Chemung County, New York Building Permit Guide

Chemung County does not issue building permits. The City of Elmira, the 11 towns and the 4 villages each have their own code office, and in the Town of Horseheads the villages of Horseheads and Elmira Heights permit separately. The county’s permits sit alongside: Environmental Health permits septic systems and issues them only to registered contractors, Public Works permits every kind of work in a county road right-of-way, and the county sewer districts permit connections to their lines.

What requires a building permit in Chemung County?

The Town of Catlin’s fee schedule shows how wide a rural list runs: houses and manufactured homes, repairs, alterations, conversions, additions and garages, pavilions, storage buildings and containers of 145 square feet or more, decks, ramps and walkways, electrical, plumbing and fire alarm systems and generators, demolition, pools, fences, roofing, replacement windows, residential signs and new or replacement fuel-burning heating equipment. Its storage buildings of 144 square feet or less pay no fee.

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

All 16 municipalities enforce the 2025 Uniform Code and Energy Code; stricter local building standards need state approval. The local choices are zoning (Veteran’s zoning law dates from 2021), fees, office hours and extra programs such as Erin’s 2019 code enforcement local law or Veteran’s property maintenance code. Chemung County is not on the Department of State’s list of counties that opted out of code enforcement.

Chemung County building department: who handles permitting

The table covers every city, town and village the Census counts in the county. A village has its own office; the town covers only land outside it.

Elmira Heights is split between the towns of Horseheads and Elmira, but one village office covers all of it. The City of Elmira and the Town of Elmira are separate governments, as are the Town and Village of Horseheads. FEMA’s list still names a Village of Van Etten, which the Census no longer counts; ask the Town of Van Etten about addresses there. Ashland’s code officer keeps Wednesday and Thursday afternoon hours, and Southport’s office answers on 607-737-5268, option 3.

What Chemung County itself does

• Environmental Health Services (103 Washington Street, Elmira; 607-737-2019; weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.): site evaluations and permits for onsite sewage systems under Article Five of the county sanitary code, realty subdivision review and lead inspections.
• Public Works: the Chemung County Highway Permit for sewers, utilities, pipes, driveway entrances, private signs and culverts in the county right-of-way, now applied for online; private infrastructure may also need an easement or license from the county.
• Sewer Districts: a sewer permit for any new connection to the main line or repair of an existing lateral, from the Lake Street permit office (607-733-1837).
• County Planning Board: reviews zoning actions referred under General Municipal Law 239-m, using an online referral form.

Chemung County permit types and applications

Residential permits

Use the issuing office’s own form: Elmira’s permit applications, the Village of Horseheads’ online portal, Erin’s and Southport’s building permit applications, or Ashland’s building permit form, which comes with a contractors’ license form. Big Flats wants the fee paid before the permit issues, by cash, check or card (3% surcharge, $3 minimum). Elmira’s counter is open only from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 to 3:35 p.m., and the Town of Horseheads hands out permits in similar morning and afternoon windows.

Big Flats issues permits on weekdays from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. or by appointment, wants a scaled site plan showing distances to the lot lines plus a cross-section or elevation sketch, and says a small project can sometimes be permitted the same day once every document is in. The Village of Horseheads asks for two copies of the site plan, building plans and specifications, with residential plans showing energy code compliance, including a schedule of window and door U-values.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial projects need stamped plans and the local planning board’s site plan review (the Village of Horseheads board meets on the fourth Monday at 4:00 p.m. when needed, with applications due at the code office the Monday before), with a referral to the county planning board where General Municipal Law 239-m requires one. Commercial septic designs go through the county’s engineer plan review at $350, and new sewer extensions must be designed by a licensed engineer and approved by the sewer districts before a permit issues.

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

What comes before the building permit

• Septic site evaluation by a county sanitarian, with your contractor digging test holes; mention the town when you call, since sanitarians are assigned by area.
• Sewer permit where the lot connects to a county sewer district; the districts’ requirements cover insurance, property-line cleanouts, grease traps and backflow preventers, and fees are paid at the permit office when the application is handed in.
• Historic review in Elmira: exterior work on a historic city property needs the Historic Preservation Commission’s approval before the building permit application can be submitted.
• Timber harvesting in Ashland: the town posts a separate form under its timber harvest local law.
• County highway permit for a driveway entrance or pipe in a county road.
• Zoning approvals and any county referral.
• Stormwater: Big Flats reminds owners that disturbing one acre of soil or more needs a state stormwater discharge permit.

