Town of Aurora, New York Building Permit Guide

Every building permit in the Town of Aurora, including the Village of East Aurora, comes from the town’s Building & Code Enforcement office at 575 Oakwood Avenue, East Aurora (716-652-7591). New houses and commercial jobs are uploaded to Cloudpermit with one signed paper set of drawings, electrical work must pass one of six town-approved inspection agencies, and the office applies the town or village zoning rules depending on where the lot sits.

What requires a building permit in Aurora?

The department’s list is long and it says the list is not complete; call 716-652-7591 if a project is missing from it. Chapter 65 of the Town Code requires a permit for all work covered by the Uniform Code and Energy Code.

Sheds have no size exemption here; for a pre-built shed the office takes the brochure or bill of sale showing its framing in place of drawings. Accessory structures larger than 24 by 24 feet need plans sealed by a New York architect or engineer, as do all additions.

What the town decides and what the state holds

The Uniform Code and Energy Code set construction standards, and the office confirmed in January 2026 that it reviews to the 2025 New York codes; any stricter local building rule would need state Code Council approval. The town sets everything else: the permit list, Chapter 116 zoning and its setbacks (in R1 and RR a house sits 75 feet back from the right-of-way, 20 feet from side lines and 50 feet from the rear; in R2 and R3 the figures drop to 50, 12.5 and 40 feet; accessory buildings stay out of the front yard, one story, at most 15 feet mean height, and as far from side and rear lines as they are tall, never under 10 feet), Chapter 68 flood rules, and its fee schedule. Inside East Aurora the village’s own zoning, pool and demolition chapters apply instead.

Aurora building department: who handles permitting

The Town of Aurora Building & Code Enforcement office, led by Code Enforcement Officer Elizabeth Cassidy, handles all town and village building and code enforcement: plan review, permits, inspections, fire inspections, zoning and property maintenance complaints. It sits in the Aurora Municipal Center, which also houses the Town Clerk and the board meeting room.

Village of East Aurora. The village has no separate building office: its website sends residents to the town department, the forms page carries a village set of zoning forms, and the village code provides that when it uses another government’s services under an intermunicipal agreement, that government sets the fees. What changes for a village lot is the rulebook: village zoning and setbacks, the village fence rules, a village demolition and substantial-modification review under Village Code Section 112-3, possible referral to the East Aurora Historic Preservation Commission, and village water, sewer and DPW sign-offs.

Aurora permit types and filing

The office publishes packets for new dwellings, new commercial buildings, additions and accessory work, fences, generators, demolition, ponds, pools, signs and solar. The current packets ask for digital files uploaded to a Cloudpermit application plus one signed paper set of large-scale drawings delivered to Oakwood Avenue; the forms page still lets smaller jobs be printed, filled in and handed in. An application signed by a contractor must be notarized, and a contractor or company signing for the owner completes the agent affidavit on the back.

Residential permits

A new one- or two-family house needs plans sealed by a New York architect or engineer that spell out the energy-code details (insulation R-values, window U-factors, ventilation, duct and air sealing), a stamped plan review checklist, a REScheck energy statement, a plot plan or survey with all setbacks, a drainage plan that daylights without affecting neighbors, soil bearing verification where required and truss disclosure. Town lots also need Erie County Health approval of the septic system and an Erie County Water Authority application; village lots need paid sewer and water receipts from the village. Additions and accessory work need the plan review cover sheet and a survey showing existing buildings, the well and the septic system. Generators in subdivisions with an HOA, such as Aurora Mills, Polo Grounds and Reed Hill, need the association’s approval first.

Building or remodeling a home here? Alliance handles residential permit applications, so the crew isn't waiting on the counter.

Commercial permits

Commercial buildings, additions and alterations follow the commercial packet: sealed plans with structural and MEP drawings, a project manual, the commercial plan review checklist and energy compliance statement, an approved site plan and drainage plan, septic or sewer and water approvals, and insurance certificates for the contractor and every subcontractor with the town and village named as certificate holders. Projects that disturb more than an acre add a SWPPP and notice of intent.

For tenant improvements and new commercial builds, Alliance handles commercial building permits through issuance. More on this: commercial building permits explained.

What comes before the building permit

Site plans, special use permits and open development area (flag lot) requests go to the Town Board or Planning Board on the 2026 calendar, and since February 26, 2026 town applications must be in two weeks before the Town Board meeting; village applications follow a separate village calendar with noon deadlines. Flag lots start with the Town Clerk (716-652-3280). Variances go to the Zoning Board of Appeals. Driveway culverts come from the Erie County Highway Department (716-652-0410) on county roads or the Town Highway Department (716-652-4050) on town roads, and the office assigns house numbers for both town and village lots. Both the town and the village take part in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps last revised June 7, 2019, so a lot in a mapped flood zone also goes through the town’s Chapter 68 review (or the village’s Chapter 142) before construction.

Aurora building permit fees

Under Section 65-18 the Town Board sets building fees by resolution, and the application form charges three lines: an application fee, the permit fee and, where it applies, a park and recreation fee. The department’s 2026 packets print only one amount, so the office quotes the rest when it reviews the file.

