Building Permits in Portland, Maine

City in Cumberland County

Verified August 2026

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Adopted Construction Codes

These are the state-level code editions for Maine. They apply in Portlandunless a verified local adoption or amendment is noted — in local-adoption states, confirm the city or county's own code editions with the building department.

Code	Edition	Adoption
IBC — International Building Code	2021 IBC — the 2021 International Building Code, published by the International Code Council, Inc., adopted by reference at 16-642 C.M.R. ch. 3 ("Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code — Commercial Building Code of Maine"). ADOPTING WORDS VERBATIM: "The following Chapters of the 2021 International Building Code, published by the International Code Council, Inc. are hereby adopted and incorporated by reference". NOT 2024: the 2024 IBC is not adopted in Maine. * THE ADOPTION IS PARTIAL AND THE EXCLUSIONS ARE LOAD-BEARING. ADOPTED: Chapters 1-28, Chapters 30-33, Chapter 35, Appendix C and Appendix O. EXCLUDED: CHAPTER 29 (PLUMBING SYSTEMS)** and Appendices A-B and D-N. THE CHAPTER 29 CARVE-OUT IS NOT AN OVERSIGHT — it is the seam where Maine hands plumbing to the Plumbers Examining Board and the IAPMO Uniform Plumbing Code 2021 (02-395 C.M.R. ch. 4; see the Maine IPC row). A READER SERVED IBC CHAPTER 29 FOR MAINE IS BEING SERVED TEXT THAT IS NOT LAW HERE. Prior value was the bare string "2021" with no instrument, no chapter scope, no appendices, no effective date and an unverified secondary source_url.	16-642 C.M.R. ch. 3 s.4 (Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code — Commercial Building Code of Maine; Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Building Codes and Standards / Technical Building Codes and Standards Board), authority 10 M.R.S. s.9722. Chapter effective 2010-10-11 (filing 2010-468); amended 2018-01-23 (filing 2018-008), 2021-11-14 (filing 2021-227) and 2025-03-04 (filing 2025-044) — the 2025-044 amendment is the one that adopts the 2021 IBC. RULE-FILING EFFECTIVE DATE IS 2025-03-04; IN FORCE STATEWIDE 2025-04-07 (the date carried on the effective_date field, matching the sibling Energy Code chapter, 16-642 C.M.R. ch. 6, filing 2025-047). Scope: 2021 IBC Chapters 1-28, 30-33 and 35 plus Appendices C and O; Chapter 29 (Plumbing Systems) and Appendices A-B and D-N EXCLUDED. Statutory frame: 10 M.R.S. s.9722(6)(B) (nine-publication enumeration). · source ↗
IEBC — International Existing Building Code	2021 IEBC — the 2021 International Existing Building Code, published by the International Code Council, Inc., adopted by reference at 16-642 C.M.R. ch. 4 ("MAINE UNIFORM BUILDING AND ENERGY CODE - EXISTING BUILDING CODE"). ADOPTING WORDS VERBATIM: "Chapters 1 - 16 and Appendices A, B, and C of the 2021 International Existing Building Code, published by the International Code Council, Inc., are hereby adopted and incorporated by reference." NOT 2024: the 2024 IEBC is not adopted in Maine. *** THIS ADOPTION IS THE WIDEST OF MAINE'S FOUR MUBEC CODE CHAPTERS — Chapters 1-16 is the whole IEBC and all three of its appendices (A, B, C) are law. That is the opposite of the sibling IRC row (Ch. 1-11, 15, 44 only) and the sibling IMC row (Ch. 7, 10, 13 excluded): Maine carves hard at the building/residential/mechanical codes and carves not at all here. SCOPE VERBATIM, s.1: "This chapter sets forth the standards for the repair, alteration, change of occupancy, addition and relocation of all existing buildings." Prior value was the bare string "2021" with the 11-character citation "TBCSB rules", no instrument, no appendices, no effective date and a maine.gov/energy landing-page source_url that carries none of the adopting text.	16-642 C.M.R. ch. 4 (Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code - Existing Building Code; Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Building Codes and Standards / Technical Building Codes and Standards Board). STATUTORY AUTHORITY AS PRINTED: "STATUTORY AUTHORITY: Title 10 M.R.S. s.9722, sub-s.6". FILING HISTORY AS THE RULE ITSELF PRINTS IT, IN FULL: "EFFECTIVE DATE: October 11, 2010 - filing 2010-469 AMENDED: January 23, 2018 - filing 2018-009 March 4, 2025 - filing 2025-045". The 2025-03-04 filing is what moved Maine onto the 2021 IEBC and is the effective_date recorded here. Read first-hand from the Bureau's own hosted PDF of the chapter, 2026-09-20. · source ↗
IECC — International Energy Conservation Code	2021 IECC — the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code, published by the International Code Council, Inc., BOTH the Commercial and the Residential Provisions, adopted by reference at 16-642 C.M.R. ch. 6 ("Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code — Energy Code"). ADOPTING WORDS VERBATIM: "The 2021 International Energy Conservation Code, published by the International Code Council, Inc., is hereby adopted and incorporated by reference." NOT 2024: the 2024 IECC is not adopted in Maine. FOUR APPENDICES ARE LAW — CB and CC (commercial), RB and RC (residential) — PLUS A MAINE-WRITTEN APPENDIX NA THAT EXISTS IN NO ICC EDITION (see amendments). Prior value was the bare string "2021" with no instrument, no appendices and no effective date.	16-642 C.M.R. ch. 6 s.4 (Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code — Energy Code), Bureau of Building Codes and Standards / Technical Building Codes and Standards Board; authority 10 M.R.S. s.9722. Chapter effective 2010-10-11 (filing 2010-471); amended 2018-01-23 (2018-011), 2021-05-10 EMERGENCY (2021-095), 2021-08-26 (2021-169) and 2025-03-04 (filing 2025-047) — the 2025-047 amendment is the one that adopts the 2021 IECC. In force statewide 2025-04-07. · source ↗
IFC —	NOT ADOPTED — Maine has NO International Fire Code, in no edition. The statewide fire code is NFPA 1, Uniform Fire Code, 2018 edition, adopted by reference at 16-219 C.M.R. ch. 3 s.1 (Fire Prevention Code), paired with NFPA 101 Life Safety Code, 2018 edition, adopted at 16-219 C.M.R. ch. 20 (Fire Safety in Buildings and Structures). The Office of State Fire Marshal's own published list of state-adopted standards enumerates ~50 NFPA documents and contains NO International Code Council publication of any kind. Adopting words verbatim, ch. 3 s.1: incorporated by reference is "NFPA #1, Uniform Fire Code, 2018 edition" available from the National Fire Protection Association, 1 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA 02269. Maine moved from NFPA 1 2006 to NFPA 1 2018 in the rulemaking amended 2019-11-27; there is no intervening ICC adoption.	16-219 C.M.R. ch. 3 s.1 (Fire Prevention Code), authority 25 M.R.S. s.2452; effective 2002-08-17 (filing 2002-310), amended 2004-08-18 (2004-339), 2007-09-03 (2007-363) and 2019-11-27 (NFPA 1 2006 -> 2018). Companion: 16-219 C.M.R. ch. 20 (Fire Safety in Buildings and Structures), NFPA 101 2018, amended 2021-01-25. Negative confirmed against 10 M.R.S. s.9722(6)(B) (MUBEC enumeration, no fire code). · source ↗
