New Hampshire Building Permit Fees by Town
New Hampshire has no statewide permit fee. Each city and town publishes its own schedule, and they are built in different ways: a rate per $1,000 of the job's value, a rate per square foot, flat fees by item, or tiers. The same project can cost a few dollars or a couple of hundred dollars in permit fees depending on the town line.
The same $20,000 job in each town
The table applies each town's general residential rate (the first value-based line this site uses for that town) to a $20,000 alteration. Towns that only charge by square foot or flat fee are left out of this comparison.
| Town | Fee on $20,000 | Line applied |
|---|---|---|
| Salem | $130 | Additions/Alterations $6.50 Per thousand of construction value |
| Exeter | $150 | Residential: $50 Application Fee + $5/$1,000 Permit Fee |
| Portsmouth | $160 | Examples are: Siding, replacement windows, roofing, pools, sheds |
| Londonderry | $185 | Additions / Alterations / Renovation $8 Per thousand |
| Durham | $190 | New construction, additions, alterations (one- and two-family): Application fee of $50 plus $7 per thousand of construction cost |
| Rochester | $190 | Express Building Permit: For Fences, Roofing (Re-Shingle only), Siding, Sheds (200 sq ft or less) and Windows ONLY |
| Manchester | $200 | Repair or Replacement (Fire, Roofing, Siding, etc.) [permit type listed on the city's building permit application] |
| Lebanon | $204.75 | Three thousand one dollars to $5,000: $75. |
| Somersworth | $205 | $9.00 per $1,000 of the construction value, when labor is included, plus a $25.00 application fee |
| Newport | $250 | Mechanical Permit Application: Filing Fee $50+, General Work $.01 (cost of work) |
Three ways schedules are built
- Per $1,000 of value. The most common. Rates on this site run from $5 (Exeter, plus a $50 application fee) to $10 (Manchester, written as the cost multiplied by .010).
- Per square foot. Merrimack ($0.68), Salem decks ($0.40), New Ipswich and Newbury. For a deck the area is known, so the fee is easy to work out in advance.
- Flat fees. Bow charges $40 for residential roofing; Newport lists $50 for roofing or siding plus its application fee; driveway permits run from $10 in Exeter to $125 in Barnstead.
Where a project is not on the schedule
Many schedules never mention roofing, siding or fences. Where a town sets a general residential rate, this site applies it and labels the page "general rate"; where it does not, no fee is shown. Whether a permit is required at all is the building department's call.
Each project page shows the fee for that town: see the deck cost and roof replacement cost hubs, or the town list.
Sources
Each town's schedule is linked on its town page and listed on the methodology page, read on October 20, 2026.
Questions
How are New Hampshire building permit fees set?
Each city or town sets its own schedule. Most charge a rate per $1,000 of construction cost, some charge per square foot, and some set flat fees for items like roofing or driveways.
Does every New Hampshire town require a permit for a re-roof?
No single rule applies statewide in these schedules. Manchester's application lists roofing and siding as repair permits, Rochester covers them with an express permit, and many schedules do not mention roofing at all, so the building department is the place to ask.