City of Canandaigua, New York Building Permit Guide

Inside the City of Canandaigua, building permits come from the Code Enforcement Office at City Hall, 2 North Main Street (585-337-2180), which accepts applications by mail, by email or at the Building Inspectors’ Office. The city’s 2026 fee schedule charges $0.30 per square foot for a new house or addition, with a $400 minimum, and every fence and shed needs a $50 permit. The Town of Canandaigua is a separate municipality with its own permits.

What requires a building permit in Canandaigua?

The Code Enforcement Office issues permits for all new construction and renovations. The city’s application and 2026 fee schedule spell out what that includes:

Chapter 714 of the City Code exempts only a narrow list: one-story playhouses up to 144 square feet (sheds are not on the list), stage sets, awnings, low partitions, finish work, portable appliances, equipment replacements that keep the listing and original specifications, and repairs that do not affect structure, exits or fire protection.

What the city decides and what the state sets

The Uniform Code and Energy Code set construction standards. The city sets zoning (Chapter 850), flood damage prevention (Chapter 731), its historic district review, its electrical inspection agency rules (Chapter 354), a rental housing registry for landlords (Ordinance 2016-009) and the fee schedule. Fences may be no taller than 6 feet, and no taller than 3 feet in a front yard, and corner lots have two front yards. Residential sheds are limited to 240 square feet, with at most two accessory structures totaling 360 square feet, placed in a side or rear yard 5 feet from the property line and 10 feet from the house.

The zoning chapter adds general rules that affect many permits: only one primary building on a residential or office lot (multifamily developments aside), no converting or expanding an existing accessory building into living space, detached accessory buildings behind the front building line, and no hedge, fence or wall over 3 feet above the curb within the 30-foot sight triangle at a street or driveway corner. Travel trailers may be kept in the rear yard, one per lot and at least 4 feet from any line, and may sit in a driveway from April 1 to December 1, but may never be used for living or sleeping.

Canandaigua building department: who handles permitting

The Code Enforcement Office, working with the city’s Office of Development and Planning, issues building permits, enforces property maintenance, substandard housing, high weed and junk vehicle rules, and is the point of contact for the City Health Department and Sanitation Inspector. Two code enforcement officers and a clerk staff it, and the zoning officer is reached through the same office.

The city covers only land inside the city line. The Town of Canandaigua is a separate municipality with its own permit office; a Canandaigua mailing address can fall in either, so check the tax map number before you apply.

Landlords should know one more city rule run by this office: under Ordinance 2016-009, owners of rental housing must register the contact person responsible for maintaining each property, using the city’s rental registration form, so complaints and emergencies reach someone local.

Canandaigua permit types and filing rules

Residential permits

Use the city’s building permit application. It asks whether the property is historic or in a flood zone, the zoning district and tax map number, the type of work, the estimated cost (required) and any new storm sewer, sanitary sewer, water, electric or curb cut connection, and it must be signed by the property owner. Exterior work, except roofs, needs a current survey map or scaled site plan at 20 feet to the inch, and new construction, additions and renovations need construction plans at a quarter inch to the foot showing floor plans, wall elevations, structure and utility schematics. The city does not require stamped plans unless the project costs more than $20,000 or state law calls for a seal.

The application procedures ease the paperwork for small jobs: roofs and interior work need no survey, and roofs, fences and prefabricated sheds need no scale drawings; a deck needs framing details and railing and step dimensions. The city’s deck worksheet shows what it looks for: footings at least 42 inches deep on a solid base, 4x6 or 6x6 pressure-treated posts, beams fixed with two half-inch through-bolts, joist hangers at the house, a ledger board lag-bolted every 32 inches and flashed, stainless or hot-dipped galvanized fasteners with treated lumber, a guard of at least 36 inches with 4-inch maximum spacing on any deck more than 30 inches above grade, and a handrail on steps with two or more risers; a hot tub on a deck needs a special design approved by the code official. Water heaters, furnaces, air conditioners, gas fireplaces and generators need the installation manual. Proof of workers’ compensation and disability coverage is required for every permit: a CE-200 for a contractor with no employees or an owner doing the work, otherwise C-105.2 or U-26.3 and DB-120.1 forms. ACORD certificates are not accepted.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial new construction and additions cost $0.30 per square foot with a $500 minimum, and renovations $0.30 per square foot with a $300 minimum, plus repayment of any outside consultant’s review fee. A stormwater management and erosion control plan must accompany the application unless the project is exempt or the city grants a waiver.

