Nashua
City of Nashua, Planning Department (Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment)
In short
City of Nashua, Planning Department (Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment) issues 3 permits we publish for Nashua, last verified 2026-09-12. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.
What this agency issues
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sign Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Nashua, Planning Department (Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment) | A $25.00 non-refundable filing fee accompanies every sign permit application, plus an issuance fee banded by sign area: $55.00 for 50 square feet or less, $105.00 for 51-150 square feet, and $200.00 for 151 square feet or more (a change of copy to an existing sign carries no charge). An illuminated sign additionally requires a separate electrical sign permit from the Department of Building Safety, priced at a $25.00 application fee plus $25.00 per sign. | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-09-12 |
| Zoning Board of Adjustment Application (Variance, Special Exception, Appeal)only if it applies to you | City of Nashua, Planning Department (Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment) | $330.00 basic fee for most petitions (variances, administrative appeals, rehearings); $440.00 for a special exception involving floodplain filling, wetland filling, a planned business or industrial development, or raw-material processing/removal; $900.00 for a use variance; a further $200.00 surcharge for an application with more than one request. Every application also carries a $3.00-per-abutter notification fee plus postage, $15.00 for each required on-site notification sign (with a $100.00 recovery fee if a sign is not removed within seven days of the hearing), and a $100.00 processing fee for any applicant-caused postponement. Per Nashua Revised Ordinances Article XLIII, § C(1)-(2). | one-time, per application | 2026-09-12 |
| Planning and Zoning Review Fee (Site Plan / Change of Use) | City of Nashua, Planning Department (Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment) | A $25.00 minimum for sheds, decks, or a commercial tenant fit-up that is not a change of use; $55.00 for residential additions and alterations; $240.00 per unit for new residential construction of up to three dwelling units; the greater of $300.00 or 25% of the building permit fee for new residential construction of more than three units and for all new commercial construction; and a flat $300.00 for a commercial change of use. Per the Department of Building Safety's own current simplified Permit Fee Schedule, which accompanies nearly every building permit application. | one-time, per application | 2026-09-12 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
About each permit
Sign Permit
Required for any new or altered sign visible from a public or private right-of-way. Both the Building Official and the Zoning Administrator sign off before a permit issues. The filing and issuance fees are as published in the Planning Department's 'Procedures for Filing a Sign Permit Application' document, and the electrical sign permit fee is set by the Department of Building Safety.
Zoning Board of Adjustment Application (Variance, Special Exception, Appeal)
Triggered when a proposed use or structure fails to conform to the Nashua Zoning Ordinance's use, dimensional, or other requirements. Attendance at the public hearing is mandatory for the applicant or a representative.
Planning and Zoning Review Fee (Site Plan / Change of Use)
This fee rides alongside the building permit recorded above for nearly every commercial project, and functions as Nashua's zoning/land-use verification charge; a $300.00 flat fee applies specifically when an existing space changes to a new business use, which is the most common trigger for a business opening in existing commercial space.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Nashua
- Phone
- (603) 589-3090
Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.
Sources
Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Procedures for Filing a Sign Permit Application — the Planning Department's own current $25.00 filing fee and $55.00-$200.00 issuance fee schedule by sign areaCity of Nashua, Planning Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-12
- Procedures for Filing a Variance — the Zoning Board of Adjustment's own current fee schedule ($330.00-$900.00 by petition type, plus abutter and sign fees)City of Nashua, Planning Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-12
- Simplified Permit Fee Schedule — Building Safety, Planning and Zoning, and Fire Marshal's Office fee tables with worked examplesCity of Nashua, Department of Building Safety · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-12
Other offices serving Nashua
The full permit list for this jurisdiction
Industry permit lists that include this agency
New Hampshire jurisdictions
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.