Cayuga County, New York Building Permit Guide

Cayuga County does not issue building permits. The City of Auburn, the 23 towns and the 9 villages each run a code enforcement office, many with short weekly hours and several sharing one officer. The county shapes projects in three other ways: its Health Department enforces a sanitary code that reviews new septic systems and requires an inspection whenever a property is sold, its Highway Department permits every driveway and every piece of work in a county road right-of-way, and a county committee reviews referred zoning actions each month.

What requires a building permit in Cayuga County?

Local lists set the details. The Village of Aurora says any construction project, no matter how small, must go through its code enforcement officer, and its fee schedule prices sheds, decks, porches, garages, barns, pools, roofs, generators, solar systems, fireplaces and wood stoves, and heating, plumbing and electrical work; siding and windows need a permit there too. Scipio posts separate roof, demolition and solar permit forms, and Ledyard has its own floodplain permit.

What the towns, villages and city decide and what the state holds

All 33 municipalities apply the 2025 Uniform Code and Energy Code. Their own decisions are zoning (Montezuma adopted a new zoning ordinance in 2019, Ira in 2021, Scipio in 2024, and Mentz amended its ordinance in November 2025), fees, office hours and local laws such as Fair Haven’s short-term rental inspections. Cayuga County has kept its share of enforcement duty; it is not among the twelve counties the Department of State lists as opted out.

Cayuga County building department: who handles permitting

Each row below is a city, town or village the Census counts in Cayuga County. A town office stops at the line of any village inside it; the table says which village is excluded. Auburn has a full guide on this site.

Many town pages live on the county’s own website, which hosts sites for Cato, Conquest, Fair Haven, Ira, Locke, Mentz, Montezuma, Moravia, Sempronius, Sterling, Summerhill, Venice and Victory. One officer covers Conquest, Fleming and Sennett, and another covers Venice and Summerhill, so office hours are short and often by appointment. Numbers posted by the towns include Conquest’s code office at 315-776-6064, Sennett’s at 315-253-3712 ext. 6, Genoa’s at 315-364-5505, Ledyard’s at 315-364-5707 ext. 6, Venice’s at 315-729-3921 and Montezuma’s at 315-776-4777. The Village of Cato straddles the Cato–Ira town line, and Meridian sits in the Town of Cato.

What Cayuga County itself does

• Health Department, septic program: enforces the Cayuga County Sanitary Code, which requires periodic septic inspections and an inspection at every property transfer; reviews plans for new and repaired systems; and keeps lists of registered installers and pumpers.
• Highway Department: issues driveway permits for county roads, checks sight distance and installs the driveway pipe itself for a fee based on pipe size; any other construction or maintenance in the county right-of-way needs a right-of-way permit, some with deposits.
• Planning & Economic Development: staffs the GML 239-l, m & n Review Committee, set up by Legislature Resolution 413-05 in 2005, which meets monthly at the Highway Department on York Street; the department is at 160 Genesee Street, Auburn (315-253-1276).

Cayuga County permit types and applications

Residential permits

Homeowners use the town or village form: Conquest, Locke, Summerhill, Venice and Victory post building permit applications on their county-hosted pages, Ledyard posts its permit application and fee sheet, Sennett its building and zoning application with fee and insurance sheets, and Moravia village its own application. In Auburn, applications go in by email, mail or the City Hall drop box and fees are paid after approval.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial work needs plans from a New York licensed design professional and usually site plan approval. Aurora inspects commercial and public assembly buildings for fire safety for $30 to $90 depending on the one- to three-year cycle and charges any village engineer review back to the applicant before the final inspection. Site plans such as those the review committee took up in August 2026 from Aurelius and Sterling go through the county referral first.

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

• Local approval of the development: needed before the county will approve a driveway onto a county road.
• County 239 review: for referred site plans, special use permits, variances and zoning changes.
• Septic plans: county review of a new or repaired system on any lot without sewer.
• Zoning boards: variances and special permits; Aurora charges $50 for an area variance and $75 for a use variance or special use permit.

