Chautauqua County, New York Building Permit Guide

Chautauqua County does not issue building permits. Dunkirk and Jamestown, the 27 towns and the 13 villages each have their own code officer, and many share one person, so a single inspector may answer for a town and the village inside it. Two county offices matter on almost every rural job: the Health Department, whose septic sign-off the local code officer asks for before permitting a new house, more bedrooms or a change of use, and Public Facilities, which permits any work in a county road right-of-way.

What requires a building permit in Chautauqua County?

New buildings, additions, alterations, demolition, pools, decks and similar work need a permit from the municipality, and each one publishes its own forms and fee rules: Dunkirk files online through Citizenserve, Jamestown only through GovPilot, and Pomfret on a nine-page paper application dated July 2026. The county adds its own approvals for septic systems and work on county roads.

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

The Uniform Code and Energy Code, 2025 editions, govern construction in all 42 municipalities. Locally decided are zoning, fees, trade licensing in the cities and how many hours an officer works. Chautauqua County is one of twelve counties the Department of State lists as having opted out of the enforcement of the Uniform and Energy codes, so the county does not enforce the code in a town or village that has also opted out; there, the state’s Code Inspection Unit enforces it in place of the local government and charges fees.

Chautauqua County building department: who handles permitting

The table covers every city, town and village the Census counts in the county, using the Board of Elections municipal directory updated October 19, 2026. A town officer works only outside the villages in that town; where the same person serves both, the row says so.

Three places need a call before filing. Gerry and Kiantone list only a zoning officer in the county directory, and Mayville lists neither a code nor a zoning officer, so ask those offices who issues building permits. For the larger offices, the directory gives 716-366-9858 for Dunkirk’s building inspector and 716-679-2313 for Fredonia’s village code office. The Village of Sinclairville lies across the Charlotte–Gerry line. The former villages of Forestville and Cherry Creek, still named in FEMA’s list, appear in neither the Census nor the county directory, so ask the surrounding town’s office about those addresses. The Seneca Nation’s Cattaraugus territory also reaches into the county, and FEMA treats the Nation as its own flood-program community.

What Chautauqua County itself does

• Health Department, Environmental Health (7 North Erie Street, Mayville; 716-753-4481): onsite wastewater permits and the Right To Connect letter. The county sanitary code asks for a building lot of at least 40,000 square feet where a private well serves it, or 15,000 square feet with public water, allows one septic system per dwelling on a parcel, and keeps system parts at least 10 feet from property lines.
• Public Facilities, Transportation and Engineering: right-of-way permits, over-size and over-weight hauling permits and permits to exceed a posted weight limit, from 454 North Work Street, Falconer (716-661-8234, 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.).
• County Planning Board: advisory reviews of zoning amendments and other actions referred under General Municipal Law 239, meeting on the first Tuesday of each month.

Chautauqua County permit types and applications

Residential permits

Apply to the municipality’s code officer on its own form. For a house on a septic system, contact County Health early: its staff must meet your contractor at the site to review the design before a septic permit is issued, and since January 2025 a lot with suspected freshwater wetlands needs a jurisdictional determination from the state environmental agency before County Health can issue the permit.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial projects need stamped plans and usually local site plan approval, with a county planning board review where the law requires a referral. Where County Health decides a system needs an engineer’s design, the owner uses its separate packet for professionally engineered systems, and the department posts a list of engineers available for county projects.

For tenant improvements and new commercial builds, Alliance handles commercial permit expediting through issuance. More on this: commercial building permits explained.

What comes before the building permit

• Right To Connect or septic permit from County Health for a new building, more bedrooms or a change of use.
• Wetlands: a state jurisdictional determination where wetlands may be on or next to the parcel.
• County road access: a right-of-way permit, issued within five business days once the county has every item.
• Zoning: local zoning board and planning board approvals, with any county referral.

Building permit fees in Chautauqua County

Building permit fees are local; septic fees are the county’s. The rows below combine the county Health Department’s septic fees with the house-permit rules in the three municipalities that have full guides on this site.

Worked comparison for a new 1,600-square-foot house: Dunkirk charges $100 plus $240, or $340; Jamestown $210, because the house falls in its 1,200 to 1,800 square-foot band; and Pomfret, at $0.12 a square foot, $192. If the lot needs a new septic system, add the county’s $250 permit. County Health accepts cards with a 2.75% fee, and checks go to the Chautauqua County Director of Finance.

Trade permits and who may pull them

The two cities license electricians. Dunkirk requires a master electrician license from the City Clerk, and Jamestown licenses Class 1 and Class 2 electricians through its Board of Electrical Examiners and permits electrical work under its own electrical code. Outside the cities, ask the town or village code officer how electrical work is to be inspected. Septic work runs through contractors who know the county rules; County Health keeps a list of contractors and pumpers who work in the county regularly, though owners may use others. Any applicant shows workers’ compensation and disability coverage, or the state exemption, with the permit application.

How to get a building permit in Chautauqua County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Most delays start with septic: a missing Right To Connect letter stops a new house, an added bedroom or a change of use, and a suspected wetland stops the septic permit until the state answers. On county roads, Public Facilities aims to call back within two days and issues a valid permit within five business days once it has the form, insurance, fee and any deposit.

Inspections and certificates

Building inspections are booked with the code officer who issued the permit, and the final inspection leads to a certificate of occupancy or compliance from that office. County Health inspects the septic system it permitted; a same-day inspection costs $75, and a septic permit lasts one year, with a $50 extension.

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 Chautauqua County that standard is applied by 42 local code programs, with the county opted out and the state enforcing only where a municipality has also opted out.

Chautauqua County permit FAQ

Does Chautauqua County issue building permits?

No. Cities, towns and villages issue them. The county issues septic permits, Right To Connect letters, county road right-of-way permits and hauling permits.

What is a Right To Connect letter?

A County Health letter confirming that the septic system serving a building is adequate; local code officers require it before permitting a new building, more bedrooms or a change of use.

How big must a lot be for a septic system?

At least 40,000 square feet when a private well serves the lot, or 15,000 square feet with public water, under the county sanitary code.

Who permits in Lakewood, Fredonia or Silver Creek?

Each village has its own code officer: Lakewood shares one with the Town of Busti, Silver Creek with Hanover, and Fredonia’s office is at 9 Church Street.

How long does a county road permit take?

Public Facilities issues a valid right-of-way permit within five business days after it receives the form and every required item.

Do electricians need a license?

In Dunkirk and Jamestown, yes; both cities license electricians. Elsewhere, ask the local code officer about electrical inspection.

Is my municipality in the flood insurance program?

Yes. FEMA lists every Chautauqua County city, town and village, and the Seneca Nation, as participating communities.

Chautauqua County permit search and official resources

Permit records stay with the city, town or village that issued them, so ask its code office or clerk, or file a Freedom of Information Law request there. Septic permits and Right To Connect letters are County Health records; the county takes FOIL requests through its own open-records page.

• Chautauqua County directory of municipal officials
• Municipal directory updated October 19, 2026 (PDF)
• County Health sewage and wastewater (OWTS) page
• OWTS permit application packet, 2026
• County highway permits
• Guide for county highway permit applications
• Chautauqua County Planning Board
• NYS Department of State Code Inspection Unit
• FEMA Community Status Book, New York
• NYS code adoption and enforcement updates

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