Rutland building department

Rutland City’s Building Department, located in City Hall, issues building permits, certificates of occupancy, certificates of completion, vacant building registrations, and short-term rental registrations. It works alongside the city’s Planning & Zoning Department, which handles zoning permits, subdivisions, boundary line adjustments, signs, and Development Review Board (DRB) applications. The city notes that most renovation projects need both a city permit and, where the building is covered by state rules, a Vermont Division of Fire Safety permit.

Which Rutland permits a project needs

The city’s building permit page sorts common projects into two groups:

Project	City permits required
Decks, sheds, garages, porches, additions, pools, new houses, new commercial buildings	Building permit and zoning permit
Interior remodels (kitchen, bathroom, etc.), rebuilding existing decks or stairs at the same size	Building permit only
Demolition	Building permit, plus an asbestos survey
New or expanded driveway	May need a curb cut permit from the Department of Public Works and Zoning Administrator approval

A permit expires by limitation if no work begins within six months of issuance, and a new permit must then be obtained before starting.

How to apply

Rutland stopped taking paper applications and uses GovPilot online forms at eforms-main.govpilot.com/VT/rutlandcityvt. Building permit applications need floor plans or sketches. Demolition applications need the asbestos survey. Zoning, subdivision, boundary line adjustment, and sign applications are separate GovPilot forms linked from the Planning & Zoning permit applications page.

The city warns that its GovPilot applications do not save progress. Have every attachment ready (site plans, building plans, renderings) before you start. Applications missing required attachments are treated as incomplete and are not reviewed. Projects that need DRB or Architectural Review Committee approval require additional forms.

Fees (schedule effective January 1, 2023)

The Board of Aldermen approved the current Building & Zoning fee schedule on August 15, 2022. Highlights:

Item	Fee
Building permit application	$50 + state recording fees
Zoning permit application	$50 + $5 15-day notice fee + recording fees
Shed (up to 200 sq ft), outdoor hot tub, above-ground pool	$25 ancillary fee
In-ground pool	$100 ancillary fee
Accessory structures	$0.15 per sq ft
Primary and attached structures	$0.20 per sq ft of gross habitable floor area
Demolition	$50
Permit revision	$25
After-the-fact permit	2x application and ancillary fees
Development Review Board application	$150 + $5 notice fee

Unfinished basements and attics are left out of the square-foot calculation. When a project needs both a building and a zoning permit, the ancillary fee is charged only once, and it is refunded if the application is denied. The Planning & Zoning page lists recording fees at $15 per page. If you are planning an addition or new home, the building permit cost guide explains how square-foot fees like these compare with value-based schedules.

Certificate of occupancy inspections

Rutland requires a certificate of occupancy (CO) inspection for every property sale or ownership transfer, every refinancing, and every change of tenant in a rental. Building permit completions get a certificate of completion. To schedule, open the GovPilot portal and choose the light-blue “Certificate of Occupancy Application” button. The department currently books CO inspections with a 1–2 week lead time. Once inspected, the inspector has three business days to approve or to issue a written denial with reasons.

CO fees from the 2023 schedule:

• Residential change of tenancy: $25 per dwelling unit
• Real estate transaction or conveyance: $100
• Urgent scheduling (same day or next business day): double the fee, at the department’s discretion
• After-the-fact CO: 5x the permit fee, up to $500
• Cancelling during a scheduled appointment forfeits the fee and counts as an automatic denial. You must reapply and pay again.

Vacant buildings and short-term rentals

Owners must register a vacant property within four months of it becoming vacant. Registration costs $100, and missing the deadline brings a $500 penalty. Short-term rentals such as Airbnb and Vrbo units must register with the city every year, for $375. That fee includes the annual CO inspection.

Codes

Local building regulations are in Title 9 (Buildings) of the city code. For buildings covered by state rules, the 2025 Vermont Fire & Building Safety Code took effect November 6, 2025. It adopts the 2021 IBC, NFPA 1 and NFPA 101 (2021), the 2023 National Electrical Code, and the 2024 International Plumbing Code.

Contacts and hours

City Hall is at 1 Strongs Avenue, Rutland, VT 05702 (mailing: PO Box 969). The office is open 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., Monday–Friday.

• Building Inspector Mark Sadakierski: (802) 774-7820, [email protected]
• Assistant Building Inspector/Health Officer Michael Brookman: (802) 774-7817
• Code Enforcement: (802) 774-7818
• Office Coordinator: (802) 774-7803
• Planning Director/Zoning Administrator Ed Bove: (802) 774-7833
• City Hall main line: (802) 773-1800