Building permit fees in Cayuga County

Every municipality sets its own fees. Two posted schedules show the range: the City of Auburn’s, detailed in the Auburn guide, and the Village of Aurora’s schedule updated in January 2026.

Worked example for a 1,500-square-foot new house: Auburn charges $200 plus 1,500 times $0.40, or $800; Aurora charges 1,500 times $0.20, or $300, which already includes the certificate of occupancy. Aurora doubles the fee when work starts without a permit, keeps permits valid for one year and renews them at half the original fee. Scipio posted a new fee schedule for 2025, and Victory, Ledyard, Niles and Sennett post theirs with their forms.

Trade permits and who may pull them

The county publishes no trade or contractor license. Where a municipality says how electrical work is inspected, it relies on third-party agencies: Auburn names three agencies it accepts, and Aurora requires inspection by a certified electrical inspector on top of its $75 permit for heating, plumbing and electrical systems. Septic installers are a county matter; the Health Department keeps the list of registered installers and pumpers, and only a Cayuga County certified inspector may do the routine or property-transfer septic inspection. Proof of workers’ compensation and disability coverage, or the state exemption form, comes with every local application.

How to get a building permit in Cayuga County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Auburn’s plan review takes about eight business weeks; a town office that opens once a week may need longer. Common holdups are a driveway onto a county road that the county cannot permit until the town approves the development, a septic design still under county review, and a zoning question that has to wait for the board and the county committee.

Inspections and certificates

Building inspections are scheduled with the local code officer, who issues the certificate of occupancy or compliance at the end; in Aurora that certificate is included in the permit fee. Electrical inspections come from the approved third-party agency. Septic systems have their own county track: a passing property-transfer inspection plus proof of pumping leads to a county discharge permit, and that inspection stays valid for one year.

The county describes the test itself: the inspector adds dye to fixtures and runs water through the system, 55 gallons per bedroom in an occupied home or 110 gallons per bedroom over three days in an empty one for a sale, and 20 gallons per bedroom, up to 100 gallons, for a routine inspection. If a system fails, the owner must correct the violation.

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

Cayuga County’s 33 local programs apply that one code; the county’s sanitary code adds the septic rules.

Cayuga County permit FAQ

Does Cayuga County issue building permits?

No. Each city, town and village issues its own. The county handles septic plan review and sale inspections, county road driveways and right-of-way work, and 239 referrals.

Do I need a septic inspection to sell a house?

Yes. The county Sanitary Code requires the system to be inspected and the tank pumped before any property transfer; inspect first, because after pumping you must wait 30 days.

Can I get a county driveway permit before town approval?

No. The county will not approve a driveway for a development until the local municipality has approved the development.

Who permits in the Village of Aurora?

The village code enforcement officer, for every construction project however small; the Town of Ledyard’s officer covers the rest of the town.

How much is a permit for a new house in Aurora?

$0.20 per square foot with a $200 minimum under the schedule updated in January 2026, doubled if work starts first.

Who reviews referred zoning actions?

The county’s GML 239-l, m & n Review Committee, which meets monthly at the Highway Department, 91 York Street, Auburn.

Does the Town of Brutus or Mentz permit inside Weedsport or Port Byron?

No. Weedsport, in Brutus, and Port Byron, in Mentz, each have their own village code enforcement pages; the town offices cover only the land outside those villages.

Is my municipality in the flood insurance program?

Yes. FEMA lists all 33 Cayuga County communities as participating, so mapped flood zones need a local floodplain permit.

Cayuga County permit search and official resources

Ask the issuing town, village or city for permit and certificate records, or make a Freedom of Information Law request to its clerk. Septic inspection reports and discharge permits are filed with the county Health Department.

• Cayuga County towns and villages
• Septic system installation and inspection, county Health Department
• County highway driveway and right-of-way permits
• GML 239 Review Committee agenda, August 20, 2026
• Village of Aurora building permit fees, January 2026
• NYS Department of State Code Inspection Unit
• FEMA Community Status Book, New York
• NYS code adoption and enforcement updates

Simplify Cayuga County 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 Cayuga County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.