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

Permits

Permits for siding, windows and decks in Rochester

Who issues them. Building & Licensing Services, at the City Hall Annex, 33 Wakefield Street, takes applications online through OpenGov or on printed forms (city permits page).

Siding and windows by name. The city's Express Building Permit is "For Fences, Roofing (Re-Shingle only), Siding, Sheds (200 sq ft or less) and Windows ONLY," with a flat $10 fee effective October 2, 2019 (city permits page). Exterior doors are not on the Express list, so ask the department about a door replacement.

Decks. Decks go on the Minor Building Permit (Residential). The form has a deck checkbox and asks you to "Show Sketch below of how structure is to be framed," with spans, lumber size and beam location, and includes a sample deck framing sheet. The site plan shows property lines, roads and structures, with "Measurements from the proposed structure to all structures within 10' and to all lot lines." Listed inspections include reinforcing steel before concrete and foundation or pier depth, and a permit expires one year after it is issued (Minor Building Permit form).

Fees. The minor permit costs $9.00 per $1,000 of construction cost plus a $10.00 application fee, with a $20 minimum; after-the-fact permits are two times the normal fee, and veterans may qualify for a waiver. The permits page works an example: a $4,300 job comes to $55 (city permits page).

Building & Licensing Services

City Hall Annex, 33 Wakefield Street

Apply online

OpenGov portal

Siding or windows

Express Building Permit, flat $10 (effective October 2, 2019)

Decks

Minor Building Permit: $9 per $1,000 plus $10, $20 minimum

After the fact

Two times the normal fee

Code choice

2021 or 2024 ICC until January 1, 2027

Code choice. The city's minor permit form says "Effective July 1, 2026 NH has adopted the 2024 ICC codes with a 6 month grace period. Up until January 1, 2027 you will have the option to choose ICC 2021 or ICC 2024." The city's separate codes page still lists the 2021 IRC (Codes Currently Enforced).

State rules. New Hampshire reserves permits and permit fees to its cities and towns (RSA 155-A:2). There is no state license for siding, window or deck contractors; the Attorney General says "contractors do not need to be licensed" and advises a written contract with scope, materials, total price and payment schedule before work or payment, references and proof of insurance, and caution about any down payment over 50% (NH AG). On contracts over $5,000 the contractor must provide the RSA 359-G notice, and homeowners give written notice of a defect at least 60 days before suing (RSA 359-G).

Lead. The city's FY2015–2020 Consolidated Plan, citing 2013 state surveillance data, called Rochester "one of New Hampshire's eight highest-risk communities" for lead poisoning (Consolidated Plan). In a house built before 1978, anyone paid to disturb painted surfaces must be EPA-certified, and window replacement is always covered regardless of size (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 Rochester

Rivers and wetlands. The Conservation Overlay District, adopted October 7, 2003 with buffers amended March 5, 2019, sets buffers of 75 feet from the Cocheco, Salmon Falls and Isinglass Rivers and 50 feet from named brooks and ponds, poorly drained soils and vernal pools, and says "The land surface within 25 feet of the edge of the wetland shall not be altered." Additions and extensions to one- and two-family homes that existed before October 7, 2003 are exempt (Conservation Overlay District). In the state's protected shoreland, changing an attached deck's dimensions needs a shoreland impact permit or permit by notification (NHDES shoreland FAQ).

Lot coverage. Rochester's dimensional rules count "buildings, roofed structures, or impervious surfaces" toward lot coverage (dimensional regulations), so a roofed porch counts. The site plan on the minor permit is where setbacks get checked.

Flooding and footings. The city's 2025 Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan puts about 8.3% of its land, 2,413 acres, in the 100-year floodplain, with flood-prone corridors along the Cocheco and Isinglass and three single-family repetitive-loss homes near the Cocheco (Hazard Mitigation Plan 2025). The city posts no frost depth for decks; the pier-depth inspection is where footing depth gets checked. Call Dig Safe at 811 at least 72 hours before digging, not counting weekends and holidays (Dig Safe).