Chenango County, New York Building Permit Guide

In most of Chenango County the building permit comes from the county itself. The Fire and Building Code Enforcement office, part of the county’s Department of Public Health at 5 Court Street in Norwich (607-337-1796), reviews plans, issues permits and inspects for every town and village except the City of Norwich, the Town and Village of Greene and the Village of Earlville. A new house up to 1,500 square feet costs $200 under the county schedule in force since July 20, 2022, and in most towns and villages the supervisor or mayor must first certify that the project meets local land-use rules.

What requires a building permit in Chenango County?

The county’s fee schedule doubles as its permit list: any work that must meet the Uniform Code needs a permit, from houses, camps and mobile homes to tanks over 1,000 gallons, towers, generators and changes of occupancy.

A shed over 144 square feet is not exempt, and work started without a permit is charged double.

What the towns and villages decide and what the state holds

The technical rules are the state’s Uniform Code and Energy Code everywhere in the county. Land use stays local: each town or village keeps its own zoning, subdivision, flood hazard and sanitary rules, and its supervisor or mayor certifies on the county application that the project complies. The county enforces the building code, not zoning.

Chenango County building department: who handles permitting

The county office covers the 20 towns other than Greene and the villages of Afton, Bainbridge, New Berlin, Oxford, Sherburne and Smyrna, with two building inspectors who split the towns between them. The table lists every city, town and village the Census Bureau counts in the county, plus the Chenango part of Earlville.

The City of Norwich is surrounded by the Town of Norwich but is a separate government: a city address goes to the city’s Code Enforcement office in the firehouse on East Main Street, while the town around it is county territory. Its page lists the code enforcement officer post as vacant. In Greene, one code officer at 51 Genesee Street serves both the town and the village.

What Chenango County itself does

• Fire and Building Code Enforcement (5 Court Street, Norwich; 607-337-1796; Monday–Friday 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.): building permits, plan review, construction inspections, certificates, fire safety inspections of places open to the public, and complaint investigations in the 26 municipalities it serves.
• Environmental Health (same building; 607-337-1673): plan review, permits and inspections for individual sewage systems and realty subdivisions, and help with private water supplies.
• Department of Public Works (79 Rexford Street, Norwich; 607-337-1710; weekdays 7 a.m.–3:30 p.m.): driveway permits and highway work permits on the 308 miles of county roads.
• Planning & Development (607-337-1640): staffs the county planning board’s monthly 239 review of zoning actions sent in by the towns and villages.

Chenango County permit types and applications

Residential permits

The county publishes separate applications for a general building permit, a heating unit only, a manufactured home, a modular home, a pool and a demolition. The general application asks for the 911 address and tax parcel number, the estimated cost including labor, dimensions and square footage, drawings that describe materials and details, a plot plan showing buildings, setbacks, wells and septic systems, and the slope of the site.

Drawings must carry a New York architect’s or engineer’s stamp unless the house is 1,500 square feet or less, the building is agricultural, or the alteration costs $20,000 or less and is not structural. The county counts basements and cellars in the square footage and measures from the outside walls.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial buildings, apartments, motels, care facilities and storage buildings are priced by area and by how many utilities (plumbing, heating, electrical) they include, with a $100 minimum and a $50 truss-marking charge for truss-built commercial buildings. Commercial solar and wind projects cost 10 cents per square foot, and towers over 15 feet are priced by stated value.

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

• Local sign-off: take the application to the town supervisor or clerk, or the village mayor, for the local-regulations certificate. Afton (town), Coventry, McDonough and the Town of Norwich need no signature; Sherburne’s clerk or supervisor signs before you go to the county.
• Zoning and planning: variances, site plans and special permits stay with the town or village boards, and the county planning board reviews those that General Municipal Law 239 sends it.
• Septic: Environmental Health reviews new and replacement individual sewage systems. Some towns add their own: Sherburne charges $100 for a town septic permit and $20 for a mobile home permit.
• Flood zone: if the site is in a mapped flood plain, the county requires a floodplain development permit as well ($50 residential, $100 commercial).
• Driveway: a new entrance onto a county road needs a DPW driveway permit (see below).