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

• Historic review: fences, sheds and other accessory structures in the historic district or on a designated historic property go to the City Planning Commission.
• Planning and zoning: special use permit $125, site plan review $200, area variance $100, use variance $200, appeal of a zoning officer’s decision $100.
• Subdivisions: $150 for a minor subdivision, $1,000 plus $50 per lot for a major one, and a $1,500 recreation fee per lot on major subdivisions and new residential lots.
• Flood plain: the city takes part in the National Flood Insurance Program, and the application asks whether the property is in a flood zone.

Under the zoning chapter, the Zoning Officer issues use permits or authorizes the Code Enforcement Officer to issue them. Appeals and variances go to the Zoning Board of Appeals, and site plans and special uses to the Planning Commission. Both boards publish notice of a hearing in a local newspaper at least five days ahead, mail notice to every owner within 200 feet of the property, and decide within 62 days after the hearing unless the applicant agrees to more time. Major subdivisions and site plans also pay any outside consultant’s review fee.

Canandaigua permit fees

The city’s 2026 fee schedule lists these charges.

For example, a 2,000 sq ft new house is 2,000 × $0.30 = $600, above the $400 minimum, plus $1,500 if it is built on a newly created lot. A 200 sq ft deck works out to $60, so the $100 minimum applies, while a 400 sq ft deck is $120.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical. Chapter 354 deputizes approved electrical inspection agencies to inspect all wiring in the city. An agency is approved only by unanimous agreement of the City Manager, the Code Enforcement Officer and the Fire Chief, must keep an office in the Rochester service area and must be named on the building permit application as the inspecting agency. It certifies to the city that a new service entrance is safe to energize and sends the city a copy of its final certificate of compliance.

Mechanical and plumbing. Water heaters, furnaces, fireplaces and generators are permitted by the Code Enforcement Office ($75), with the installation manual. The City Code’s chapter list includes no plumber or electrician licensing chapter; the city’s own condition is proof of workers’ compensation and disability coverage from whoever performs the work.

Sewer and health. New storm, sanitary and water connections are marked on the application, and the City Health Department and Sanitation Inspector are reached through the Code Enforcement Office.

How to apply for a Canandaigua building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The city’s forms list what must be right before a permit issues: the estimated cost is a required entry, ACORD certificates are refused in favor of state insurance forms, projects over $20,000 need a stamped set, and fences and sheds on historic property need Planning Commission review first. Under Chapter 714 a permit becomes invalid if work has not started within six months and expires 12 months after issue; renewing an expired residential permit costs $50.

Canandaigua inspections and certificates

Contact the Code Enforcement Office (585-337-2180) about inspections; Chapter 714 requires work to stay exposed until it has been inspected and accepted, and it lists the stages: the site before the permit is issued, footings and foundations, slab preparation, framing, building systems, fire-resistant construction and penetrations, solid-fuel heaters and chimneys, Energy Code items and a final; the officer may accept a remote inspection where that is adequate. Each repeat inspection costs $100, so be ready before the inspector arrives. Electrical work is inspected by the agency named on the permit, which reports directly to the office. The office also carries out minimum housing inspections ($50 per unit for the first routine visit, no fee for a second, $50 per unit for further visits on the same violations) and issues certificates of occupancy when a property is sold ($100 plus $10 per unit over five).

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

Canandaigua permit FAQ

How much is a building permit in the City of Canandaigua?

Most residential work is $0.30 per square foot, with a $400 minimum for new houses and additions and $100 for renovations, decks and garages.

Do I need a permit to replace a fence?

Yes. Every fence, including a replacement, needs a $50 permit; fences may be 6 feet tall, but only 3 feet in a front yard.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

Yes, even for a prefabricated shed on skids. The permit is $50, and a residential shed may be up to 240 square feet.

Do I need stamped plans?

Only for projects costing more than $20,000, or when state law requires an architect or engineer.

Can I email my application?

Yes. The city accepts completed applications and documents by mail or email, or in person at City Hall.

Who inspects electrical work?

A city-approved electrical inspection agency, which you must name on your building permit application.

What happens if I build without a permit?

Failing to get a permit is a violation under Chapter 714, and each day counts as a separate offense; violations of the article can bring a fine of up to $200 a day, up to 15 days in jail, or both.

Does the city issue permits in the Town of Canandaigua?

No. The Town of Canandaigua has its own office, fees and rules; check which municipality the parcel is in before you apply.

Permit search and official resources

The city has no online permit search. Ask the Code Enforcement Office about a property’s permits, or use the city’s Freedom of Information Law request page.

• City Code Enforcement
• Fees and permits
• 2026 fee schedule
• Building permit application
• Building permit application procedures
• Fences and sheds FAQ
• Exterior deck worksheet
• CE-200 instructions
• Tent or air-supported structure permit
• Rental registration form
• City Code on eCode360
• Chapter 354, Electrical Inspections
• FOIL requests
• NYS code adoption notice

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