Application Forms

Prior to submitting an application and the start of the review process, a pre-application meeting is required with a Community Planner. The meeting is initiated by the applicant and is scheduled with the applicant and members of the Planning and Development staff to discuss pertinent requirements. Incomplete applications will delay processing and approval of your application, so it is important to set up a pre-application meeting with a Planner prior to submission of your application.

In general, the City of South Portland does not require that the application or plan be prepared by professionals, except where specifically required by the City Ordinance. Although professional advice and assistance may not be required, past experience indicates that it is helpful in expediting your request.

Planning Board Application Types

For all other applications, please contact the Planning Division.

City Fee Schedule With Planning Application Fees

Visit the Code of Ordinances page to see the City Fee Schedule, with planning application fees.

Fees

Application fees must accompany the application at the time of submittal to the Planning Office. The Planner will inform you of the application(s) required and the associated fee(s) and escrow(s) required at the time of your pre-application meeting, however, if you are unsure of what fees are required, please contact the Planning Office prior to submittal to ensure correct fee calculations.

Please note that certain projects require a legal public hearing notice to also be published in the Portland Press Herald prior to the date of the Planning Board meeting at which your proposed project will be heard. The Planning Office will submit notice to the newspaper, but the applicant is responsible for paying the legal notice fee and must make payment arrangements with the newspaper.

Escrows

Escrow payments are collected by the Planning Office in order to cover the cost of third-party engineering, architectural and legal reviews of your proposed project as well as for payment of monthly erosion control inspections following project approval. These amounts are determined by the Planning Office based on historical and current cost data. It is important to know that we cannot always anticipate higher than expected costs that may be incurred due to any particular challenges of the project that may arise during the review process or any erosion control challenges that may arise during construction of your project. The Planning Office may need to collect funds above what is determined at the time of the pre-application meeting, but likewise, any funds that remain unused at the completion of the review process, will be returned to the applicant.

Escrow Base Amounts

Note: These are the base amounts and are subject to change. Your Community Planner will inform you of your escrow amounts once you have submitted your application.

  • Engineering: At least $1,500
  • Legal: At least $500
  • Architecture: At least $500
  • Erosion and Sedimentation Control: At least $1,500
  • Other: As needed and project-specific

Performance Guarantees

Upon Planning Board approval of your project, you may be directed to complete this Performance Guarantee Worksheet (XLSX) to be verified by our Field Inspector and the Planning Division in order to determine the amounts required by the City to guarantee the completion of the work as approved by the Planning Board. These guarantees may be paid in the form of a certified check, an irrevocable letter of credit (view the template (DOCX)) or a performance bond. The Public Improvement and Erosion Control Guarantees must be effective for not less than two years from the date of the issuance. The Landscaping Guarantee must be effective for not less than three years from the date of issuance. No building permits will be issued until these guarantees are received and until erosion control devices are in place. These Performance Guarantees will only be released upon completion of a final inspection by the Planning and Development office as necessary for compliance with City Ordinances and Planning Board conditions of approval. Please be advised that if the Guarantees are paid via cash, check or credit/debit card, any release of those funds shall be made to the project applicant.

Contact Us

For any questions and information regarding Planning Board Applications, please contact planningadmin@southportland.gov.