Brockton, MA Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

Section 4-1(a) requires that before work begins, the applicant submit to the superintendent of buildings "an application in duplicate on appropriate blanks... accompanied by a full and complete copy in duplicate of working plans and specifications of such proposed work and structural drawings thereof in detail," with one set kept by the city and the other returned to the applicant. Plans must carry stress computations when the superintendent requires them, and must bear the stamp of a registered architect or engineer, or be signed by the architect, engineer, contractor or applicant, under subsections (b) and (c). Before endorsing approval, the superintendent must also confirm the availability of potable water to the site, per subsection (f).

Section 4-1(d) adds a public-notice layer: the ward councilor and all councilors-at-large must be notified of any building permit application once the permit fee reaches $200, though applications for permits of $5,000 or less need only the signatures of the sewer superintendent, water superintendent and superintendent of buildings. Section 4-2 gives the superintendent 10 days from filing to approve or reject the application, and allows a separate foundation-only permit to issue before the full building plans are complete, at the applicant's own risk. Section 4-3 sets the fee schedule: $100 for new construction up to $5,000 in stated value, plus $20 per additional $1,000 of valuation, and $75 for alterations or repairs up to $1,000 in value, plus $20 per additional $1,000. Building without a permit adds a surcharge of twice the normal fee under Section 4-3(g).