Department of Planning & Community Development — Building Inspector
- Phone
- (802) 223-9506
- Hours
- Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Vermont
Montpelier, VT permit fees and requirements
Montpelier prices building permits on its City Council-set fee schedule:
$3.50 per $1,000 for single-family work ($30 minimum) and $8.00 per $1,000 for commercial or multi-family ($50 minimum), each partial $1,000 rounding up — plus a $30.00 recording fee per permit.
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 Montpelier permit fee with our Building Permit Fee Calculator.
| Permit | Category | Last reviewed |
|---|---|---|
| Montpelier building permit fees | structural | 2026-09-26 |
| Montpelier electrical permit fees | electrical | 2026-09-26 |
| Montpelier plumbing permit fees | plumbing | 2026-09-26 |
Local context
What is specific to Montpelier
Montpelier's fee schedule is a City Council worksheet — literally one: the Zoning and Building Fee Schedule invites applicants to 'check off all fees that apply and add up column totals.' Its building rows are two: single-family, single-unit work at $3.50 per $1,000 of project cost (round up, $30.00 minimum), and commercial or multi-family work at $8.00 per $1,000 (round up, $50.00 minimum). The RECORDING block adds $30.00 per permit — building, river hazard or zoning alike.
So a $50,000 single-family addition prices 50 × $3.50 = $175.00 + $30.00 recording = $205.00; the same-value commercial fit-out prices 50 × $8.00 = $400.00 + $30.00 = $430.00. Zoning fees ride a separate block of the same worksheet: $200 for a new principal dwelling, $0.10/sq ft for additions, $150–$0.15/sq ft for commercial improved area.
Electrical and plumbing work has no rows of its own — the City routes it through building permit attachments (Minor/Major Project or Renovation), so the trade scope prices through the same building rate. Applications go by email or to the Planning & Community Development office at 1 Blanchard Court; one Development Application covers a whole project even when several permits ride together.
Valuation
How valuation is determined here
Project cost read against the schedule's two rows: $3.50 per $1,000 (round up, $30 minimum) for single-family, single-unit work; $8.00 per $1,000 (round up, $50 minimum) for commercial or multi-family work; plus the $30.00 per-permit recording fee.
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 building rows of the Council-set schedule. They exclude:
- Zoning permit fees — the separate block pricing new dwellings ($200/unit), additions ($0.10/sq ft), accessory buildings and commercial improved area.
- Development review fees — DRB base $250.00, conditional use $275.00, variances and site plans.
- The Fire & Life Safety Inspection at $125.00.
- Public Works permits, which the City sets on their own schedule.
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.
- City websiteCityPrimary source
Apply for a Permit — Planning & Community Development
'The Building, Zoning, and River Hazard permit fee schedule is set by City Council.' Development Application is a required cover sheet for every permit; building attachments cover minor/major projects; email submissions to permits@montpelier-vt.org.
- City websiteCityPrimary source
Development Application form (pdf)
The cover-sheet application every permit needs; only one is needed when applying for multiple permits (e.g., zoning and building together).
- City websiteCityPrimary source
Zoning and Building Fee Schedule (set by City Council)
Read 2026-09-26 as an Excel workbook (HTTP 200), transcribed in full. BUILDING PERMIT FEES: Single Family, single unit — $3.50 per $1000 (round up), $30 min.; Commercial or Multi-Family — $8.00 per $1000 (round up), $50 min.; Fire & Life Safety Inspection $125. RECORDING: Permit Recording Fee per permit (building, river, zoning) $30; Decision Recording Fee $15/page.