, and alterations, renovations or repairs, the permit fee is the estimated cost of the work multiplied by .010. The City's own fees page restates both as "estimated cost of the work multiplied by .01".Show the working
| 1% of project valuation | $7,500.00 |
Plan review fee, $0.02 per square footPlan reviewSec. 109.8 item 2 — $0.02 per square foot for all buildings and structures other than one- and two-family dwellings and accessory structures. A separate fee in the same schedule rather than a step in the permit fee, and it is not counted toward the $30.00 minimum.Show the working
| $0.02 per sq ft | $400.00 |
| Total | $7,925.00 |
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.
- Demolition permit, by aggregate floor area — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit — new one- or two-family dwelling — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Minimum permit fee, $30.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Re-inspection fee, $30.00 minimum — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Assumptions
- Calculated from 3 fee rules in effect on 2026-09-28.
- Amounts are rounded to the nearest cent, once, at the end of each component.
The work is not a one- or two-family dwelling, so the rate is .010: $750,000 × 0.010 = $7,500.00. Plan review is $0.02 per square foot on 20,000 square feet, which is $400.00, and it is a separate fee rather than part of the permit. The $25.00 application fee is added, and the $30.00 minimum never comes into it because the permit fee is far above it.
Two things to carry away. The first is that the estimated cost is the City's basis, not a contract sum or a square-foot rate: Sec. 109.3 has the owner certify it and the building official approve it, and includes the trades, the finishes, site work, overhead and profit inside it. The second is that the same $750,000 spent on a new one- or two-family dwelling would be a $4,500.00 permit fee instead — the .006 rate is 40% lower, and it is the reason a reader should check which rate their project is under before comparing quotes.
What is different in Manchester
Manchester has two building rates and a wide gap between them, so the first question on any permit is which one applies. A new house is .006 of the certified cost; everything else — a commercial build-out, a two-family addition, a new roof, a kitchen remodel — is .010. On a $250,000 house that difference is $1,500.00 against $2,500.00, and the City's own fees page states both rates the same way.
Plan review is the second thing people miss. It is $0.02 per square foot of building area, charged as a fee of its own rather than folded into the permit, and it applies to everything except one- and two-family dwellings and accessory structures. On a 20,000 square foot commercial building it is $400.00.
The application fee and the minimum are the third. Every permit pays the $25.00 application fee, and every permit requiring inspections is floored at $30.00 — which is why the City's own electrical and plumbing forms print a minimum of $55.00 for the smallest possible job.
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 Sec. 109.8 building rate, plus plan review where it applies, the application fee, the $30.00 minimum and the re-inspection fee if you ask for one. It excludes:
- Heating, gas piping and ventilation permits, which are priced row by row in item 8 of the same schedule and are documented on this site rather than charged here.
- Demolition as a priced option on the calculator's face: it is a published band ladder — $20.00 up to 1,000 square feet, $75.00 over 1,000 up to 5,000, $150.00 over 5,000 — and it is included in the rules, so a demolition permit priced here shows the band plus the application fee and the minimum.
- Signs ($50.00 up to 50 sq ft plus $1.50 per square foot over, $35.00 temporary), storage tanks ($15.00 to $150.00 by gallonage), foundation permits issued in advance ($75.00 and $300.00), and yard sales ($5.00).
- Elevators, escalators, dumbwaiters, conveyors and amusement devices — item 12, from $20.00 to $150.00 a device.
- The 100% surcharge where work started without a permit, the $300.00 appeal fee, and the $35.00 retention on a refund under Sec. 109.6.
- Trade permits taken out separately — electrical and plumbing are their own applications under the same schedule, and the fees of another authority, including the State of New Hampshire's, are not here.
What you need before applying
- A certified estimated cost of the workRequired
Sec. 109.3(A): where the fee is based on the cost of the work, "such costs shall be the estimated cost as certified by the owner or by the authorized representative of the owner, and as approved by the building official". Sec. 109.3(B) defines what that cost includes — gross square footage of the building, "all permanent structural, electrical, plumbing and mechanical systems, interior and exterior finish, site work, overhead and profit" — and lets the building official substitute a Type of Construction Method if the figure is underestimated.
- A site or plot plan, drawn to scaleRequired
The Building Regulations Division asks for a site or plot plan for the permitting of outdoor projects, "drawn to scale with all setback information noted", and publishes a sample residential plan. Sec. 110.7 of the Building Code requires new work to be located strictly in accordance with the approved site plan and, for foundations and footings, certification by a New Hampshire Registered Land Surveyor.
Common questions
What percentage does Manchester charge for a building permit?
It depends on the project. A new one- or two-family dwelling is the estimated cost of the work multiplied by .006. Every other new building or structure, every addition, and every alteration, renovation or repair is multiplied by .010.
Is there a minimum building permit fee in Manchester?
Yes — $30.00, described in the fee schedule as "a minimum permit fee of $30.00 for all permits requiring inspections". It is charged on top of the $25.00 non-refundable application fee, which is why the City's own trade forms print $55.00 as the smallest possible total.
How much is plan review?
$0.02 per square foot, for all buildings and structures other than one- and two-family dwellings and accessory structures. On a 20,000 square foot commercial building that is $400.00, and it is charged as a fee in addition to the permit rather than credited against it.
What is the estimated cost the fee is based on?
Sec. 109.3 defines it as the cost certified by the owner or their authorised representative and approved by the building official, covering the gross square footage of the building and including permanent structural, electrical, plumbing and mechanical systems, interior and exterior finish, site work, overhead and profit. If the building official thinks it is underestimated, they may calculate the cost themselves.
What happens if I start work before the permit is issued?
A surcharge of 100 percent of the permit fee is added to the permit, under Sec. 109.5(B) and again at Sec. 151.10.7. It is not a fine that replaces the permit — the permit is still required.
How much is a demolition permit?
$20.00 up to 1,000 square feet, $75.00 over 1,000 up to 5,000 square feet, and $150.00 over 5,000 square feet. The permit is subject to the same $25.00 application fee and $30.00 minimum as every other permit.
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- Municipal codeCityPrimary source
Read 2026-09-25 as a PDF. Adopted July 6, 2021, and the operative ordinance: Sec. 151.10.4 states that "fees for any and all permits issued under the Building Code are defined in the Fee Table inserted as an amendment to the International Building Code at Section 109.8". Carries the building, plan-review, demolition, sign, storage-tank, heating, gas-piping, electrical and plumbing rows, the $25.00 application fee, the $30.00 minimum permit fee, the re-inspection minimum and the refund rule.
- City websiteCityPrimary source
Building Fees — City of Manchester
Read 2026-09-25. Restates the building rows — ".006" for a new one- or two-family dwelling, ".01" for all other new construction, additions, alterations, renovations and repairs — and adds the plan review rate of ".02 per square foot ... for all multi-family and commercial building permit applications". Corroborates the Building Code rather than replacing it.
- City websiteCityPrimary source
Permit Applications — City of Manchester
Read 2026-09-25. The trade applications and the licensing requirement behind them: "all multi-family dwellings, non owner-occupied single family dwellings and commercial projects require a licensed NH Master electrician", and a licensed New Hampshire plumber for plumbing. States that trade applications "must be printed, signed and submitted to the Planning and Community Development Department by mail along with the appropriate fees".
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.