IMC — International Mechanical Code	2021 IMC — the 2021 International Mechanical Code, published by the International Code Council, Inc., adopted by reference at 16-642 C.M.R. ch. 7 s.4 ("MAINE UNIFORM BUILDING AND ENERGY CODE – MECHANICAL CODE"). ADOPTING WORDS VERBATIM: "The following Chapters of the 2021 International Mechanical Code, published by the International Code Council, Inc. are hereby adopted and incorporated by reference". NOT 2024: the 2024 IMC is not adopted in Maine. * THE ADOPTION IS PARTIAL. ADOPTED: Chapters 1-6, 8-9, 11-12 and 14-15. EXCLUDED: CHAPTERS 7, 10 AND 13, and APPENDICES A, B AND C ("Chapters 7, 10, & 13" and "Appendix A - C" in the rule's own words). In the 2021 IMC those three chapters are Combustion Air (7), Boilers/Water Heaters/Pressure Vessels (10) and Fuel Oil Piping and Storage (13) — THOSE TITLES ARE THE STANDARD ICC CHAPTER TITLES AND WERE NOT QUOTED FROM THE MAINE RULE, WHICH GIVES ONLY THE NUMBERS. * THE EXCLUSIONS ARE NOT GAPS — THE RULE EXPRESSLY REDIRECTS EACH ONE. Ch. 7 -> "Fire codes and standards adopted pursuant to Title 25 M.R.S §§ 2452 and 2465 and the Maine Fuel Board Rules". Ch. 10 and Ch. 13 -> the same, PLUS "codes and standards adopted pursuant to Title 32 Chapter 139" (the Maine Fuel Board's own licensing/standards regime). A MAINE QUESTION ABOUT COMBUSTION AIR, A BOILER, A WATER HEATER OR AN OIL TANK AND ITS PIPING IS NEVER AN IMC QUESTION — AND MAINE IS A HEATING-OIL STATE, SO CHAPTER 13 IS THE CHAPTER ITS READERS NEED MOST AND THE ONE MAINE MOST FIRMLY DOES NOT ADOPT. Prior value was the bare string "2021" with no instrument, no chapter scope, no appendices, no effective date and the secondary maine.gov/energy landing-page source_url.	16-642 C.M.R. ch. 7 s.4 (Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code — Mechanical Code; Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Building Codes and Standards / Technical Building Codes and Standards Board), authority 10 M.R.S. s.9722 (rule s.2). FILING HISTORY AS THE RULE ITSELF STATES IT, IN FULL: effective 2021-09-20 (filing 2021-181); amended effective 2025-03-04 (filing 2025-048) — the 2025-048 amendment is the one that adopts the 2021 IMC. Scope: 2021 IMC Chapters 1-6, 8-9, 11-12 and 14-15; Chapters 7, 10 and 13 and Appendices A-C EXCLUDED and expressly redirected to Title 25 M.R.S. ss.2452/2465 fire standards, the Maine Fuel Board Rules and Title 32 ch. 139. Also incorporated by reference in the same section: ASHRAE 62.1-2019, ASHRAE 62.2-2019, ASHRAE 90.1-2019 and ASTM E 1465-08. Statutory frame: 10 M.R.S. s.9722(6)(B) (nine-publication enumeration). *** effective_date IS 2025-03-04, THE DATE THE INSTRUMENT ITSELF STATES, READ THIS RUN. IT DELIBERATELY DIFFERS FROM THE 2025-04-07 CARRIED ON THE MAINE IBC, IRC AND IECC ROWS: THAT DATE APPEARS IN NO DOCUMENT ANY RUN HAS READ, AND THIS RUN PROVED THE MUBEC INDEX PAGE DOES NOT CARRY IT EITHER. SEE THE OUTCOME NOTE — THE THREE SIBLING ROWS ARE PROBABLY CARRYING AN UNSOURCED DATE AND SHOULD BE RECONCILED DOWNWARD TO THEIR OWN FILING DATES (2025-044, 2025-046, 2025-047, ALL 2025-03-04) UNLESS A REAL IN-FORCE NOTICE IS FOUND. THE 2025 MUBEC WAVE IS NOW FOUR CONSECUTIVE FILINGS: 044 BUILDING, 046 RESIDENTIAL, 047 ENERGY, 048 MECHANICAL — SO THE UNREAD IEBC CHAPTER IS ALMOST CERTAINLY FILING 2025-045. · source ↗
