Building Permit Fees in Cambridge, MA (2026)

What common projects cost

Kitchen or bath remodel

$25,000 value, remodel 300 sq ft

$375.00

$375.00 building permit

Room addition

$75,000 value, addition 400 sq ft

$1,125.00

$1,125.00 building permit

New single-family home

$350,000 value, new single-family 2,400 sq ft

$5,250.00

$5,250.00 building permit

How Cambridge calculates your permit fee

The city charges a building permit fee using a fee table based on project value, with a $50.00 minimum. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical work gets its own permits.

The fee table

Three residential dwelling units or less: new construction, repairs and alterations

Project value	Fee
Over $0	$15.00 per $1,000 or fraction

All other buildings (commercial, four or more dwelling units): new construction, repairs and alterations

Project value	Fee
Over $0	$20.00 per $1,000 or fraction

What counts as project value

Your contract or bid price. Fees are per $1,000 'or fraction thereof of construction cost'. The page does not say how construction cost is verified.

Worked example: a $350,000 new home

Building permit fee: $0.00 for the first $0.00 + $15.00 × 350 per $1,000.00 over = $5,250.00
Total before trade permits: $5,250.00.

Fees people miss

May also apply (not in the totals above)

Work started prior to obtaining permit: when work started before the permit was obtained; $750.00 on the standard projects.
Certificate of Occupancy, residential: when a Certificate of Occupancy is issued (new or existing buildings); $100.00 on the standard projects.

Fee	Amount
Amendments to plansWhen: plans amended	$15.00 per $1,000 or fraction of construction cost (3 units or less; $20 otherwise)
Preliminary permit for foundationWhen: separate foundation permit	$15.00 per $1,000 or fraction of construction cost (3 units or less; $20 otherwise)
Re-inspection of code violations (certificate of occupancy)When: code violation re-inspection	$100.00 each
Building license, initial (2 year)When: contractor building license	$50.00 each
Inspection for publicly subsidized dwellingsWhen: publicly subsidized dwelling	$100.00 each

Trade permits are separate. Electrical: Separate Electrical/Wiring Fees page; not extracted. Plumbing: Separate Plumbing and Gas Fees pages; not extracted. Mechanical: Separate Mechanical and Sprinkler Fees pages; not extracted.

How to apply

Gather your plans and your project's total value.
Submit to Inspectional Services Department.
Pay the permit and plan review fees when invoiced.
Questions: 617-349-6100 · 831 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139

Source record

Effective: not stated
Verified: 2026-11-05
Issuer: Inspectional Services Department
Valuation: Your contract or bid price
Confidence: medium

Building Fees (Inspectional Services Department)

What this page does not cover (5)

No effective date or adoption date on the page.
Plan review row is garbled ('$100 included in building permit fee$50.00'); read as included in the permit fee, confirm with ISD.
Certificate of Occupancy ($100 first unit + $50 each additional) probably applies to new houses; stored as conditional. Commercial CO per-1,000-sq-ft part not modelled.
Residential formula applies to buildings with three dwelling units or less; four or more units use the $20 rate (commercial variant).
Electrical, plumbing, gas, mechanical and sprinkler fee pages not extracted.

Separate electrical, plumbing, mechanical, fire, impact, utility and school fees are usually not included unless they are listed. BuildingPermitCost is not a government permit office, and this is not legal advice.

Report an error · How we verify fees

How Cambridge compares

A $25,000 remodel costs $375.00 in Cambridge: about the same as the national median of $380.00, and the highest of 5 places we cover in Massachusetts (state median $325.00).

A $75,000 addition costs $1,125.00 in Cambridge: 37% above the national median of $820.58, and the highest of 5 places we cover in Massachusetts (state median $900.00).

A $350,000 new home costs $5,250.00 in Cambridge: 80% above the national median of $2,918.63, and the highest of 5 places we cover in Massachusetts (state median $4,200.00).

Same standard projects everywhere, including plan review and required surcharges. All Massachusetts places · Compare side by side

Cambridge permit fee FAQ

How much is a building permit in Cambridge, MA?

A $25,000 remodel: $375.00. A $75,000 addition: $1,125.00. A $350,000 new single-family: $5,250.00. These include every fee the schedule applies to that project; trade permits are separate.

Is plan review included in the Cambridge permit fee?

Cambridge lists no separate plan review fee for these projects.

How does Cambridge determine project value?

Your contract or bid price. Fees are per $1,000 'or fraction thereof of construction cost'. The page does not say how construction cost is verified.

Are electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits included?

No. They are separate permits. Electrical: Separate Electrical/Wiring Fees page; not extracted. Plumbing: Separate Plumbing and Gas Fees pages; not extracted. Mechanical: Separate Mechanical and Sprinkler Fees pages; not extracted.

When did these Cambridge fees take effect?

The schedule does not state an effective date. We last checked it against the official source on Nov 5, 2026.