Town of Bedford, New York Building Permit Guide

The Town of Bedford Building Department, 425 Cherry Street, Bedford Hills (914-666-8040), issues building, electrical, plumbing and most site permits for the whole town; there is no village building office inside Bedford. Applications go through the town’s City Squared portal or on paper by mail or the drop box, never by email. Under the fee schedule revised November 20, 2025, a building permit costs a $100 application fee, $15 per $1,000 of construction cost and $100 for the certificate of compliance or occupancy.

What requires a building permit in Bedford?

Chapter 59 of the Town Code bars building, enlarging, altering, renovating, moving or demolishing any structure, digging for it, or installing a wood stove, chimney or flue until the Building Inspector has issued a permit. The department’s own list spells this out for homeowners and goes beyond the state minimum on several items.

Bedford gives sheds no size exemption. A shed of 100 sq ft or less (no taller than 10 feet) must meet the full front-yard setback and one-third of the side and rear setbacks; one of 101 to 144 sq ft must meet every setback in its zoning district; anything larger needs stamped plans. Work done without a permit is legalized only by paying $1,000 on top of the normal fees, or $500 for an already-built small structure.

What Bedford decides and what the state sets

The technical rules are the New York Uniform Code and Energy Code; the town adds administration in Chapter 59 (Local Law 8 of 2012, amended by Local Law 22 of 2022) and land-use rules in its zoning (Chapter 125), wetlands (Chapter 122), steep slopes (Chapter 102), tree preservation (Chapter 112) and flood damage prevention (Chapter 62) chapters. A local construction standard tougher than the Uniform Code would need the state Code Council’s approval.

Bedford building department: who handles permitting

Building Inspector Alberto Ciraco and his assistants enforce the building code, zoning ordinance and fire prevention rules across the town, review plans and inspect work. The public window is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8:30 am to 4 pm and Wednesday from 8:30 am to noon. Bedford Hills, Katonah and Bedford Village are hamlets of the town, not villages, so all three file here; Mount Kisco, next door, is a separate town and village with its own office.

Bedford permit types and filing rules

Residential permits

The town calls City Squared its preferred route and now takes every building permit application there. You register once with City Squared, then a second time for Bedford’s own portal, and can then file, upload plans, pay, track status and search parcel history; portal messages come from noreply@sca-corp.com, so allow that sender. Paper filers mail the forms or drop them off with a check payable to the Town of Bedford, and after hours use the metal mailbox outside the front glass doors.

The building permit application (revised July 2026) asks for the zoning district, setbacks, disturbance area, coverage and whether the lot lies in the Bedford Village or Katonah historic district, on a historic properties list, in a wetland or beside a state or county road. With it come two copies of a survey or site plan showing the septic system, two plan sets stamped by a New York architect or engineer for work over $20,000 or any structural work, the certificate of compliance application, an energy code affidavit for new construction, additions and most renovations, and owner authorization when an agent files. Final approval needs three plan sets no larger than 24 by 36 inches.

Some projects have their own checklists on the form: residential HVAC needs a survey locating outdoor units, shop drawings, a Manual J report and equipment specifications; EV chargers need a building and an electrical permit, with bollards where a car could strike the unit. Solar systems under 25 kW use the state unified solar application.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial work uses the same application with the commercial box ticked. New commercial HVAC needs stamped drawings and an energy or mechanical compliance report, and rooftop units on an existing building need a design professional’s letter that the roof can carry them. Tents, food trucks and motor-fuel garages also need $100 operating permits.

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

• Wetlands: any regulated activity in a wetland or its buffer needs a permit under Chapter 122. The Wetlands Permit Official issues administrative permits for lighter work such as sheds, fences, decks and porches; the Wetlands Control Commission handles driveways, pools, tennis courts, septic fields, cut and fill and changes to watercourses.
• Historic review: work in the Katonah or Bedford Village historic district, or on a listed historic property, goes to the matching commission.
• Zoning Board of Appeals: area variances ($400 residential, $600 commercial) and special use permits ($400).
• Planning Board: site plans and subdivisions, filed by its published submission dates.
• Septic and wells: the Westchester County Health Department reviews and permits every new subsurface sewage system.

Bedford building permit fees

Section 59-19 leaves fees to Town Board resolution. The Building Department fee schedule is dated January 2024 and was revised on November 20, 2025; the $100 application fee is due at filing and the rest when the permit issues.