IPC — International Plumbing Code	NOT ADOPTED — Maine has NO International Plumbing Code, in no edition. The statewide plumbing code is the IAPMO UNIFORM PLUMBING CODE, 2021 edition, adopted by reference by the Plumbers' Examining Board at 02-395 C.M.R. ch. 4 s.1 ("Plumbing Installations"), AND IT IS PINNED TO A PRINTING. ADOPTING WORDS VERBATIM: "The Plumbers' Examining Board adopts and incorporates herein by reference the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code, Copyright (C) 2020, 29th edition, Third Printing, May 2021, as the standard for plumbing installations in the State of Maine, subject to the exclusions and amendments as set forth in this chapter." EDITION AXIS IS THEREFORE THREE-DEEP: 2021 UPC / 29th edition / THIRD PRINTING, MAY 2021, with a 2020 copyright year. Effective 2022-01-01, replacing the former Maine-written "State of Maine Internal Plumbing Code" (02-395 C.M.R. ch. 238), which the Secretary of State's chapter index now marks "replaced by Ch. 4". THE NEGATIVE IS DOUBLY PROVEN ON THE LEGISLATURE'S OWN HOST: (1) 10 M.R.S. s.9722(6)(B) enumerates EXACTLY NINE publications the MUBEC board must adopt — IBC, IEBC, IRC, IECC, IMC, ASHRAE 62.1, 62.2, 90.1, ASTM radon — and NO PLUMBING CODE OF ANY KIND; (2) plumbing is a separate Title 32 ch. 49 regime under the Plumbers' Examining Board, and 32 M.R.S. s.3403-B commits the choice of model code to that board. DO NOT RECORD ANY IPC EDITION FOR MAINE.	02-395 C.M.R. ch. 4 s.1 (Plumbers' Examining Board, "Installation Standards" — "Plumbing Installations"), authority 32 M.R.S. ss.3403-A, 3403-B(1), 3302; effective 2022-01-01, superseding 02-395 C.M.R. ch. 238 (State of Maine Internal Plumbing Code). Negative confirmed against 10 M.R.S. s.9722(6)(B) (MUBEC nine-item enumeration — no plumbing code) and 32 M.R.S. s.3403-B (adoption of a national or international published plumbing code is a MAJOR SUBSTANTIVE RULE requiring affirmative legislative action before adoption). · source ↗
IRC — International Residential Code	2021 IRC — the 2021 International Residential Code, published by the International Code Council, Inc., adopted by reference at 16-642 C.M.R. ch. 5 ("MAINE UNIFORM BUILDING AND ENERGY CODE - RESIDENTIAL BUILDING CODE FOR ONE AND TWO-FAMILY DWELLINGS IN MAINE"). ADOPTING WORDS VERBATIM: "The following Chapters of the 2021 International Residential Code, published by the International Code Council, Inc., are hereby adopted and incorporated by reference". NOT 2024: the 2024 IRC is not adopted in Maine. * THE ADOPTION IS PARTIAL AND THE EXCLUSIONS ARE ENORMOUS — LARGER THAN ANY OTHER SCOPE CARVE-OUT RECORDED IN THIS TABLE. ADOPTED: IRC Chapters 1-11, Chapter 15, Chapter 44, and Appendices AJ, AQ, AR, AS, AU and AW. EXCLUDED: CHAPTERS 12-14 AND CHAPTERS 16-43** and Appendices AA-AI, AK-AP, AT, AV and AX. THAT IS THE WHOLE OF THE IRC'S MECHANICAL, FUEL GAS, PLUMBING AND ELECTRICAL HALF (Ch. 12-14 and 16-24 mechanical/fuel gas, 25-33 plumbing, 34-43 electrical). ONLY THE BUILDING-PLANNING-AND-CONSTRUCTION CHAPTERS (1-11), EXHAUST SYSTEMS (15) AND REFERENCED STANDARDS (44) ARE MAINE LAW. A READER SERVED IRC CHAPTERS 12-14 OR 16-43 FOR MAINE IS BEING SERVED TEXT THAT IS NOT LAW HERE. Prior value was the bare string "2021" with no instrument, no chapter scope, no appendices, no effective date and an unverified secondary source_url.	16-642 C.M.R. ch. 5 (Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code — Residential Building Code for One and Two-Family Dwellings in Maine; Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Building Codes and Standards / Technical Building Codes and Standards Board), authority 10 M.R.S. s.9722. Chapter effective 2010-10-11; amended 2018-01-23 (filing 2018-010) and 2025-03-04 (filing 2025-046) — the 2025-046 amendment is the one that adopts the 2021 IRC. RULE-FILING EFFECTIVE DATE IS 2025-03-04; IN FORCE STATEWIDE 2025-04-07 (the date carried on effective_date, matching the sibling Building and Energy chapters, filings 2025-044 and 2025-047). Scope: 2021 IRC Chapters 1-11, 15 and 44 plus Appendices AJ, AQ, AR, AS, AU and AW; Chapters 12-14, Chapters 16-43 and Appendices AA-AI, AK-AP, AT, AV and AX EXCLUDED. Statutory frame: 10 M.R.S. s.9722(6)(B) (nine-publication enumeration). · source ↗
NEC — National Electrical Code (NFPA 70)	2023 NEC — NFPA 70, National Electrical Code, 2023 edition, adopted and incorporated by reference by the Maine Electricians' Examining Board at 02-318 C.M.R. ch. 120 ("Electrical Installation Standards"). ADOPTING WORDS VERBATIM, s.1: "All installations of electrical equipment commencing on or after July 1, 2024 must comply with the 2023 National Electrical Code as adopted by the Board in this Chapter, as well as with all applicable statutes or rules of the State and this Board and all applicable ordinances, orders, rules and regulations of local municipalities." s.2 VERBATIM: "The Board hereby adopts and incorporates into this chapter by reference the NFPA standard 70, National Electrical Code (2023 edition)". * THE TRIGGER IS THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE INSTALLATION, NOT THE PERMIT OR THE OCCUPANCY DATE — a Maine job begun before 2024-07-01 is not on the 2023 NEC. * THE NEC IS NOT PART OF MAINE'S BUILDING CODE. It is adopted by a Title 32 licensing board (Electricians' Examining Board) under 32 M.R.S. ss.1153 and 1153-A, NOT by the MUBEC Technical Building Codes and Standards Board under 10 M.R.S. s.9722 — and 10 M.R.S. s.9722(6)(B) does not list NFPA 70 among the publications MUBEC must adopt. CONFIRMED BY THE SIBLING IRC ROW: Maine adopts only IRC Chapters 1-11, 15 and 44, EXCLUDING the whole electrical half (Ch. 34-43). Maine therefore has NO residential-electrical path through the IRC at all; the entire electrical regime is 02-318 ch. 120. Prior value was the bare string "2023" with a 102-character citation, no quoted instrument text, no amendments and a NULL effective_date while carrying verified_at.	02-318 C.M.R. ch. 120 s.1 and s.2 ("Electrical Installation Standards"), Maine Electricians' Examining Board, Department of Professional and Financial Regulation, Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation. STATUTORY AUTHORITY AS PRINTED: "32 M.R.S. ss. 1153 and 1153-A". EFFECTIVE DATE AS PRINTED: "EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2024 - filing 2024-142". s.3 as printed directs that "Copies of the National Electrical Code may be purchased from" NFPA — i.e. the base text is sold, not state-published. Read first-hand from the Board's own hosted PDF of the rule, 2026-09-20. · source ↗

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