Augusta building department

Augusta’s Bureau of Code Enforcement is part of the city’s Department of Development Services and works out of City Hall at 16 Cony Street. City Hall keeps a four-day schedule: Monday through Thursday, 7:15 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The bureau handles building permits for residential and commercial construction, signs, blasting, flood hazard development and home occupations. Plumbing and septic permits also come through the bureau. Each year it typically issues about 500 building permits and 600 plumbing and septic permits, and carries out more than 2,700 inspections.

Electrical permits are not local

Augusta does not issue electrical permits. Electrical work in the city is permitted and inspected through the State of Maine. The bureau refers applicants to the Electricians’ Examining Board to find the right state contact.

Applying online or on paper

You can submit building permits (residential and commercial) and sign permits through the city’s iWorQ online portal. The bureau also posts PDF versions of each form, including the Residential Building Permit Application, the Commercial Building Permit Application, and the combined Sign Permit Application and Fee Schedule.

The residential application must include:

• a dimensioned site plan
• a dimensioned floor plan
• a materials list with insulation types and R-values
• a labeled and dimensioned framing plan
• specs for engineered products such as trusses and I-joists
• a foundation plan
• a subsurface wastewater design, where one is required

Staff check each application for zoning (district and setbacks) and the 100-year flood zone. They also route it to the sanitary district, the water district, the City Engineer, the CEO/LPI, the Historic District Review Board and the Planning Board where needed.

Residential fees

The fee block on the residential application (form updated 11/3/2022) shows:

Item	Rate
New construction	$0.36 per sq ft
Renovation	$0.21 per sq ft
Accessory structure	$0.15 per sq ft
Unfinished areas	$0.15 per sq ft
Review fee	$15
Late application (work started first)	Fee doubled

Sign permit fees are printed on the sign application itself.

Plumbing and septic

The bureau’s Local Plumbing Inspector handles state plumbing and subsurface wastewater forms:

• HHE-211 for plumbing
• HHE-200 (2025 version) for a new septic system design
• HHE-204 for a septic variance request
• HHE-200A for a single-tank replacement

Codes

Maine requires every municipality with more than 4,000 residents to enforce the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code (MUBEC). Augusta does. MUBEC currently adopts the 2021 IBC, IRC, IEBC, IECC and IMC with state amendments, plus the 2019 ASHRAE ventilation and energy standards and ASTM E1465 for radon control in new homes. The bureau’s forms list also includes the state’s Maine Energy Efficiency Building Standards Notice of Intent.

Zoning, historic districts and maps

Land use in Augusta is governed by the city’s Land Use Ordinance in the Code of Ordinances. The bureau posts three maps:

• the base-district zoning map, updated November 2025
• the shoreland zoning overlay map
• the 2026 historic district overlay map

For properties in the historic overlay, the city posts a Historic Preservation Certificate application along with a description of the process. Planning Board, Zoning Appeals Board and Historic Preservation Commission approvals come from those boards, not from the bureau staff.

Records and reports

The bureau’s files are fully digital. To request code files for a property, email [email protected] with the address or map and lot and the type of file you need. The bureau keeps only building, plumbing and septic permit records. It also publishes a monthly building permit summary listing.

Business openings

New businesses must file an emergency notification form with the city. The bureau also points commercial owners to the city’s Commercial Rapid Entry Ordinance. Vacant buildings must be registered under the city’s vacant property ordinance, adopted September 29, 2015.