Worked example: a $60,000 kitchen renovation pays $100 to file, $900 in permit fees (60 × $15) and $100 for the certificate of compliance, or $1,100 before separate electrical and plumbing permits.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical. Every electrical job needs a Bedford electrical permit and a Westchester County licensed electrician. Inspections are made by private inspectors deputized under Chapter 52: each must hold an International Association of Electrical Inspectors certificate, register with the Building Department and renew that authority every December 31. Under county law an inspector must also be licensed by Westchester County, and the county posts its list of agencies that meet that rule.

Plumbing and gas. Plumbing and gas piping, including propane tanks and generator gas lines, need a plumbing permit (form revised January 2026) and a county licensed plumber.

Contractor licenses. The application asks for the contractor’s Westchester County home improvement license. The Department of Consumer Protection, 148 Martine Avenue, Room 407, White Plains (914-995-2155, home improvement line 914-995-2211), issues it; the application fee has been $750 since January 1, 2026.

Insurance. Workers’ compensation (C-105.2 or State Fund) and disability (DB-120.1) certificates must name the Town of Bedford, 425 Cherry Street, as certificate holder; ACORD forms are refused. An owner acting as contractor files the state CE-200 for work under $20,000 and the building department’s exemption affidavit above that.

How to apply for a Bedford building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Incomplete applications are not processed, and the form lists what stops a file: stamped plans on jobs over $20,000, insurance on state forms rather than ACORD, and a copy of the county license. Applications are routed to other departments where their approval is needed. Under Section 59-8I a permit lapses if work has not begun within a year and expires 18 months after issue, after which a renewal application and fee are due; design changes need a revision application and the extra fee before they are built. Construction is allowed from 8 am to 6 pm every day except holidays.

Bedford inspections and certificates

Call the Building Department at 914-666-8040 to book; the owner or builder must request every inspection. Section 59-10 lists the stages: the site before the permit issues, footings and foundations, slab preparation, framing, building systems, fire-resistant construction and penetrations, solid-fuel appliances and chimneys, energy code items and a final. The Building Inspector may ask for an as-built survey once the foundation is in to confirm setbacks, and may accept a remote inspection where it shows the work as well as a site visit would.

Finished work closes with a certificate of compliance or occupancy (generator jobs do not need one). The electrical inspector’s certificate must reach the town, and the Building Inspector may issue a temporary certificate for up to six months for $500 when the space is safe to occupy. Moving into a new house or commercial building without a certificate costs a $500 penalty. Separately, owners of registered two- to four-family rentals must pass the town’s health and safety inspection under the landlord registry law.

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

Bedford permit FAQ

Do Katonah and Bedford Village have their own building departments?

No. They are hamlets of the Town of Bedford, so the Building Department in Bedford Hills issues their permits. Mount Kisco is a separate municipality.

Do I need a permit for a small shed?

Yes. Bedford requires a permit for sheds of any size; up to 100 sq ft the fee is $100, and larger sheds pay normal building permit fees. Each size band has its own setback rule.

How much does a Bedford building permit cost?

$100 to apply, $15 per $1,000 of construction cost and $100 for the certificate of compliance, so a $60,000 renovation costs $1,100 before trade permits.

Can I email my application?

No. File on City Squared, which the town prefers, or mail or drop off paper forms with a check; after hours use the metal mailbox at the front doors.

Which trees need a removal permit?

Trees 18 inches or more in diameter at breast height, protected native plants, trees over 8 inches within 150 feet of a scenic road, and trees in a historic district, wetland or steep slope, plus clearing above set counts (more than 10 trees a year on four acres or less). The fee is $50 for up to 10 trees.

Who may do electrical work in Bedford?

Only an electrician licensed by Westchester County, under a Bedford electrical permit, with the work inspected by an inspector registered with the town.

Is Bedford in the federal flood insurance program?

Yes. FEMA lists the Town of Bedford as participating, with a current effective flood map dated September 28, 2007; Chapter 62 governs building in flood zones.

Permit search and official resources

Parcel history, with every open application, permit and certificate, is searchable in City Squared once you register; the town publishes step-by-step lookup instructions. Older files and other records can be requested from the Town Clerk with the online or paper FOIL form.

• Bedford Building Department
• City Squared online permit portal
• Printable permit applications
• Building fee schedule, revised November 20, 2025
• Building permit application, July 2026
• Town Code Chapter 59, Uniform Code administration
• Town Code Chapter 52, Electrical Inspections
• Wetlands Control Commission permits
• Tree ordinance guide
• Zoning Board of Appeals
• FOIL requests to the Town Clerk
• Westchester County plumber and electrician licenses
• Westchester County home improvement license fees
• Westchester County Health septic and well permits
• FEMA Community Status Book, New York
• NYS code adoption notice

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