Manchester NH Building Permits: What Homeowners Should Know

What the Building Division does

The Building Division's page puts plan review, permit approval and field inspections at the top of its list. It also handles zoning enforcement, certificates of occupancy and final inspections.

A certificate of occupancy has to be asked for ahead of time: five business days for a one- or two-family home, ten for commercial projects and buildings with more than three units.

The permit applications

The permit applications page has building, demolition, electrical, heating and plumbing permits, among others. Electrical, heating and plumbing forms can be filled in online, but they must be printed, signed and mailed in with the fee; the city doesn't take them electronically.

Demolition permits aren't online at all. And before the city issues one, every utility has to sign the demolition sign-off form.

Decks, porches and plot plans

If you're building, repairing or replacing a deck or porch on a one- or two-family house, the permit needs construction details, such as the materials, and the city gives a Deck Details form for that. Many permits for outdoor projects also need a site or plot plan that shows every structure on the lot.

Rentals: who does the wiring and the plumbing

On multi-family dwellings, single-family homes that aren't owner-occupied and commercial projects, Manchester's electrical permit calls for a licensed NH Master electrician, and its plumbing permit for a licensed NH plumber. The state licenses both trades through the OPLC.

The state code behind it

New Hampshire switched its building code to the 2024 international codes on July 1, 2026. That includes the International Residential Code; the energy code is still the 2018 edition. Until the end of 2026, the Fire Marshal's code page says, a permit request can follow either the 2021 or the 2024 codes. From January 1, 2027, the page says, it's the 2024 codes only. The licensing side is on NH contractor licensing.

A lead rule for older rentals

The Building Division's page also flags a state lead law. Under RSA 130-A:5-d, since July 1, 2024, a rental unit converted from another use in a building erected before January 1, 1978, and a newly licensed day care in such a building, need certification of lead safety before they are used, and before the certificate of occupancy.