BY MATT SCHOOLEY

Hopkinton residents looking to perform home electrical and plumbing renovations will now need to apply for permits with the town.

The permit, which is separate from a building permit, will cost $25 for town residents, though that fee will be waived if a resident already has a building permit.

Selectmen voted at an Aug. 27 public hearing on the subject to form a committee consisting of a variety of members involved with home repairs to review the process as it begins its early stages.

According to Peter Russell, the decision was made after too many home repairs went wrong.

“There had been problems in the past with people improperly installing fixtures, so this was something we wanted to look at,” he said. “The primary responsibility of the Fire Department is life safety, and that’s what the selectmen want to look at as well. This is a step to ensure the safety for members of our town.”

John Pianka will perform the inspections. One issue raised at the public hearing was what would happen in the event that something went wrong with a fixture approved by Pianka, who is not licensed.

Pianka said during the meeting he feels he has the education and training and neither he nor the town would be responsible should anything go wrong after an inspection.

Fire Chief Rick Schaefer said once his building inspector got out into the field, it was obvious the policy needed to be put into place.

“We knew now was the right time to look into doing this when we had the new position of building inspector and he got out there and saw things firsthand. It isn’t only major renovations that people need a permit for.”

Russell said the town isn’t asking for permits for small repairs, but the policy mostly deals with new fixtures such as sinks and toilets, as well as new electrical circuits, among others.

“Obviously we aren’t asking for a permit to change a lightbulb or a toilet seat, but for slightly larger projects,” he said. “We are attempting to further ensure that those people who do work installing in their homes do it properly.”

Schaefer said he expects the reaction from town members to be a good one.

“I think the feedback will all be positive. All we are trying to do is make everyone safer. We aren’t doing this because we are against home renovations."