Do I need a permit for a full kitchen remodel in
Concord, New Hampshire?

Concord kitchen remodel permits — the key details

The starting point: Concord's Building Department (part of the Planning and Permitting Division) uses the 2015 IBC with New Hampshire amendments, and the single biggest rule is that any structural change — including a load-bearing wall removal — requires a permit and an engineer's letter. The IRC R602.3 defines a load-bearing wall as one that supports roof or floor loads; in a one-story ranch, almost every wall perpendicular to the rafters is load-bearing. If you're opening up the kitchen to the dining room by removing the wall between them, you must hire a structural engineer ($400–$1,200) to size a beam and submit that calcs letter with your building permit application. Concord's building inspector will not sign off on the rough framing inspection without it. The three-permit requirement means you'll pay three separate application fees: building ($150–$300), plumbing ($150–$250), and electrical ($150–$250), totaling $450–$800 before any plan review. The kitchen also triggers electrical work that many homeowners overlook: per IRC E3702.1, kitchens require two small-appliance branch circuits (SABC) — 20-amp circuits dedicated to countertop receptacles — and every countertop outlet must be GFCI-protected and spaced no more than 48 inches apart. If your electrician isn't showing those two circuits on the electrical plan, the plan-review engineer will kick it back.

Plumbing is the second complexity. If you're moving the sink, dishwasher, or garbage disposal, the drain line must slope at 1/4 inch per foot minimum toward the main stack, and the vent must rise unobstructed to the roof (per IRC P2722.2 and P3103). Concord soil is glacial granite with a 48-inch frost depth, so if your kitchen is on a slab, the inspector will check that any new drain penetrations are sloped correctly and trapped properly. The plumbing plan must show the old and new trap locations, the vent routing, and how the new piping connects to the existing main stack. If you're adding a dishwasher and there isn't one now, that's a new fixture requiring both a new drain branch and a new 1/2-inch hot-water line, and the inspector will verify the connection at the plan-review stage. Gas lines fall into the same category: if you're moving a gas range or adding a new gas appliance, the plumbing permit also covers gas, and you must show the new gas line routing, the shutoff valve location, and compliance with IRC G2406 (gas appliance connections). A gas line running through an exterior wall in zone 6A must be insulated to prevent condensation.

Range-hood venting is a trap many homeowners miss. If you're installing a range hood that vents to the exterior (not recirculating), the duct must be shown on BOTH the electrical plan (as an appliance) and the building plan (as a roof or wall penetration). The duct must be sealed where it penetrates the exterior wall, and in zone 6A, you need a backdraft damper or motorized damper to prevent cold air from infiltrating when the hood is off. The building code IRC M1502.1 requires that the duct termination cap is at least 1 foot above the highest point of the roof within 10 feet, or at least 12 inches from any window or door. Concord inspectors will look at this during the final inspection, and if the duct is undersized (most kitchens need a 6-inch duct for a 400-CFM hood), the inspector will flag it as inadequate.

The permit timeline and inspection sequence in Concord is strictly: submit all three permit applications (building, plumbing, electrical) at the same time. Building reviews first and may approve or kick back within 5–7 business days. Plumbing and electrical review in parallel once building clears; that's another 5–7 days. Once all plans are approved, you can start work. Inspections happen in order: rough plumbing (before walls close), rough electrical (before walls close), framing/structural (after walls are up, before drywall), drywall (after drywall is hung), and final (all work complete). Each inspection must be scheduled 24 hours in advance through the online portal. If the inspector fails any rough inspection, you cannot proceed until the deficiency is fixed and the inspector re-approves. A failed rough electrical or plumbing inspection can add 2–3 weeks to your timeline.