Village of East Aurora projects are handled by the same office, and village code leaves the fee for a shared service to the government providing it, so a village permit is charged at the amount the town office quotes. Ask for the amount by phone or at the counter before you file, because the full schedule is kept at the Municipal Center.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Aurora does not license electricians or plumbers; its code has no licensing chapter. What it controls is electrical inspection. Every application asks whether electrical work will be inspected and certified by an agency approved by the town, and the approved list (as of April 21, 2026) names Excelsior Electrical Inspection Services, Atlantic Inland, New York Electrical Inspection Agency, Commonwealth Electrical Inspection Services, Gleason Enterprises and Dean Electrical Inspections of WNY. Chapter 59, adopted in 1970, still names the New York Board of Fire Underwriters but also allows any agency the Town Board authorizes. Pool wiring, including bonding and grounding, must pass one of these agencies.

The town posts no separate plumbing or heating permit; that work is described on the building permit application, while solid-fuel appliances need their own permit before installation, with the manufacturer’s instructions for the unit and the chimney. Water and sewer taps, backflow preventers and grease traps are flagged on the application for the Village DPW or the Erie County Water Authority. Contractors file general liability, workers’ compensation and disability certificates naming the Town of Aurora and Village of East Aurora as certificate holders.

Septic. Town lots without sewer need an Erie County Department of Health permit before the town will issue a building permit for a new house; the county requires a licensed design professional’s plans, charges $300 and issues a completed-works approval after construction.

How to apply for an Aurora building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The packets say an application will not be reviewed until all applicable information is in, and for a pool that means the alarm, drain, ladder and fence specifications as well as the survey. Amendments to plans must be filed before the work is finished and approved by the department. A permit lapses if work has not started in six months and expires 12 months after issue; pool permits run only three months, with one three-month renewal.

Aurora inspections and certificates

Call 716-652-7591 to schedule inspections; the office decides the stages for each permit and owners of pools sign an agreement to request them on completion and before use. In-ground pools must be fenced before they are filled, and the inspector checks a working pool alarm, alarms on any door opening to the pool deck and, since May 12, 2020, safety latches on windows that open onto it. Demolition requires written notice at least 24 hours before the work, an asbestos report before anything starts, a barricade plan and capped utilities under Village DPW or ECWA supervision.

No building may be occupied until the department grants a certificate of occupancy, and the electrical agency’s certificate of approval, and on septic lots the county’s completed-works approval, must be filed first. Every building must carry the house number the department assigned.

New York building code

New York builds on one statewide code, the Uniform Code, outside New York City; the 2025 edition and 2025 Energy Code took effect on 31 December 2025 (the all-electric provisions remain suspended by court order). Cities, towns and villages administer it, and local standards stricter than the code need Code Council approval. The Uniform Code in New York

Aurora permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in the Village of East Aurora?

The Town of Aurora Building & Code Enforcement office at 575 Oakwood Avenue. It applies village zoning, fence and demolition rules to village lots.

Do I need a permit for a fence?

Yes, since April 2, 2017 in the town. In the town a fence may be 7 feet tall from the front corner of the house back, but only 3.5 feet in front of it; in the village the limits are 6 feet behind the rear corner of the house and 4 feet forward of it.

Can I file online?

Yes. The packets direct applicants to upload documents to Cloudpermit and bring one signed paper set of large-scale drawings to the office.

Who inspects electrical work?

One of the town-approved agencies: Excelsior, Atlantic Inland, New York Electrical Inspection Agency, Commonwealth, Gleason Enterprises or Dean Electrical Inspections of WNY.

How long does a pool permit last?

Three months, renewable once for another three months; no water may go in until the enclosure has been checked.

Do I need a permit to remodel a kitchen or bathroom?

Yes. The department lists kitchen and bath remodels in the same footprint among work that needs a permit.

Do I need a permit for a standby generator?

Yes. Submit the application, a survey marking the generator’s location, the unit’s specifications with required clearances and, in subdivisions with a homeowners’ association, the association’s approval.

How much is a demolition permit?

$50, with an asbestos report, barricade plan and utility disconnections before work begins.

Aurora permit search and official resources

Permit and certificate records for town and village properties are kept by the Building & Code Enforcement office. Records can be requested under the Freedom of Information Law through the Town Clerk’s office (716-652-3280).

• Town of Aurora Building & Code Enforcement
• Building and zoning forms and Cloudpermit guides
• New dwelling permit packet
• Additions, alterations and accessory structures packet (2026)
• Demolition permit packet (2026)
• Pool permit packet
• Town and village fence requirements
• Approved electrical inspectors (April 2026)
• Town residential setbacks
• 2026 town and village submission deadlines
• Town Clerk
• Code of the Town of Aurora (eCode360)
• Code of the Village of East Aurora (eCode360)
• Erie County Department of Health septic systems
• NYS Uniform Code adoption notice

Simplify Town of Aurora permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in New York. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Town of Aurora permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.