Building permit fees in Chenango County

The county charges flat fees by type and size under its Building Permit Fee Schedule, effective July 20, 2022. These apply in the 26 municipalities the county serves; Norwich, Greene and Earlville set their own.

Worked example: a new 2,200 square foot house (basement included) falls in the 2,001–2,500 band, so the building permit is $250; a 400 square foot deck on it adds $25. Started without a permit, the same house would be charged $500.

Other county charges: one pre-construction consultation in the office is free, and further consultations or requested inspections cost $40 each; a temporary certificate of occupancy is $25; a search of county code records is $35. Electrical inspection fees are paid to the inspection agency and are not on the county schedule. Pay by cash or by check to the Chenango County Treasurer.

Trade permits and who may pull them

There is no separate county plumbing or mechanical permit: heating, plumbing and ventilation are inspected under the building permit (the application lists a “PHV” inspection), and a heating unit installed in an existing building gets its own heating permit. Electrical work is the exception. The county does not inspect wiring; all electrical inspections are made by an outside, approved inspection agency, and the county office keeps the list. Every pool permit needs that electrical inspection too.

The county’s pages and forms set up no contractor or trade license; the owner or an agent signs the application, with the workers’ compensation and disability form that fits (the state BP-1 form for a homeowner doing the work).

How to get a building permit in Chenango County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The county does not publish a review time. Applications most often stall on a missing local signature, drawings that need a stamp the owner did not expect, a site in the flood plain without its floodplain permit, or a septic design that Environmental Health has not yet approved. Permits last one year; renewing for a second year costs half the original fee.

Inspections and certificates

The county permit lists the inspections required: footing and foundation, framing, plumbing, heating and ventilation, electrical (by the outside agency), energy and insulation, and final. Book them with the inspector who covers your town; the table above gives each town’s inspector line.

A final inspection is required before the work can be used, and the county then issues a temporary or permanent certificate of occupancy.

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

Chenango County permit FAQ

Does Chenango County issue building permits?

Yes. Its Fire and Building Code Enforcement office issues them everywhere except the City of Norwich, the Town and Village of Greene and the Village of Earlville, which have their own code officers.

How much is a building permit for a new house?

$200 up to 1,500 sq ft, $225 to 2,000, $250 to 2,500, $300 to 3,000 and $500 above that, under the county schedule effective July 20, 2022. Basements count in the area.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

Not for a detached storage shed of 144 sq ft or less at a one- or two-family home with no plumbing, heating or electrical. Anything larger needs a county permit, starting at $50.

Do I need a permit to replace a wood stove or furnace?

Yes. The county requires a permit for installing or replacing any heating equipment, from wood and pellet stoves to oil and gas boilers; $50 covers units up to 185,000 BTU.

Who inspects electrical work?

An approved outside electrical inspection agency, not the county. Ask the county office for its list and pay the agency’s fee separately.

Who approves a septic system?

The county Environmental Health division at 5 Court Street reviews and permits individual sewage systems. Some towns, such as Sherburne, also issue a town septic permit.

Do I need a county permit for a driveway?

Yes, if it meets a county road. Apply to the Department of Public Works on its driveway form; the county specifies the culvert pipe and installs the pipe you buy at no charge.

Chenango County permit search and official resources

The county office searches its own code records for $35, which is the route for an old permit or certificate in any of the 26 county-served municipalities. Records for the City of Norwich, Greene and Earlville are held by those offices, and a Freedom of Information Law request to the clerk is the formal route. Parcel maps come through the county’s subscription GIS ($250 a year plus a $25 PIN fee; 607-337-1494).

• Chenango County Fire and Building Code Enforcement
• County inspector territory breakdown
• County permit forms and applications
• County Building Permit Fee Schedule (effective July 20, 2022)
• County Application for Building Permit
• Municipal authorization signatures list
• Chenango County Environmental Health
• Chenango County Highway Department work permits
• Chenango County Planning Board and 239 review
• Chenango County online GIS subscription
• City of Norwich Code Enforcement
• Town of Sherburne building and septic permits
• Village of Earlville departments
• FEMA Community Status Book, New York
• NYS code adoption and enforcement updates

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