One more critical detail: if your home was built before 1978, Concord requires a lead-paint disclosure signed by you and the contractor before any renovation work begins, per the federal EPA RRP Rule. The contractor must be RRP-certified and must use containment and wet-wiping to minimize dust. Failure to do this correctly can result in fines of $100–$500 per day and is a significant liability issue. The Building Department does not enforce the RRP Rule directly, but if an inspector sees evidence of lead-paint disturbance without containment, they can issue a notice of violation. Many Concord contractors build the RRP compliance ($500–$1,500) into the bid, so confirm that your contractor is RRP-certified and that the scope includes containment and clearance testing before you begin.

Three Concord kitchen remodel (full) scenarios

The three-permit sequence: why Concord requires separate building, plumbing, and electrical approvals

Concord's Building Department enforces the 2015 IBC by separating permitting authority into three branches: building (structural, fire, roof/wall penetrations), plumbing (water supply, drainage, venting, gas), and electrical (circuits, outlets, fixtures). This is standard in most New Hampshire municipalities but creates a longer timeline because each permit is reviewed sequentially, not in parallel. Why? The building inspector must approve the floor plan and structural changes first (so the plumbing and electrical inspectors know where the walls will be); then plumbing and electrical review in parallel. If the building plan shows a wall removal with a 12-inch beam, but the plumbing plan still shows a drain line running through the beam's support column, the plumbing plan gets kicked back until it's redrawn.

In practice: you submit all three applications together. The building permit is stamped 'approved' or 'rejected with comments' within 5–7 business days. Once building is approved, the city sends the plumbing and electrical plans to their respective plan reviewers (often consultants, not city staff). Those reviews happen in parallel and take another 5–7 days. If either is rejected, you revise and resubmit that permit only. This means a worst-case scenario is 3–4 rejections and resubmittals, stretching the plan-review phase to 4–5 weeks. Once all three are approved, you can schedule the first inspection (rough plumbing) immediately.

The fee structure reflects this separation. Building permit: $150–$300 (based on construction valuation, typically 1.5% of estimated cost). Plumbing permit: $150–$250. Electrical permit: $150–$250. Total permit cost for a $20,000 kitchen: roughly $600–$800. This is higher than a city that bundles kitchen permits into a single omnibus fee (some cities charge $300 flat for any kitchen remodel), but Concord's separation forces more rigorous review and catches code violations earlier.

Lead-paint RRP compliance in Concord: what triggers it, what it costs, and why inspectors care

If your home was built before 1978, federal EPA Rule 40 CFR 745 (the Renovation, Repair, and Painting Rule, or RRP Rule) requires that any contractor disturbing more than 6 square feet of painted surface must be RRP-certified, must notify occupants of the hazard, and must contain and minimize dust using specific techniques (plastic sheeting, HEPA vacuums, wet-wiping, clearance testing). In Concord, this applies to kitchens because wall removal, cabinet installation, and drywall work all disturb old paint. The Concord Building Department does not directly enforce the RRP Rule — that's the EPA's jurisdiction — but if an inspector observes RRP violations (open drywall work without containment, visible dust on windows or adjacent rooms), they can issue a stop-work order and a notice of violation.

What it costs: RRP compliance for a full kitchen typically runs $1,500–$3,000. This includes containment setup (plastic sheeting, negative air machine), lead-safe work practices (wet-wiping instead of sanding, HEPA vacuums), and a clearance test by an EPA-certified lead inspector at the end (typically $400–$600 per test). Many contractors build this into the bid; if yours hasn't mentioned it and your home is pre-1978, ask explicitly whether they are RRP-certified and what their containment plan is. If they say 'no problem, we'll just be careful,' they are exposing you to liability. The EPA can fine homeowners and contractors $100–$500 per day for RRP violations, and if anyone in the household (especially children) is tested for elevated blood-lead levels after the renovation, the contractor could be liable for remediation costs.

Verification: before signing a contract, ask the contractor for their RRP certification (it's an EPA-issued ID number, searchable on the EPA website). Ask to see photos of similar pre-1978 kitchen jobs they've done and their clearance-test reports. If the contractor is not RRP-certified, hire a separate RRP-certified firm to manage the work (a lead abatement company). The cost is higher, but it protects you legally and ensures the work is done right.

Common questions