The Town has recently changed the way historic building and fire permits are accessed.

Salem is no longer issuing monthly reports and instead has made records available via the MapGeo for Salem data viewer, available here.  To access a list of permits that have been issued, click or search on an individual parcel and click the link for Permits next to “View Permits”.  A new page will open and will include a list of the entire permit history for that address.  This includes all permits obtained from the Inspectional Services Department, Fire Deprtment or Health Department.  The most recent records will appear at the top of the list.  Users can click on an individual record to see the details.

The permit naming scheme will describe the type of permit and when it was issued.  More recent permits are named as follows: Type initial – 2-digit year – Record Number, where B = Building, BURN = Burning, CO = Certificate of Occupancy, E = Electrical, G = Gas, MHB = Minor Home Business, P = Plumbing, RB = Radio Box, REST = Restaurant and SI = Sign.  There are other, less common types pertaining to commercial properties.  Records with a “vp” prefix  originate from our earlier permit software and may be of any type.

In Massachusetts, generally, permits must be closed before a property can sell, however, it is important to note that this is not the case in New Hampshire.  There are many permits that are flagged as Active despite the fact that work may have previously completed and inspected.