City of Binghamton, New York Building Permit Guide

For any property inside the City of Binghamton, the Office of Building Construction & Code Enforcement at City Hall, 38 Hawley Street, issues building permits and runs the city’s own plumbing and electrical licensing. Its counter is open 9 am to 5 pm, with appointments recommended at 607-772-7010. Permits for jobs above $20,000 cost 0.75% of the estimated construction cost, capped at $50,000.

What requires a building permit in Binghamton?

Section 200-9 of the City Code requires a permit for any work that must meet the Uniform Code or the Energy Code. The department spells that out as construction, enlargement, alteration, improvement, removal, relocation, demolition or extension of structures and of their electrical, plumbing and HVAC systems, plus any solid-fuel heating appliance, chimney or flue. The permit must be issued and displayed on the property before work starts.

What the city decides and what the state holds

Article II of Chapter 200, rewritten by Local Law No. 6 of 2024 on December 23, 2024, adopts the state Uniform Code and Energy Code and sets out how Binghamton administers them: who signs applications, what the construction documents must show and when certificates issue. The technical standards stay with the state. What the city keeps for itself is its fee schedule, set by the City Council, its trade licenses, and its zoning, historic district and right-of-way rules.

Binghamton building department: who handles permitting

The office is led by Christopher Schleider, Supervisor of Building Construction & Code Enforcement. Its Building Construction group has four state-certified code officials (the supervisor, a building inspector, a plumbing inspector and an electrical inspector), and its Code Enforcement group handles complaints, property maintenance, the Vacant Property program and Rental Registration.

The city’s authority stops at its limits. The Town of Binghamton is a separate municipality with its own building code chapter, and the Village of Johnson City and the towns of Vestal, Dickinson and Union are separate municipalities too, so check the tax parcel before filing.

Binghamton permit types

The department sorts every permit by who holds the prime contract for the job.

Residential permits

• General Construction: alterations, renovations, additions and new homes, where a general contractor (or the owner) holds the job.
• Electrical Prime: work limited to electrical, including a service connection. In an owner-occupied one- or two-family home the owner may do permitted electrical work; elsewhere a city-licensed master electrician must.
• Plumbing Prime: work limited to plumbing, including water or sewer service. A licensed master plumber must do it in every occupancy, owner-occupied houses included.
• Sewer Service: new, modified or extended sewer connections, which can carry infiltration and inflow requirements.
• Demolition: any demolition that touches a structural element, wall assemblies included, with evidence of compliance with the state asbestos rule, Industrial Code Rule 56.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial and institutional work uses the same categories at the commercial fee column. Applications must include a statement of special inspections where the Uniform Code calls for one, and two sets of construction documents prepared and sealed by a licensed architect or engineer, covering egress, the thermal envelope, structure and building systems, plus an Energy Code compliance statement and a site plan drawn from a boundary survey that shows any flood hazard area.

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

• Historic review: landmark structures and buildings in historic districts need approval from the Commission on Architecture and Urban Design before demolition, and historic preservation is part of the city’s Planning, Zoning & Historic Preservation Department.
• Zoning: questions about use, setbacks and variances go to that same department before the building application is filed.
• Asbestos: demolition applications must show compliance with New York’s Industrial Code Rule 56.
• Right-of-way: a street work permit from Engineering, with general liability insurance, before a dumpster or trailer goes on the street.
• Floodplain: Binghamton is a participating community in the National Flood Insurance Program, and plans for sites in mapped flood hazard areas must show floodways and design flood elevations.

Binghamton building permit fees

The department publishes one fee table for all applications, based on the estimated cost of the whole project. Under § 200-23 the fees are those in the city fee schedule kept as Exhibit J of the City Code, which the City Council amends by resolution, and they are paid when the application is submitted (§ 200-9 K).

Worked examples: a $60,000 kitchen and bath renovation pays $60,000 × 0.0075, or $450; a $1,000,000 commercial fit-out pays $7,500; a $15,000 residential porch rebuild pays the flat $125. A project costing exactly $20,000 stays in the $10,001–$20,000 band. Street work, sewer service and license fees are separate from the building permit.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Binghamton is one of the New York cities that licenses its own trades. The department facilitates testing and issues licenses for plumbing and electrical work, and its document folders carry applications for Master Electrician Class A, B and C and Journeyman Class A and B (the Master Class A and Journeyman Class A requirement sheets are dated May 6, 2026) and for Master Plumber (dated February 12, 2026) and Master Plumber C.

Plumbers who do business in the city need a city license. To get one, apply in person at the department with photo ID, a Certificate of Competency from the Examining Board of Plumbers, workers’ compensation insurance or a waiver, and the $50 fee (cash, money order or local bank check). Licenses expire on the last day of September and renew yearly by mail or in person with the City Clerk; renewing late costs $15 after a 3-day grace period.

