Lewiston building department

Lewiston’s Department of Planning and Code Enforcement, on the third floor of City Hall at 27 Pine Street, issues building, electrical, plumbing and sign permits. It also runs the Planning Board, Board of Appeals, historic preservation and development review, and carries out sanitation (restaurant and lodging), license, property-maintenance, land-use and floodplain inspections. Hours are Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 7:45 a.m.–4 p.m., Tuesday 7:45 a.m.–5:30 p.m., closed Friday.

How a Lewiston permit moves

Lewiston has no online permit portal. Every application is a downloadable form from the city’s Permits page.

1. Submit the completed form by email to [email protected] or by mail to Planning and Code Enforcement, 27 Pine Street, Lewiston ME 04240. Include site plans, construction drawings or sign images as needed.
2. Wait for the fee call. Once staff decide the application is complete, they contact you with the amount due.
3. Pay by mailed check or by credit card over the phone at (207) 513-3125. Review starts only after payment.
4. Plan review. The Building Official reviews plans generally in the order they arrive. Deficient plans get written comments, and you resubmit until they comply. A plan review expires after 180 days unless you request an extension in writing, for up to 180 more days.
5. Issuance. Staff contact you when the permit is issued. Post it on site and keep the approved plans available for inspectors.

No construction may start until the permit is paid for and issued. The city warns that it will never ask you to wire money for a permit fee.

Lewiston-specific permit rules

• Fences need a permit regardless of height. The application asks for the fence’s length and height. A fence may sit on the property line, but the city recommends setting it back so you can maintain both sides.
• Most signs need a permit. The exceptions, limited by size, number or duration, are listed in Article XII, Section 16 of the Zoning and Land Use Code.
• Separate forms cover mechanical, home occupation, parking lot, driveway, excavation, street occupancy, flood hazard, shoreland zone, swimming pool, change of use/occupancy, storm drain connection and mobile home installation or removal. The city also posts a sanitary sewer impact fee sheet.
• The city posts building guides for single-family patios and carports, accessory buildings and garages, additions, basement finishes, ramps, uncovered decks and porches, and pole barns. It also posts tip sheets on egress windows, guards, handrails, garage separation, smoke and CO alarms, and residential solar.

Fees

Building permits

The council-adopted building permit fee schedule has prices effective July 1, 2013.

Work	Fee
Single-family new construction / addition	$25 + $0.25/sq ft
Single-family accessory structure	$25 + $0.07/sq ft
Single-family renovation under / over $2,500	$25 / $25 + $5 per $1,000
Multifamily new construction / addition	$25 + $0.30/sq ft
Commercial new construction	$25 + $0.35/sq ft per floor
Commercial renovation	$25 + $7 per $1,000
Above-ground / in-ground pool	$35 / $80
Fence	$25
Change of use	$40
Sign	$25 + $0.50/sq ft

If work starts before the permit is issued, the fee doubles. If you never start the work, you can ask the Director in writing within six months of issuance for a 75% refund.

Electrical permits

The electrical schedule was updated November 16, 2021.

• One- and two-family homes: $40 for work up to a 50% alteration of the system (this includes services, generators and heat pumps), and $70 for new construction or larger alterations. Solar is $40.
• Work started without a permit: $200 for the first offense in a calendar year. Repeat offenses double, up to $1,600.
• Failed inspections: each reinspection after a failed inspection costs $50.

Plumbing fees follow a separate posted schedule.

Inspections

Call or email the department to schedule an inspection. Have this information ready:

• the contact name and phone number
• the permit number
• the day you want the inspection
• the job address
• the stage of work to be inspected

The city’s homeowner guide lists these inspection stages:

• Forms and footings, before you pour, which also verifies zoning setbacks
• Slab
• Floodplain elevation, for lots in the flood zone
• Roof sheathing and shear panels
• Frame and masonry, after rough electrical, plumbing and ducts have been inspected
• Fire-resistance-rated assemblies, before taping
• Final, before occupancy

Lewiston enforces the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code, which the state requires in every municipality with more than 4,000 residents.

Landlords and zoning

Rental owners who supply heat must keep habitable rooms at 68°F or higher, unless the owner and tenant have a qualifying agreement for a lower temperature. Zoning districts and dimensional rules are in Appendix A (Zoning and Land Use Code) of the City Code, and you can view zoning maps on the city’s GIS page.