In the last decade, Belmont has collected just over $5 million in application fees for building permits.
“It’s small, but it’s significant,” said Town Administrator Patrice Garvin. “Without it, we would not be able to fund things we need to fund.”
In total, 367 building permits have been issued since 2015 — a number that includes both additions and new buildings, according to data provided by the Department of Planning and Building. Money collected from permit applications serves as one of the town’s revenue sources, contributing annually to the General Fund, which can be used in various ways around town.
Building permit revenue accounts for only a small portion of a roughly $164 million budget, according to Garvin.
Of the $12.5 million in local receipts collected in fiscal year 2024, just about $483,000 came from building permits, according to data from the town. Building permits in FY25, meanwhile, generated just over $210,000.
Of the projected $8.3 million in local receipts for fiscal year 2026 — which ends June 30, 2026 — about $1.4 million will come from licenses and permits, according to the FY26 budget book. The sharp increase from past years can be attributed to three permits totaling $1.1 million for the child and adolescent campus project at the McLean Hospital property, pulled in October 2025.
Other major developments at McLean Hospital contributed to a spike in permit fees in the 2019 calendar year for an addition to the admissions building, and in the 2023 calendar year for the Northland Residential project (new building).
“The [data] is illustrative of a small community that tends to get large projects from time to time but at other times the revenue reflects low activity,” said Director of Planning and Building Chris Ryan.
According to the data, the number of permit applications for new buildings remained low in Belmont between the calendars years 2015 and 2025, ranging from 17 in 2015 to two in 2022. After a decline in permit applications from 2019 to 2022, the numbers began to climb again.
Permits for additions, meanwhile, saw a similar decline from 2019 to 2021. The declines are likely associated with the rising cost of construction and supply chain issues that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2023, applications have trended upward.