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Foundation Repair and Basement Waterproofing in Bedford, NH
Bedford's floodplain ordinance treats a basement as the lowest floor of the house and applies its elevation rules once improvements reach 40% of a building's value, a lower bar than the usual 50%. Call (978) 800-2819 or use the form. A person reads every request and replies with what happens next.
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- Town and state rules on this page
- Bedford Center to the Pines
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Basements in Bedford
What's the basement problem?
Waterproofing & Drainage
Wet walls, seepage at the floor joint and spring water in the basement, handled with interior drains, exterior work or both.
Sump Pumps
New pits, replacement pumps and battery backups, with the discharge going somewhere your town allows.
Foundation Cracks & Repair
Leaking cracks, bowing or settling walls and failing mortar in old fieldstone, with an engineer brought in when the job is structural.
Crawl Spaces & Finishing
Damp crawl spaces sealed up, and dry basements turned into finished space with the right permits.
Not sure what it needs?
(978) 800-2819Tell us where the water shows up and how close the house is to a brook or wetland, and we'll help you work out what kind of job it is.
Permits
Permits and rules for basement work in Bedford
Building Safety works out of the Town Offices at 24 North Amherst Road (603-472-5242), weekdays 8 to 4:30 and from 7 am on Tuesdays. Building permit applications are PDF forms filed in person, and incomplete, unsigned or outdated forms are rejected; the town also says it "does not issue Foundation Only Permits" (Building Safety). Stand-alone trade permits, such as an electrician's permit for a sump circuit, can go through the town's online permitting system.
- Building Safety
- Town Offices, 24 North Amherst Rd, 603-472-5242
- Building permits
- Filed in person; no foundation-only permits
- Residential fee
- $0.18 per sq ft of outside dimensions (Fee Schedule 2022 Update)
- Inspections
- Phone only, 603-472-4567, weekdays 9:30–3:30
- Flood zone trigger
- Substantial improvement at 40% of market value
Posted fees. The town's Fee Schedule 2022 Update, which carries no effective date, prices one- and two-family work at $0.18 per square foot of outside dimensions, adds a $75 plan review for major remodels and sets a $50 minimum on trade permits. It has no line for basements, reinspections or after-the-fact permits.
Which jobs need a permit. The Building Safety page doesn't list basement finishing, waterproofing or egress windows. Under state law, permits come from the town under the NH State Building Code (the IRC as adopted by NH), and towns may keep stricter local rules (RSA 155-A:2). Through December 31, 2026, permits may be filed under either the 2021 or the 2024 codes (state code concurrence). In a flood zone, any development needs a floodplain permit too (see below). Ask Building Safety before the work starts.
Hiring a contractor. The Attorney General's office puts it plainly: "In New Hampshire, contractors do not need to be licensed." Ask for references and proof of insurance, get a written contract with scope, materials, total price and payment schedule, and be wary of a deposit over half the price (NH AG). Contracts over $5,000 must carry the RSA 359-G notice on resolving defects before a lawsuit (RSA 359-G). Plumbing and electrical work are licensed trades, except for owners working on their own single-family home (Mec 300; RSA 319-C). Exterior digging needs a free Dig Safe ticket at least 72 hours ahead, excluding weekends and holidays.
Last verified November 2026. Fees, restrictions and deadlines on this page are due for re-checking by January 2027. New England Basement Pros is a referral service. We don't pull permits or do basement work; the contractor files the permit.
Water
Where the water comes from in Bedford
The floodplain ordinance. Bedford's Floodplain Development Ordinance, amended in 1994, 2009 and on March 12, 2024, is based on the Hillsborough County flood study and FEMA maps dated September 25, 2009, "or as amended," and requires a permit for all proposed development in a special flood hazard area. It defines a basement as any area with its floor below grade on all sides, and a new or substantially improved home must have "the lowest floor (including basement) elevated at least one foot above the base flood elevation." Substantial improvement starts at 40% of the structure's market value (Floodplain Development Ordinance). If you're planning a large basement renovation, look up your address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center first; a project that crosses 40% in a flood zone is a different project.
