Town of Chenango, New York Building Permit Guide

In the Town of Chenango in Broome County, building permits come from the Building Code Office at Town Hall, 1529 NYS Route 12, open Monday to Thursday from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. The town has no incorporated village, so this one office covers every address in it. A new house or addition costs $0.15 per square foot under Town Code § 19-3, last amended on February 4, 2026, and the office asks for at least 10 business days to review a complete application.

What requires a building permit in Chenango?

The town’s answer is broad: a permit is needed for all structures, alterations and demolitions, including moving a building, conversions and changes of occupancy, electrical alterations, heating systems, gas heating or decorative appliances, solid-fuel appliances, chimneys and flues, structural alterations and changes to fire or life safety features. Every sign needs a sign permit, and timber harvesting and floodplain work have their own permits. Chapter 25 of the Town Code, adopted as Local Law No. 3 of 2023, lists what is exempt.

The town’s shed handout, revised May 19, 2025, adds zoning limits that apply even to small sheds: a shed should sit behind or even with the house, may be no taller than 16 feet, must be anchored in a flood zone, and a lot may hold only two accessory structures without a variance.

What the town decides and what the state holds

The state Uniform Code and Energy Code are the construction standard, and Chapter 25 is how Chenango administers them. The Town Board sets the fee schedule in Chapter 19 and can change it by resolution, and the town’s own laws cover zoning (Chapter 73), flood damage prevention (Chapter 39), sanitary and storm sewers (Chapters 56 and 57A) and electric vehicle charging stations (Chapter 74B).

Chenango building department: who handles permitting

The Building Code Office, whose Code Officer is Bryan Berberena, reviews applications, issues building, sign, demolition and timber permits, and inspects the work. Zoning variances and special permits go to the Zoning Board of Appeals and commercial uses to the Planning Board, both meeting at Town Hall. The Town of Chenango is part of Broome County; Chenango County is a different government with no role here.

Chenango permit types and filing requirements

Residential permits

All projects start with the 2026 Building Permit Application, which asks for the applicant, the owner, the existing and intended use, a description with sizes and materials, the estimated cost and the general contractor. With it you file two plot or site plans and two sets of scaled drawings, each also as a digital copy, plus the contractor’s liability, workers’ compensation and disability insurance documents. Separate checklists for accessory structures, residential additions, decks and interior alterations say exactly what to attach. For a shed, that means two hard copies of a survey or site plan showing distances to the house, lot lines, drainage ditches, easements and any septic system or well, plus the manufacturer’s brochure or drawings. A pool application must show the pool’s location with setbacks to every lot line, its size, its capacity in gallons, how it will be filled and drained, the filter type and size, the estimated cost and, for an in-ground pool, whether it is fiberglass, concrete, or steel and vinyl. Signs, including temporary rented signs, need a $50 sign permit each. New manufactured homes use their own application, and the town allows them only in an approved mobile home park; modular homes are allowed.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial building permits require the town’s commercial review form, completed and signed by a New York design professional, and new uses, structures or tenant changes in commercially zoned areas go to the Planning Board. Plaza re-occupancy applications have their own $75 review fee, and site plan fees are counted by required parking spaces.

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

• Zoning Board of Appeals: relief from the zoning ordinance and special permits such as home occupations. It meets on the fourth Tuesday at 7:00 pm; submissions are due one week before.
• Planning Board: all uses, structures and occupant changes in commercial zones. It meets on the second Monday at 7:00 pm; submissions are due four weeks before the first meeting.
• Stormwater: new construction over an acre needs a stormwater management plan, the inspection handout calls for a full SWPPP at five acres or more, and every new house needs at least a simple erosion and sediment control plan.
• Floodplain: work in a mapped flood area needs the town’s Flood Plain Permit under Chapter 39. FEMA lists Chenango as a participating community that also takes part in the Community Rating System (class 9).
• Sewage and water: septic and sewer work is inspected by an engineer or the town Utilities Department; a private septic system must also meet the Broome County Sanitary Code, which Town Code Chapter 56 leaves in force, so check it with the Broome County Health Department (225 Front Street, Binghamton; 607-778-3930) before you design.

Chenango building permit fees

The fee schedule is § 19-3 of the Town Code, amended several times since 2014 and most recently on February 4, 2026; the fee is due with the application. The Building Code page repeats the main rates.

Worked examples: a 2,000-square-foot house is $0.15 × 2,000, or $300; a 400-square-foot addition is $60; a 300-square-foot deck is $0.10 × 300, or $30; a 200-square-foot shed is $50; and a residential re-roof is $75. Note one mismatch: the fee schedule still lists a $20 fee for accessory buildings of 144 square feet or less, while Chapter 25 and the accessory structure checklist say no permit is required below 144 square feet.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical. Electrical alterations need a building permit, and the wiring itself is inspected by a third-party electrical inspection agency (the town’s inspection sheet says rough wiring and the final are inspected “by underwriter”). A pool permit requires proof that an electrical inspector has approved the installation, and a shed with power needs a final electrical inspection from a third-party inspector. The Town Code contains no electrician or plumber licensing chapter.

Plumbing and heating. Plumbing is inspected by the Building Code Office at the rough stage, with drain and water lines fully installed, bedded and exposed, and again below grade, where pipe must be cast iron or PVC and sleeved. Heating systems, gas appliances, wood stoves and fireplace inserts need a permit; the office wants a copy of the manufacturer’s installation instructions for a stove or insert and inspects masonry chimneys for depth, clearances, the smoke chamber and termination height.

Contractors. The Town Code sets no contractor license, but every contractor working under a permit must file liability, workers’ compensation and disability insurance documents, and the shed checklist asks for the manufacturer’s proof of insurance.

How to apply for a Chenango building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The 2026 application is blunt: an incomplete file is not reviewed or processed until every plan, document and fee is in, and the 10-business-day clock starts only then. The town’s FAQ sets a two-week minimum for houses, multiple dwellings, additions, alterations, conversions and commercial work, while decks, pools and sheds move as fast as the quality of the plans allows. Changes from the approved plans need the department’s approval, and no work may begin before the permit is issued.

Chenango inspections and certificates

The office will not inspect partial or covered work, and it must be called before any concrete is poured. Its inspection sheet lists the usual stages:

• Hole depth to the 42-inch frost line, footer with rebar in place, and frost walls before the pour
• Foundation walls tarred with footer drains and stone, before backfill
• Slab size, thickness and setbacks, and deck posts to 42 inches
• Framing with all holes and penetrations sealed, and deck framing before boards go on
• Pre-cladding air barrier, rough and below-grade plumbing, and insulation before drywall
• Wood stoves, inserts, masonry and prefabricated chimneys
• Pools: hole and pre-pour, fence enclosure, electrical and an audible alarm
• Final inspection

The inspection sheet says every structure requires a certificate of occupancy, and the accessory structure checklist ties the certificate to the final inspection, which the owner must call for. A permit becomes invalid if work has not started within six months and expires 12 months after issue; renewal is by application and fee.

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 enforces the code through Chapter 25 of its Town Code, Building Construction and Fire Prevention, adopted on March 22, 2023.

Town of Chenango permit FAQ

Do I need a permit for a shed in Chenango?

Only if it is over 144 square feet; larger sheds cost $50. Even a small shed must meet the town’s placement, 16-foot height and two-accessory-structure limits.

How much is a building permit for a new house?

$0.15 per square foot, so a 2,000-square-foot house costs $300.

Do I need a permit to replace my roof?

Yes. Residential roofing permits cost $75 and commercial ones $125.

How long does review take?

At least 10 business days once the application is complete, and at least two weeks for houses, additions, alterations and commercial work.

Is the office open on Fridays?

No. The Building Code Office is open Monday through Thursday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Can I put a mobile home on my lot?

Only in an approved mobile home park; the town’s FAQ says modular homes are allowed.

Who inspects electrical work?

A third-party electrical inspection agency; the town also requires proof of an electrical inspector’s approval for pools.

Is Chenango in the National Flood Insurance Program?

Yes. FEMA lists the Town of Chenango as participating and in the Community Rating System at class 9, and the town issues its own floodplain permits.

Chenango permit search and official resources

Under Chapter 25, the town’s permit, inspection and certificate records are public records open for inspection during business hours. Ask the Building Code Office about a past permit, or file a Freedom of Information Law request with the Town Clerk; copies cost $0.25 a page under § 19-3.

• Town of Chenango Building Code office, forms and fees
• Building Permit Application 2026
• Accessory structure permit requirements
• Shed rules (revised May 19, 2025)
• Types of inspections
• Flood Plain Permit application
• Town Code Chapter 19, fee schedule
• Town Code Chapter 25, building construction and fire prevention
• NYS code adoption and enforcement updates

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