Electrical permits come from the same office, and the city’s own electrical inspector is on staff. A licensed master electrician must do permitted electrical work in every building except an owner-occupied one- or two-family home, where the owner may do it.

Workers’ compensation proof (or the CE-200 waiver the department links) is part of every permit and license file.

How to apply for a Binghamton building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The application rules in Chapter 200 show where files stall: unsealed drawings where the Education Law requires a design professional, a site plan not based on a boundary survey, a missing Energy Code statement, and work by the wrong prime contractor, such as an unlicensed plumber on a homeowner’s permit. Landmark and historic-district projects wait for the commission first. Once issued, a permit must stay visible at the work site until the job is finished, and any change to the accepted construction documents has to be reported to the Code Enforcement Officer; if the change warrants it, the work waits for a new or amended permit.

Under § 200-9 a permit becomes invalid if work has not started within six months of issue, and every permit expires 12 months after issue. An expired or invalid permit can be renewed by applying, paying the fee again and getting the Code Enforcement Officer’s approval.

Binghamton inspections and certificates

Inspections are done by the department’s own inspectors: the building inspector for construction, and the plumbing and electrical inspectors for their trades. Call the office at 607-772-7010 to arrange them before work is covered.

The permit holder tells the Code Enforcement Officer when each stage is ready. Section 200-10 lists the stages inspected where they apply: the work site before the permit issues, footing and foundation, preparation for a concrete slab, framing, structural, electrical, plumbing, mechanical and fire-protection systems, fire-resistant construction and penetrations, solid-fuel appliances, chimneys, flues and gas vents, Energy Code items such as insulation, fenestration and air leakage, factory-built and manufactured homes, and a final inspection once all permitted work is complete.

• Remote inspections: at the inspector’s discretion a stage can be inspected remotely, with an in-person visit if the remote view does not give enough information.
• Results: each inspection is recorded as satisfactory, or the permit holder is told in writing which code sections the work fails.
• Certificates: a certificate of occupancy states a building complies with the approved documents and is fit to occupy; a certificate of compliance confirms other permitted work was done to the approved documents. Temporary certificates are also available under Chapter 200.
• After completion: the Code Enforcement group carries out fire safety and property maintenance inspections, and rental properties fall under the city’s Rental Registration program.

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

In Binghamton, Chapter 200 of the City Code is the local administration law: Article II covers permits, certificates, stop-work orders and operating permits under the Uniform Code and Energy Code.

City of Binghamton permit FAQ

How much is a building permit in Binghamton?

$35, $75 or $125 for residential jobs up to $5,000, $10,000 and $20,000; above $20,000 the fee is 0.75% of the whole project cost, never more than $50,000 for one permit. Commercial jobs pay $75, $125 or $200 in the lower bands.

Can I do my own electrical work?

Only in an owner-occupied one- or two-family home. All other permitted electrical work must be done by a city-licensed master electrician.

Can I do my own plumbing?

No. The department requires a licensed master plumber for permitted plumbing in every occupancy, including owner-occupied houses.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

Not for a one-story detached shed or playhouse of 144 square feet or less at a one- or two-family home or townhouse. Larger sheds need a building permit, and zoning setbacks still apply to any shed.

Do I need a permit to put a dumpster on the street?

Yes. Dumpsters and construction trailers in the public right-of-way need a street work permit from the Department of Engineering, with general liability insurance.

How do I get a plumbing license in Binghamton?

Hold a Certificate of Competency from the Examining Board of Plumbers, then apply in person with photo ID, workers’ compensation proof or waiver and the $50 fee. Licenses run to the last day of September each year.

How long is a Binghamton building permit valid?

Work must start within six months of issue or the permit lapses, and every permit expires 12 months after it was issued. Either way it can be renewed by application, a new fee and the Code Enforcement Officer’s approval.

Is Binghamton in the National Flood Insurance Program?

Yes. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the City of Binghamton as a participating community, and site plans for land in a mapped flood hazard area must show floodways and design flood elevations.

Do I need an appointment at the counter?

No, but the department recommends one. Call 607-772-7010 to book a time between 9 am and 5 pm.

Does the city permit cover the Town of Binghamton?

No. The Town of Binghamton is a separate municipality with its own building code chapter; the city office permits only inside city limits.

Binghamton permit search and official resources

Chapter 200 requires the Code Enforcement Officer to keep records of applications, permits, certificates and inspections, so past permits and certificates for a city property are held at Hawley Street. Ask the office for the file, or submit a Freedom of Information Law request to the city for copies.

• Office of Building Construction & Code Enforcement
• Building Permit Application folder
• Electrician license applications and requirements
• Master plumber license applications
• Department of Engineering (street work permits)
• City Code Chapter 200, Building Construction
• Chapter 200, Article II: Building Code Administration
• NYS code adoption and enforcement updates

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