Where the pump water goes. Chapter 212 bars roof downspouts, interior or exterior foundation drains and areaway drains from any building sewer that flows to the public sanitary sewer (Chapter 212); state rules add sump pumps by name (Env-Wq 704). Sewer is concentrated in the eastern part of town and treated in Manchester (February 2026 staff memo). We didn't find a town rule on where a sump may discharge. Nothing may obstruct the town right-of-way, often 25 feet from the road centerline, and any work there needs a Right-of-Way Opening Permit from Public Works, 603-472-3070 (right-of-way rules), so ask Public Works before a line runs toward the street.
Wetlands and brooks. All Bedford wetlands carry a 50-foot setback for structures, and nearly all wetland work also needs an NHDES permit (Wetlands). The Stream Protection Ordinance, approved March 11, 2025, adds a 50-foot buffer from the high-water mark of Baboosic, Bog, Bowman, McQuade, McQuesten, Patten, Pointer Club, Pulpit, Riddle and Sebbins brooks; bank stabilization there needs a Planning Board conditional use permit (Stream Protection Ordinance). The Conservation Commission reviews encroachments into both.
Bedford's homes
Mostly single-family houses, an 18th-century village core
Bedford had 8,161 housing units in its town profile, 6,973 of them single-family homes, or about 85% (Bedford Town Profile, ACS 2016–2020). We didn't find an official breakdown of when they were built. In the Pines area, a February 2026 staff memo describes small lots on septic in "deep rapidly percolating sands" (staff memo).
The Bedford Center Historic District covers the 18th-century village along Bell Hill, Church, Meetinghouse, Ministerial, North Amherst and Wallace roads. There, grading, excavation and removing stone walls, fences or trees need a certificate of approval (Zoning §275-49), and the commission's page flags grading of two feet or more (Historic District Commission). An exterior drain, new window well or bulkhead in the district should go to the commission before it goes to a contractor's schedule.
Radon
Radon in Bedford basements
We didn't find a Bedford or Hillsborough County radon figure. Statewide, about 37% of 32,747 homes tested from 2007 to 2021 were at or above 4 pCi/L (NH DHHS data brief, August 2023). Bedford requires lab tests on new and replacement wells, but radon isn't on its required list (Wells and water quality). The state gives residents free test kits and recommends testing in the lowest livable area, usually the basement; homes on private wells can also get radon through the water (NH Radon Program).
FAQ
Bedford basement questions
Does a basement renovation in a Bedford flood zone trigger extra rules?
It can. The Floodplain Development Ordinance, last amended March 12, 2024, defines substantial improvement as work costing 40% or more of the structure's market value. A substantially improved home must have its lowest floor, including the basement, at least one foot above the base flood elevation, and all development in a special flood hazard area needs a permit.
Can I connect a sump or foundation drain to the Bedford sewer?
No. Chapter 212 bars roof downspouts, interior or exterior foundation drains and areaway drains from any building sewer that flows to the public sanitary sewer, and state rules name sump pumps outright. Bedford's public sewer is concentrated in the eastern part of town.
How close to a wetland or brook can exterior drain work go?
Bedford sets a 50-foot structure setback from all wetlands, and its Stream Protection Ordinance, approved March 11, 2025, keeps a 50-foot buffer along ten named brooks, including Baboosic, Bowman, McQuade and Riddle. Work in those areas goes through the Conservation Commission, and most wetland work also needs a state permit.
How do I book a building inspection in Bedford?
By phone only, at 603-472-4567. A request left after business hours, on a weekend or on a town holiday isn't scheduled until the second business day, and inspections run weekdays from 9:30 to 3:30.
What does it cost me to use New England Basement Pros?
Nothing. Asking is free for homeowners; the contractor prices the job, and the price and contract are between you and them.
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