Building Permits on Cape Cod: A Town-by-Town Guide

Each of the 15 towns on Cape Cod issues its own building permits, and almost all of them now take applications online through OpenGov (ViewPoint Cloud) or PermitEyes. A building permit is rarely the only approval, though. Depending on where the house is, a project may also need a historic district certificate, a Conservation Commission filing, or a demolition review before the building permit can be issued.

A licensed contractor normally pulls the permit in their own name. That is also what Massachusetts expects for work covered by the Home Improvement Contractor rules, and it is how we handle every job. Below is where each town issues permits, and what else to check.

Upper Cape

• Bourne: Building & Inspection Department, Town Hall, 24 Perry Avenue, Buzzards Bay. Applications through OpenGov. Bourne has no regional historic district; demolition of buildings over 75 years old goes to the Historical Commission. Bourne details.
• Sandwich: Building Department, 100 Route 6A. Applications through PermitEyes. North of Route 6 is in the Old King's Highway district. Sandwich details.
• Falmouth: Building Department, Town Hall, 59 Town Hall Square. Applications through PermitEyes. Seven local historic districts and a town wetlands bylaw. Falmouth details.
• Mashpee: Building Department, Town Hall, 16 Great Neck Road North. Applications through PermitEyes. Mashpee's wetland buffer is 150 feet, the widest on the Cape. Mashpee details.

Mid Cape

• Barnstable: Building Division, 200 Main Street, Hyannis, with an online permit center. North of Route 6 is in the Old King's Highway district, and Hyannis has the Main Street Waterfront Historic District. Barnstable details.
• Yarmouth: Building Department, Town Hall, 1146 Route 28, South Yarmouth. Applications through OpenGov. North of Route 6 is in the Old King's Highway district. Yarmouth details.
• Dennis: Building Department, Town Hall, 685 Route 134, South Dennis. Online through OpenGov since January 2025. Old King's Highway on the north side and a local historic district in South Dennis. Dennis details.

Lower Cape

• Brewster: Building Department, 2198 Main Street. Applications through OpenGov. Most of the town is in the Old King's Highway district. Brewster details.
• Harwich: Building Department, Town Hall, 732 Main Street. Building permit applications must be filed online through OpenGov. Local historic district in Harwich Center. Harwich details.
• Chatham: Building Division, 261 George Ryder Road. Applications through OpenGov. Historic Business District Commission in the commercial districts and strict floodplain rules. Chatham details.
• Orleans: Building Department, Town Hall, 19 School Road. Applications through OpenGov. North and west of Route 6 is in the Old King's Highway district. Orleans details.

Outer Cape

• Eastham: Building Department, 2500 State Highway. Applications and inspection requests through OpenGov. Seashore District limits on enlargements inside the National Seashore. Eastham details.
• Wellfleet: Building Department, 1035 Cemetery Road. Applications through OpenGov. National Seashore Park District size caps and a broad demolition delay. Wellfleet details.
• Truro: Building Department, 24 Town Hall Road. Applications through OpenGov. Seashore District floor area limits. Truro details.
• Provincetown: Building Department, Town Hall, 260 Commercial Street. Applications online. Strict local historic district and the stretch energy code. Provincetown details.

The approvals that often come before the permit

Historic district review. Six towns are part of the Old King's Highway Regional Historic District: Sandwich, Barnstable, Yarmouth, Dennis, Brewster and Orleans, each north of Route 6. Several towns also have local historic districts. Visible exterior changes there need a certificate first. See our guide to historic districts by town.

Conservation Commission. Work within 100 feet of a wetland, beach, dune, coastal bank or salt marsh needs a filing under the state Wetlands Protection Act, and every Cape town also has its own wetlands bylaw. Some go further than the state. See building near the water on Cape Cod.

Demolition review. Most Cape towns have a demolition delay for older or significant buildings. In some towns, removing part of a house for an addition counts. Check it before the design is final.

National Seashore. In Eastham, Wellfleet and Truro, private homes inside the Cape Cod National Seashore are under zoning that limits how much a house can grow. See renovating a house in the National Seashore.

How long it takes

A straightforward roof or window permit can come through quickly. Anything that needs historic or conservation review adds at least one public meeting, and those boards meet on fixed schedules, often once or twice a month. Building that time into the schedule from the start is what keeps a project on track.