Department of Permitting & Inspections — Building & Trades Division
- Phone
- (802) 863-9094
- Hours
- Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Vermont
Burlington, VT permit fees and requirements
Burlington prices building permits from the estimated cost of construction at $8.50 per $1,000 with a $30.00 minimum (BCO Chapter 8-28(a))
plus a $15.00 recording fee — the City's own example prices a $50,000 deck at $440.00.
Permit costs we have worked out
Each page shows the fee components, the formula the jurisdiction uses, and a worked example you can follow by hand.
Estimate your potential Burlington permit fee with our Building Permit Fee Calculator.
| Permit | Category | Last reviewed |
|---|---|---|
| Burlington building permit fees | structural | 2026-09-26 |
| Burlington electrical permit fees | electrical | 2026-09-26 |
| Burlington plumbing permit fees | plumbing | 2026-09-26 |
Local context
What is specific to Burlington
Burlington's building fee is one of the simplest in the dataset: a single linear rate written into the Code of Ordinances. Chapter 8-28(a) prices building permit fees from the estimated cost of construction — design, labor and materials — at $8.50 per $1,000.00, with a $30.00 minimum. The City's Permit Fees page shows the arithmetic twice: a $1,500 deck carries the $30.00 minimum, and a $50,000 deck carries $440.00 — $8.50 × 50 = $425.00 plus the $15.00 recording fee the page adds to every construction permit.
Permitting runs through two divisions at 645 Pine Street. The Zoning Division issues the land-use permit first — zoning approval 'always comes first,' and zoning fees ($122 on the small-deck example, $475 in two halves on the large one) are separate from the construction permit. The Building & Trades Division (802-863-9094) then issues the Building, Electrical, Plumbing and Mechanical permits, which can all be applied for together in the City's OpenGov portal.
Vermont's statewide plumbing rules apply in Burlington 'without exception,' and state-licensed master plumbers and electricians pull their own trade permits. The City publishes no stand-alone trade fee schedule online — trade fees are set at application by the Trades Division — so this dataset prices the building permit the ordinance fixes and documents the trade process.
Valuation
How valuation is determined here
Estimated cost of construction — design, labor and materials — at $8.50 per $1,000, $30.00 minimum, plus the $15.00 recording fee. Partial thousands round up.
Who to contact
The office that issues the permit, with the details we have verified. Confirm current hours before travelling.
What these fees do not include
The list is not a disclaimer: on a new house the fees left out can outweigh the permit fee several times over. Every entry here is stated on the permit page as well.
Not included in our estimates
These figures are the BCO 8-28(a) construction permit fee. They exclude:
- Zoning permit application fees — $122 on the City's small-deck example, $250 + $225 (in two halves) on the large one — which are separate land-use charges.
- Electrical, plumbing and mechanical trade permit fees, which the Building & Trades Division sets at application; no stand-alone trade schedule is published online.
- Impact fees and Certificate of Occupancy fees (an additional $10.00 where a Building COA is required).
- The work-without-permit penalty under BCO 8-28(f).
Official sources for this jurisdiction
The documents these figures are transcribed from. Where a source contradicts itself we keep both readings and say so on the permit page.
- Municipal codeCityPrimary source
Burlington Code of Ordinances Chapter 8-28(a) — building permit fees
Quoted verbatim on the City's Permit Applications and Forms page: 'Building Permit Application Fees are set by Burlington Code of Ordinances (BCO) Chapter 8-28(a) Fees. Fees are based on the Estimated Cost of Construction (design/labor/material costs) at the rate of $8.50 per $1,000.00 with a minimum permit fee of thirty ($30.00) dollars.' Work-without-permit penalty at BCO 8-28(f).
- City websiteCityPrimary source
Construction Permits — Building & Trades Division scope
'Most applications that require a zoning permit also require a Building, Electrical, Plumbing and/or Mechanical permit.' Trades Division contact 802-863-9094; all permits applied for together in the online system; zoning approval comes first.
- City websiteCityPrimary source
Permit Fees — City of Burlington fee examples
COA Level I example: $30 Construction Permit Fee ('any project up to $2858 construction cost') on a $1,500 deck. COA Level II example: $440 Construction Permit Fee on a $50,000 deck — '$8.50 per $1,000 of construction cost plus $15 recording fee' ($425 + $15). Zoning fees and impact fees listed separately.
- City websiteCityPrimary source
Plumbing / Mechanical — state rules adoption and inspection process
Burlington adopts the State of Vermont Plumbing Rules 'without exception'; Vermont master licensed plumbers must secure permits in the City; owner-occupied single-family plumbing work allowed. Underground, rough and final inspections described.