Chicopee, MA Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Adopted code
- State Building Code, 780 CMR 100.00 et seq.
- New one- or two-family, up to 1,000 sq ft
- $320 (schedule in § 122-2(J))
- Demolition
- $70 per floor in the fee schedule
- Work before permit
- Double the normal fee
- Order violations
- Criminal fine of not more than $300, each day separate
- Reinspection
- $30
Summary
In the City of Chicopee, Massachusetts, the State Building Code (780 CMR 100.00 et seq.) is adopted by ordinance and controls building construction. No permit issues until the prescribed fees are paid, and work started before a permit is obtained carries double the normal fee, except in emergencies as determined by the Building Commissioner.
(1) The State Building Code, set forth at 780 CMR 100.00 et seq., including subsequent modifications, amendments, or deletions, is hereby adopted by the City for the purpose of governing public health, safety, and welfare as they are affected by building construction, and in general to secure safety to life and property, a copy of which code shall be kept on file in the City Clerk's office. The State Building Code is hereby adopted and incorporated, as fully as if set out at length herein, and provisions thereof shall be controlling within the limits of the City. ... (1) General. A permit shall not be issued to begin work for new construction, alteration, removal, demolition or other building operation until the fees prescribed by municipal ordinance or bylaw shall have been paid to the City or town collector or other municipal agency authorized to collect such fees. ... I. Fees for work started prior to obtaining permits. Excepting emergencies as determined by the Building Commissioner or his designee, the fee for the work will be double the normal fee.
Full Breakdown
Section 122-1(A)(1) of the Code of the City of Chicopee adopts the State Building Code, set forth at 780 CMR 100.00 et seq., including later modifications, amendments or deletions, "as fully as if set out at length herein." The provisions are controlling within the limits of the City, and a copy is kept on file in the City Clerk's office. The adopting language was amended 9-1-2009 and 4-19-2016 by Ord. No. 16-14. The excerpt quoted here does not list project-by-project thresholds, so the state code is the yardstick for what needs a permit.
Fees come first. Under § 122-1(D)(1), a permit shall not be issued to begin work for new construction, alteration, removal, demolition or other building operation until the prescribed fees have been paid. Paying the building permit fee does not excuse other fees for water taps, sewer connections, electrical and plumbing permits, signs, certificates of use and occupancy and similar items.
Section 122-2(C) bases building permit fees on the volume of the structure unless the section says otherwise, and lets the Building Commissioner or a designee set unit rates by approved rules. The schedule in § 122-2(J) prints residential one- and two-family new construction at $320 for up to 1,000 square feet, $420 for 1,001 to 2,000 square feet and $520 for 2,001 square feet and over. Additions, alterations and repairs run from $45 up to $999 to $220 at $25,000 and over. Demolitions are $70 per floor, and reinspection is $30. Multifamily new construction is $20 plus $0.40 per square foot, with a $520 minimum and a $20,020 maximum. Moving a building to a new location costs $150.
Some applicants pay nothing to file: filing fees are waived for City agencies, including the Chicopee Housing Authority and private elementary schools, and for a handicap ramp built to a residential unit used strictly for residential purposes. If a permit is revoked or a project is abandoned, the excess fee for incomplete work is returned, but penalties imposed under the Basic Code are collected first.
Demolition has its own gate. The Building Commissioner shall not issue a demolition permit unless the applicant states in writing where the debris will go, and that site must be an approved dump site.
Violations & Fines
Starting work before a permit is obtained doubles the normal fee, except for emergencies as determined by the Building Commissioner. Failing to comply with any order of the Building Inspector or other authorized City employee is a criminal fine of not more than $300, with each day counted as a separate violation. Dumping demolition debris at an unlisted or unapproved site carries a fine of not less than $200 each day until it is removed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Chicopee use to decide if a building permit is needed?
What happens if I start work without a permit in Chicopee?
Can I get a refund if the project is abandoned?
Are any Chicopee building filing fees waived?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chicopee
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