Building permit fees in Chemung County

Building permit fees are set by each municipality; septic and subdivision fees by the county Health Department, whose schedule took effect on January 1, 2026.

Worked example for a 1,900-square-foot house on a new septic system in Catlin: the town permit is $300 plus two 200-square-foot steps above 1,500 at $25, or $350; the county adds $160 for the site evaluation and $270 for the septic permit. In Elmira, every house permit carries a $25 certificate of compliance fee on top of the permit itself. The county schedule adds a $25 to $100 late fee to permit fees paid after their due date, and no county health fee is refunded.

Trade permits and who may pull them

The county registers septic contractors: Environmental Health issues construction permits only to registered sewage contractors, whose registration costs $75 for five years; the county also posts a homeowner registration exemption form for owners. The City of Elmira issues electrical and plumbing permits through Inspection Services, and the Town of Ashland posts a contractors’ license form with its building permit papers. Proof of workers’ compensation and disability coverage, or the state exemption, is required by the county before it issues a septic permit and by the local offices before a building permit.

How to get a building permit in Chemung County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Insurance paperwork is a common stumbling block: the Village of Horseheads does not accept an ACORD certificate as proof of workers’ compensation, and a homeowner acting as the contractor files the state homeowner exemption form instead. The septic sequence is the other usual bottleneck: the evaluation must be paid before the sanitarian visits, a perc test may be required depending on the soils, and the permit waits until a registered contractor applies. Short counter windows in Elmira and Horseheads, two afternoons a week in Ashland and appointment-only service in Erin also add days.

Inspections and certificates

Local code officers inspect the building work and issue the certificate of occupancy or compliance. The septic system is permitted and inspected under the county construction permit, which is good for one year and can be renewed for $30. Owners of older Elmira rentals have one more inspection to plan for: properties with two or more units built before 1980 in ZIP codes 14901 and 14904 had to register by May 1, 2026 and must be inspected by the Health Department every three years.

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

Chemung County’s 16 code offices apply that one standard; the county sanitary code governs the septic side.

Chemung County permit FAQ

Does Chemung County issue building permits?

No. The city, towns and villages do. The county permits septic systems, work in county roads and sewer district connections, and reviews referred zoning actions.

Can I install my own septic system?

The county issues the construction permit only to a registered contractor, but it also publishes a homeowner registration exemption form, so ask Environmental Health whether you qualify.

How much does a septic permit cost?

$270 for a new or replacement system and $160 for the site evaluation, under the January 2026 schedule.

Who permits in Elmira Heights?

The village’s own Building and Code Enforcement Department, for the whole village, although it lies in both the Town of Horseheads and the Town of Elmira.

Do I need a county permit for a driveway?

Yes, if the entrance or its pipe is in a county road right-of-way; apply online for the Chemung County Highway Permit, and contractors must carry $1,000,000 / $2,000,000 insurance naming the county.

Does the lead rental registry apply to my building?

Only if it is a rental with two or more units, built before 1980, in the City of Elmira with ZIP code 14901 or 14904.

Can I get a building permit the same day?

Sometimes for small jobs in Big Flats, which says a permit may be ready the same day if all documents are in; larger projects take longer, and other offices set their own pace.

Is my town in the flood insurance program?

Yes. FEMA lists every Chemung County city, town and village as a participating community.

Chemung County permit search and official resources

Building permits and certificates are kept by the issuing municipality; ask its code office or clerk, or make a Freedom of Information Law request there. The Village of Horseheads runs an online permit portal. For the local rules themselves, the towns of Chemung, Elmira and Southport and the villages of Horseheads and Elmira Heights link their codes on eCode360 from their websites, and Erin posts its town code book as a PDF. Septic permits are held by Environmental Health, which charges $0.25 a page for copies.

• Chemung County Environmental Health
• New sewage treatment systems: owner steps
• Sewage contractors resource page
• Environmental Health fee schedule, effective January 1, 2026
• Lead Rental Registry
• Chemung County highway permits
• County sewer district permits
• Chemung County Planning Board
• Town of Catlin building permit fee schedule, revised June 1, 2025
• NYS Department of State Code Inspection Unit
• FEMA Community Status Book, New York
• NYS code adoption and enforcement updates

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