Window Replacement, Siding, Doors and Decks in Bedford, NH

Permits

Permits for siding, windows and decks in Bedford

Who issues them. Building Safety works out of the Town Offices at 24 North Amherst Road, Monday to Friday 8 to 4:30, opening at 7 on Tuesdays. Building permits must be picked up in person. The town's online permitting system page says stand-alone gas, electrical, plumbing and generator permits can be applied for online, but the Building Safety page says trade permits are not available online, so ask which applies (Building Safety).

Decks, spelled out. The town's permit page says: "For Decks: you need to supply a plot plan showing the deck location and a framing plan for the deck," and points to town GIS for plot plans (Obtaining a Building Permit). The residential building permit form, revised April 2024, has a deck box and asks for two sets of drawings with structural details and a plot plan showing setbacks (permit form). The Building Department Handbook groups decks and porches with additions and remodels and lists inspections of footings with "Forms and steel in place" and of piers before concrete is placed, to verify depth (handbook, dated 2013).

Siding, windows and doors. The town's list of permits needing review includes remodeling "that involves structural and/or nonstructural modifications" and erecting structures, but does not mention siding, windows or doors (Getting a Permit). Ask Building Safety what your job needs before it starts.

Fees. The "Fee Schedule 2022 Update" charges one- and two-family projects and accessory structures $0.18 per square foot of outside dimensions, with a $75 plan review fee for one- and two-family projects (fee schedule). Starting without a permit adds a surcharge of the greater of $100 or twice the permit fee (Chapter 92).

Building Safety

Town Offices, 24 North Amherst Road

Deck permit needs

Plot plan with deck location, framing plan

Fee

$0.18 per sq ft of outside dimensions (2022 Update)

Plan review

$75 (one- and two-family)

Started without a permit

Surcharge: greater of $100 or twice the fee

Pier inspection

Before concrete, to verify depth

State rules. Towns issue permits and set their fees in New Hampshire (RSA 155-A:2). The 2024 State Building Code took effect July 1, 2026; either code set is accepted through December 31, 2026, and the 2024 set from January 1, 2027 (state code summary). There's no state license for exterior contractors: the Attorney General says "contractors do not need to be licensed" and advises getting references, proof of insurance and a written contract with scope, materials, total price and payment schedule before any work or payment (NH AG). Contracts over $5,000 come with the RSA 359-G notice, and a homeowner must give written notice of a defect at least 60 days before filing suit (RSA 359-G).

Older paint. In a house built before 1978, anyone paid to disturb painted surfaces must be EPA-certified, and window replacement is always covered regardless of square footage (EPA RRP for contractors).

Last verified November 2026. Fees, restrictions and deadlines on this page are due for re-checking by January 2027. New England Exterior Pros is a referral service. We don't do the work or file permits; the contractor does.

Decks and porches

Decks and porches in Bedford

Wetlands and brooks. Bedford's wetland setback is 50 feet for structures, and its list names decks along with sheds, buildings, fences and retaining walls over 6 feet, pools and storage containers (Wetlands). The Stream Protection Ordinance, approved March 11, 2025, adds a 50-foot buffer along ten named brooks (Stream Protection Ordinance), and the same ordinance applies the state's protected shoreland rules to Sebbins Pond, Baboosic Brook and the Merrimack River. In the protected shoreland, changing an attached deck's dimensions needs a state shoreland impact permit or permit by notification (NHDES shoreland FAQ).

Setbacks. Voters on March 10, 2026 reduced setbacks in the General Residential district from 35 to 25 feet in front and from 25 to 15 feet at the sides and rear (March 10, 2026 results). The plot plan with distances to lot lines is where a new deck or porch gets checked against them.

Floodplain. The Floodplain Development Ordinance, amended March 12, 2024, treats work worth 40% of a building's market value as substantial improvement and requires the lowest floor at least 1 foot above base flood elevation (floodplain ordinance).

Footings. The Building Department Handbook gives the frost line as 48 inches, in its section on sheds, and piers are inspected for depth before concrete (handbook). Call Dig Safe at 811 at least 72 hours before digging, not counting weekends and holidays (Dig Safe).