Town of Camillus, New York Building Permit Guide

In the Town of Camillus, building permits come from the Code Enforcement Office at 4600 West Genesee Street (315-487-8930), which takes every permit category through Cloudpermit and asks applicants to allow up to 10 business days for review. The town fee schedule (marked “revised 6/26”) values a new house at $150 per square foot (or the actual cost, if higher) and charges $7 per $1,000 of that value. The Village of Camillus, inside the town, issues its own permits.

What requires a building permit in Camillus?

The town requires a permit to build, alter, remove, replace, improve or demolish any building or structure, swimming pool or hot tub, or to change a building’s occupancy. Ordinary repairs that are not structural and do not touch fire protection or exits are exempt. The office lists the projects it sees most often:

Chapter 26 of the Town Code, revised on April 14, 2026, exempts only a short list of work: stage sets, window awnings on houses, partitions under 5 feet 9 inches, painting, wallpapering, tiling and carpeting, listed portable appliances, like-for-like equipment replacement and repairs that leave the structure, exits and fire protection alone. There is no size exemption for sheds.

What Camillus decides and what the state sets

The state’s Uniform Code and Energy Code set the construction rules. Camillus sets the zoning rules in Chapter 30, flood damage prevention in Chapter 31, the site development and excavation rules, its rental registry for one- and two-family homes, construction hours, permit time limits and the Town Board’s fee schedule.

Camillus building department: who handles permitting

The Code Enforcement Office handles building permits, zoning information, construction inspections, code complaints, the rental registry, fire safety and property maintenance inspections, flood zone management and construction stormwater. The Code Enforcement Officer is Gregg Humphrey, supported by deputy code enforcement officers and a deputy fire marshal.

The Village of Camillus sits inside the town and runs its own Codes Enforcement Office, with its own building permit application and forms for demolition, driveways, fill, floodplain development, mechanical work, pools, solar, signs and its Planning and Zoning Boards. The village’s laws are on eCode360. A Camillus mailing address alone does not settle which office a property uses; check whether the parcel is inside the village.

Camillus permit types and filing rules

Residential permits

Every town permit category is filed in Cloudpermit, where you create an account, upload documents and pay by card or e-check; cash and checks payable to the Town of Camillus are taken at the office. The town’s residential checklist calls for the application and building information form, a property survey showing the project, two sets of construction plans (a New York architect or engineer seal may be required), an energy analysis, sewage disposal approval or a county-approved septic design where there is no sewer, and an elevation certificate in a Special Flood Hazard Area. A new house also needs a driveway permit: from the Onondaga County DOT on a county road (signed by the Code Enforcement Officer before it goes to the county), from the Town Highway Superintendent on a town road, or from NYS DOT on a state road.

Insurance must be shown on state forms: the town will not accept ACORD certificates. Contractors file a C-105.2, U-26.3 or another Workers’ Compensation Board form; owners and sole proprietors with no employees file a CE-200 obtained online. The fence sheet adds the yard rules: fences may be 4 feet high and at least 50% open in a front yard (every street side of a corner lot counts as a front yard), 6 feet in side and rear yards, finished side out, never in the right-of-way, and barbed or electric wire only for farm use. The pool brochure adds that the office makes a site visit before any pool, pool deck or barrier permit is issued, and that pools must sit at least 5 feet from side and rear lines in the R-2 to R-5 districts and 10 feet in the R-1 and R-R districts, inside a barrier at least 48 inches high. A fence in a drainage easement needs a notarized waiver from the Code Enforcement Officer, and one in a utility easement needs the utility’s written consent.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial construction is valued at $250 per square foot or the actual cost, if higher, and charged 1% ($10 per $1,000) with a $150 minimum. A change of tenant in an existing commercial building starts with a call to the Code Enforcement Office: at minimum a fire safety and property maintenance inspection must pass before a certificate is issued, a change in occupancy type needs a permit, and new tenant signs need a sign permit. Assembly occupancies, day cares and private schools are inspected every year, other commercial and multifamily buildings every 36 months.

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

• Zoning Board of Appeals for variances ($100 hearing fee plus $100 proof of public hearing).
• Planning Board for site plans ($250), subdivisions and lot line changes; new dwelling lots pay a $500 parkland fee per unit.
• Site development permit when work disturbs 5,000 square feet or more, alters slopes steeper than 25%, changes grade by more than 5% or comes within 10 feet of a property line; an erosion and sediment control plan is required, and a state stormwater permit at 1 acre.
• Floodplain development permit with the building permit for any work in the Special Flood Hazard Area, including sheds, fences, decks, pools, grading and tree removal. Camillus takes part in the National Flood Insurance Program (current flood map dated November 4, 2016).

