Chester
Hampden County, Massachusetts
Last verified September 16, 2026
Chester is a jurisdiction in Hampden County, Massachusetts, with an online portal for searching and pulling active or historical building permits. Use the contact information below to reach the local building department, or the mailing address if the jurisdiction needs to be listed as a certificate holder on a contractor's insurance documentation.
Contact
- Phone
- (413) 354-6602
- JForgue@TownofChester.net
- Department Site
- Building Inspector (opens in a new tab)
Certificate Holder Mailing Address
Town of Chester Building Inspector15 Middlefield Road
Chester, MA 01011
Use this address when the jurisdiction needs to be listed as a certificate holder on a contractor's insurance documentation.
Additional Notes
Building Inspector Jason Forgue also serves Blandford, Chesterfield, and Cummington. Office hours limited to 2nd and 4th Monday of the month, 6:00-8:00pm. Domain-collision note: confirmed Chester, HAMPDEN COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS (zip 01011) - not Chester, Vermont or Chester, New Hampshire, both already in this directory.
What You Need Before Applying for a Permit
Most building departments ask for the same core package before they'll issue a permit: a completed application naming the property owner and contractor, the contractor's state license number and proof of insurance (general liability, and workers' comp if employees are on the job), a notice of commencement or equivalent recorded filing for larger jobs where the state requires one, and scaled plans or a site plan for anything beyond minor repairs. Roofing, fence, pool, and solar permits typically have their own simplified checklists — Chester's department (above) can confirm exactly what applies to your project.
Why this matters for insurance: permit history is one of the first things an underwriter or adjuster checks. Unpermitted work — a finished basement, an added bedroom, a rebuilt roof — can complicate a claim or even void coverage for that portion of the loss, and it routinely surfaces during a home inspection. Pulling the right permit up front, and keeping the closed-permit record on file, protects both the property's value and its insurability at resale.
More in Hampden County
See Hampden County property and court records →
Other building permit jurisdictions in Hampden County: