Town of Bath, New York Building Permit Guide

In the Town of Bath, building permits for land outside the villages of Bath and Savona come from the Town Code Enforcement Officer at 110 Liberty Street, Suite 103 (607-776-6184; Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 8 am to 4 pm, Wednesday by appointment). The application is a single form, the permit expires one year from issue, work started before the permit adds $50, and nothing may be used or occupied until the final inspection is approved.

What requires a building permit in the Town of Bath?

Chapter 40 of the Town Code, adopted in 2006, requires a building permit for work that must meet the Uniform Code or Energy Code. The town’s application shows what that usually means here: new structures, additions, alterations, demolition, septic systems and the setting of manufactured mobile or modular homes, with the heating system, central air, fireplace and foundation type recorded on the form.

Other approvals can still apply to exempt work: the Highway Supervisor must be told before a driveway is installed, and every new building site needs a fire number from the county’s Enhanced 9-1-1 office.

Two local laws add permits of their own. Under Chapter 101 (2020), every solar energy system needs a building permit: roof-mounted systems are Tier 1 accessory uses, ground-mounted home systems up to 25 kW that produce no more than 110% of the site’s past-year use are Tier 2 accessory structures exempt from site plan review and limited to 10 feet tall, and everything larger is Tier 3. Under Chapter 41, erecting, altering or moving any sign needs a permit from the code officer; small real estate, name-plate, contractor, home occupation (up to 16 sq ft) and farm stand (up to 20 sq ft) signs are exempt.

What the Town of Bath decides and what the state sets

The Uniform Code and Energy Code are the building rules. The town sets its own fees by Town Board resolution, permit time limits (Chapter 40), site plan review for commercial and multi-family uses (Chapter 96), mobile home park licensing (Chapter 82), signs (Chapter 41), flood damage prevention (Chapter 65), and solar and wind rules (Chapters 101 and 118). The Town Code on eCode360 has no zoning chapter.

Town of Bath building department: who handles permitting

Dan Peterson is the Town Code Enforcement Officer. He reviews applications, issues permits and certificates of occupancy, inspects construction, carries out fire safety inspections and mobile home inspections and answers complaints, reporting each month to the Town Board; the 2026 reports show between four and twelve building permits issued a month. The office is in the same 110 Liberty Street building as the Village of Bath code office, so check which side of the village line your parcel is on.

Both villages issue their own building permits. The Village of Bath has its own permit form, a separate application for zoning compliance and its own code on eCode360; Savona’s code officer handles building and demolition permits by appointment. The town has 11,413 residents (Census 2025 estimate), about 5,200 of them outside the two villages.

Town of Bath permit types and filing rules

Residential permits

The town uses one building permit application for every kind of job, and posts a 33-page step-by-step guide to filling it in. A few points from that guide save return trips. Vacant land has no address yet, so call the Steuben County 911 office (607-664-2992) for one first; the tax map number is on the tax bill or available from the county Real Property Tax office (607-776-9631). The guide asks the applicant for a copy of the CE-200 workers’ compensation exemption, and for the contractor’s workers’ compensation certificate when a contractor does the work. Give the dimensions and stories of the building, a detailed sketch or blueprint, and the estimated cost with labor and materials shown separately; if the estimate looks too low, the Assessor’s office may set it. The yellow copy of every application goes to the assessor.

Manufacturer’s installation instructions must be attached for solid-fuel heaters, air conditioning units and fireplaces. A manufactured home needs the maker’s installation instructions and the details of the New York certified installer. The forms page also posts a lumber certification form.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial, industrial, office, multiple-family, institutional, utility and recreational uses, mining and solid waste sites, wind farms and any use resumed after more than six months need Planning Board site plan approval before the permit. So does a single-family house that needs a curb cut onto a state or county highway. Three copies of the sketch plan and application go to the Planning Board at least 10 days before its meeting, with the fee on the Town Board’s schedule held by the Town Clerk plus the board’s review costs. Mobile home parks need a town license.

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

What comes before the building permit

• Address and fire number from the county 911 office for new building sites.
• Site plan review for the uses listed above; single-family subdivisions, farm development, mobile homes and managed timber harvests are exempt.
• Driveway: notify the Highway Supervisor before installing it.
• Flood development permit: any construction or other development in a special flood hazard area needs a development permit from the code officer, who is the town’s floodplain administrator, and the permit holder must file a surveyor’s or engineer’s elevation certificate for the lowest floor once it is placed.
• Flood zones: the town and both villages take part in the National Flood Insurance Program; the town’s flood map dates from May 2, 1983, and Chapter 65 governs building in mapped flood areas.
• Septic and wells: Steuben County does not provide environmental health services through its own health department; the State Health Department’s Hornell District Office, 107 Broadway, Hornell (607-324-8371), runs those programs for the county. The septic system itself is listed on the town building permit and must be inspected before it is covered.

Town of Bath building permit fees

Section 40-16 of the Town Code leaves building permit fees to a schedule set by Town Board resolution. The town has not posted that schedule online, and the 2026 Town Board minutes record no new fee resolution, so ask the code office for the fee before you apply. The application itself sets out the charges below.

The estimated cost you enter matters beyond the fee: the assessor receives a copy of every permit, and an estimate that looks too low can be replaced with one the Assessor’s office sets. In early 2026 the code officer worked through a backlog of older permits so they could be entered on the tax roll before the county’s April deadline.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical. The town posts no separate electrical permit form; its building permit requires a call to the code officer before electrical wiring is covered. The Village of Bath’s form, by contrast, requires a third-party agency inspection whenever the electrical system is changed.

Plumbing, heating and cooling. Plumbing and insulation share the same before-covering inspection. Heating equipment, fuel type, central air and fireplaces are listed on the application, and installation instructions must be attached for solid-fuel heaters, air conditioners and fireplaces.

Septic. New and replacement septic systems are checked on the town building permit, and the officer must see the system before it is covered. The state’s Hornell District Office handles environmental health for Steuben County.

Contractors. Neither the town code nor its pages license contractors or trades; what the town asks for is workers’ compensation proof or the CE-200 exemption with each application.

How to apply for a Town of Bath building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The town does not publish a review time. To avoid a return trip, check the items the guide calls for: an address or fire number, the CE-200 or contractor insurance certificate, a sketch or blueprint, and manufacturer instructions for heating, cooling or a manufactured home. On Wednesdays the code office sees people only by appointment. Under Chapter 40 a permit lapses if work has not begun within six months, and the town’s guide says a job running past one year needs a new permit.

Town of Bath inspections and certificates

The permit itself lists when the code officer must be called at 607-776-6184: before covering a septic system, before footers or foundation walls are poured, when framing is up, before covering electrical wiring, plumbing and insulation, and before the project is used or occupied. Driveways are a separate call to the Highway Supervisor.

Nothing may be used or occupied until the final inspection is approved, and the officer issues a certificate of occupancy for occupied buildings or a certificate of compliance for other work. The Town Board’s 2026 minutes show the officer completing between 5 and 18 construction inspections a month alongside fire safety and mobile home inspections.

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

Town of Bath permit FAQ

Does the town issue permits in the Village of Bath or Savona?

No. The Village of Bath Department of Code Enforcement (607-776-4775) and Savona’s code officer issue permits inside their villages.

How much is a building permit in the Town of Bath?

The Town Board sets the fee by resolution and it is not posted online; call the code office at 607-776-6184. Starting before the permit adds $50.

Do I need a permit for a shed or fence?

Not for a one-story shed of 144 sq ft or less at a home, or for a fence that is not a pool barrier.

Do I need zoning approval?

The Town Code has no zoning chapter. Commercial, multi-family and the other uses listed in Chapter 96 need Planning Board site plan approval; ask the code office whether any other local approval applies.

How long is a permit good for?

One year from the issue date; work must begin within six months, and a job running past a year needs a new permit.

When do I call for inspections?

Before covering a septic system, before pouring footers or foundation walls, at framing, before covering wiring, plumbing and insulation, and before moving in.

Do I need a permit for a sign?

Yes, to erect, alter or move a sign, except small real estate, name, contractor, home occupation and farm stand signs; a sign permit lapses if the sign is not started within six months.

Do solar panels need a permit in the Town of Bath?

Yes. Chapter 101 requires a building permit for every solar energy system, rooftop or ground-mounted.

Do I need a permit to build in a flood zone?

Yes, a floodplain development permit from the code officer under Chapter 65, followed by an elevation certificate for the lowest floor from a licensed surveyor or engineer.

How do I get an address for a new house?

Call the Steuben County 911 office at 607-664-2992 for a fire number before you apply.

Permit search and official resources

There is no online permit search for the town. Building permits and certificates are town records: the Town Clerk is the records access officer under Chapter 93 and takes requests to inspect or copy them on business days from 9 to 11:30 am and 1:30 to 4 pm. The assessor also keeps a copy of each permit.

• Town staff and code enforcement contacts
• Town forms and applications
• Town of Bath building permit application
• Step-by-step building permit instructions
• Lumber certification form
• Town Code Chapter 40, Building Construction
• Town Code Chapter 96, Site Plan Review
• Town Code Chapter 93, Public Access to Records
• Town Board and Planning Board minutes
• Village of Bath forms, including its building permit
• Village of Savona code enforcement
• Steuben County environmental services (State Health Department district office)
• NYS code adoption notice

Simplify Town of Bath 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 Bath permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.