Camillus permit fees

The Town of Camillus fee schedule is marked “revised 6/26”. Residential fees are charged on a value that is the larger of the actual construction cost or a set rate per square foot.

For example, a new 2,000 sq ft house valued at the schedule rate is 2,000 × $150 = $300,000, so the permit is 300 × $7 = $2,100 (more if the contract price is higher). A 200 sq ft deck is valued at $6,000 and costs $75 plus 5 × $8, or $115. A 150-foot fence is $75 plus $37.50, or $112.50; the older fence handout still shows $50 plus 25 cents a foot, but the current town schedule governs.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical. The town lists five agencies as the only approved electrical inspectors: Central New York Electrical Inspection Services (315-633-0027), Commonwealth Electrical Inspection Service (315-440-4070), The Inspector (315-247-9162 or 1-800-487-0535), Middle Department Inspection Agency (585-454-5191) and Upstate Electrical Inspection Agency (315-452-5304). Rough and final electrical inspections are part of the town’s inspection sequence, and the town’s pages and code show no town electrician license.

Plumbing. Plumbing in Camillus falls under Onondaga County Plumbing Control, part of the county’s Department of Water Environment Protection, which licenses and registers plumbers, issues plumbing permits and inspects the work; call it at 315-435-6614 for rough and final plumbing inspections. An owner-occupant of a single-family home who wants to do permitted plumbing personally files the county’s homeowner request statement and review form in person.

Septic and sewer. Where there is no public sewer, the county Health Department reviews septic designs and repairs; the town checklist requires that approval before the building permit.

Fire prevention. Fireworks sales, fireworks displays and blasting each need a $150 fire prevention permit from the town.

How to apply for a Camillus building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Applications stall when insurance is on an ACORD form instead of a state form, when the survey does not show the work, when a floodplain or site development permit was not filed alongside, or when a county driveway permit has not been signed off. A permit becomes invalid if work does not start within six months and expires 12 months after issue; it can be renewed for half the fee, and the Code Enforcement Officer may allow one extension of up to six months for good cause. Permitted work may run from 7 am to 7 pm Monday to Saturday (9 pm during daylight saving time) and 10 am to 5 pm on Sunday.

Camillus inspections and certificates

Inspections must be done in person on site; the town does not accept photo inspections, and work covered before inspection may have to be removed. The owner, applicant or contractor books each inspection with the Code Enforcement Office at least 24 hours ahead. The stages are accessory building location, site preparation, excavation, footings, foundation walls before backfill, air sealing, slabs before concrete, framing, insulation, rough and final electrical (through the approved agency), rough and final plumbing (through county Plumbing Control), fire protection equipment, and the final for the certificate of occupancy or compliance.

Rental units on the town’s rental registry are inspected every 24 months, with the $60 annual registry fee covering those visits.

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

Camillus permit FAQ

How do I apply for a building permit in the Town of Camillus?

Online through Cloudpermit, which handles every town permit category; the office asks for up to 10 business days for review.

Does the town issue permits in the Village of Camillus?

No. The village has its own Codes Enforcement Office at Village Hall, 37 Main Street (315-672-3484), with its own applications.

Do I need a permit for a small shed?

Yes. Storage sheds need a permit at any size; a shed is valued at $30 per square foot or its cost, whichever is higher, and charged $75 plus $8 per $1,000 over the first.

How much is a fence permit?

$75 plus 25 cents per linear foot for a home under the current town schedule; front-yard fences are limited to 4 feet and must be at least half open.

Who inspects plumbing and electrical work?

Onondaga County Plumbing Control (315-435-6614) for plumbing, and one of the five town-approved agencies for electrical work.

How long is a permit good for?

Work must start within six months and the permit expires 12 months after issue; renewal costs half the original fee ($50 minimum).

Can I get photos accepted instead of an inspection?

No. Every required inspection is done in person, and work covered up without one is subject to removal.

Permit search and official resources

The town does not publish a public permit lookup. Ask the Code Enforcement Office for a building file review and certification report ($75) when you need a property’s permit history, for example for a sale, or file a Freedom of Information request with the Town Clerk; copies are 25 cents a page.

• Town Code Enforcement / Building Inspector
• Cloudpermit sign-in
• Town fee schedule (revised 6/26)
• Residential building permit requirements checklist
• Residential fence permit requirements
• Pool brochure
• Deck guide
• Site development permit application
• Town Code Chapter 26, Uniform Code Enforcement
• Freedom of Information request form
• Village of Camillus Codes Office
• Onondaga County Plumbing Control
• Onondaga County septic systems
• NYS code adoption notice

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