Town of Cicero, New York Building Permit Guide

In the Town of Cicero, the Department of Zoning & Planning at Town Hall, 8236 Brewerton Road (315-752-1180 ext. 504), issues all building permits and handles code enforcement. Applications are paper only, delivered in person, by mail or in the Town Hall drop box with cash or a check, and minor projects usually take three to five business days while a new house can take two to six weeks of plan review. Every fence and every shed needs a permit, whatever its size.

What requires a building permit in Cicero?

The department’s own lists are broad: if work builds, adds to, moves or structurally changes anything on a property, it needs a permit, and the office is the first stop for every project.

In the 100-year flood zone the rule tightens: a floodplain development permit must be filed with the building permit for any work, and some work that needs no building permit, such as siding, windows, painting or grading, can still need the floodplain permit.

What Cicero decides and what the state sets

Chapter 68 of the Town Code, adopted on January 25, 2023, puts the state Uniform Code and Energy Code into effect in the town and leaves fees to Town Board resolution. Cicero writes its own zoning law (Chapter 210), flood damage prevention rules (Chapter 112), swimming pool rules (Chapter 188), drainage easement rules and grading controls.

Cicero building department: who handles permitting

The Department of Zoning & Planning issues every building permit and handles code enforcement for the town. Its Director of Code Enforcement is Steven Procopio, with a team of code enforcement officers and clerks. Most residential permits never reach the Planning Board or Zoning Board of Appeals, but the department routes those that do.

Part of the Village of North Syracuse lies in Cicero (the rest is in the Town of Clay). The village runs its own code enforcement office and building permits, so a North Syracuse parcel on the Cicero side files with the village, not the town.

Cicero permit types and filing rules

Residential permits

Every job starts on the town’s Application for Permit (revised July 10, 2024), which lists new buildings, additions, alterations, repairs, demolition, fireplaces and stoves, mechanical and fuel gas work, decks and porches, sheds, fences, pools and spas, fire protection systems, occupancy changes, generators, electrical and plumbing work. It asks for the estimated value of all work, materials and labor, and the office records the zoning district, septic approval, plumbing and electrical permit numbers, any board decisions, a $500 grading deposit where one applies, and the town, county or state driveway permit. Attach an accurate survey showing where the work will be and complete construction plans; the instruction sheet asks for a recent stamped survey and two sets of plans.

Pools follow Chapter 188: the survey must show the pool against lot lines, buildings and water, electric, gas and sewer lines, no overhead electric line may be within 20 feet, a 4-foot clear perimeter must run between the pool edge and its fence, an in-ground pool needs a temporary fence that must be replaced by a permanent one within 30 days of filling, and pool water may not be drained into the town’s sanitary sewer. Corner lots face tighter building-line setbacks, so the office suggests bringing the survey in before designing.

Fences are governed by the zoning law’s fences and walls section, added in 2013. The application needs a survey and a plan showing the fence line, height and materials. Fences may sit on the property line but may be no more than 48 inches tall and no more than 50% opaque in a front yard, and no more than 72 inches tall in side and rear yards. A fence that fully encloses part of a lot needs a pedestrian gate at least 3 feet wide, the finished side faces the neighbors, colors are limited to white, black or natural, and nothing may be built in a drainage easement. On lots along Oneida Lake, the Oneida River or Chittenango Creek, a required front or rear yard may have no screening device over 3 feet, no plantings other than trees over 2 feet and no fence more than 50% opaque, and trees there must be trimmed to 6 feet above grade. Barbed wire and electric fences are allowed only on land actively farmed.

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

Commercial permits

Plans for non-residential new construction, or alterations over $20,000, must be stamped and signed by a New York licensed architect or engineer, with the seal on every sheet. Large projects are likely to need the Planning Board or ZBA, and may need NYS DOT, DEC and Onondaga County Planning approvals. Commercial building permits are $75 plus $5 per $1,000 on the posted fee sheet.

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

• Zoning Board of Appeals for area and use variances and interpretations (variance application revised November 13, 2025); the posted sheet lists $250 for a residential area variance, $400 commercial, $500 for a use variance, and a double fee when the variance is sought after work has begun.
• Planning Board for site plans (minor, medium and major, with legal and engineering deposits), subdivisions and any excavation or fill of more than 10 cubic yards.
• Floodplain development permit ($50 plus a $500 engineering deposit) for work in the 100-year flood zone; Cicero takes part in the National Flood Insurance Program, with a current flood map dated November 4, 2016.
• Drainage easements must never be filled, blocked or altered, and owners must keep them mowed.
• Septic approval from the county Health Department where there is no public sewer, and a sewer connection fee where there is.

Cicero permit fees

Chapter 68 leaves all building fees to Town Board resolution. The Planning & Zoning fee sheet linked from the department page (uploaded in 2016) lists flat fees and the commercial rate, but no residential building rate; for houses, additions and alterations the town says fees are based on the value of the work, which the applicant states on the application. On December 13, 2023 the Town Board raised pool permit fees to $75 for an above-ground pool and $150 for an in-ground pool and dropped the $200 grading deposit for pool installations (resolution in the minutes).

For example, a commercial fit-out valued at $40,000 is $75 plus 40 × $5, or $275, under the posted rate. Site plans carry larger deposits: a minor site plan is $150 to file plus $400 for legal review and a $1,300 engineering deposit ($1,000 more if a stormwater plan is needed). If the department does not approve an application, Chapter 68 lets the applicant claim a 50% refund.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical. All electrical work must be inspected by a town-approved third-party agency. The list dated July 1, 2025 names Commonwealth Electrical Inspection Service (585-624-2380), The Inspector (1-800-487-0535), Upstate Electrical Inspection Agency (315-452-5304) and Central New York Electrical Inspection Services (315-633-0027). Pools also need an electrical permit, whose application is available from the department. The town’s pages and code show no town electrician license.

Plumbing. Countywide, plumbing licensing, permits and inspections sit with Onondaga County Plumbing Control in the Department of Water Environment Protection (315-435-6614). The town’s 2016 instruction sheet still names the county Health Department for plumbing inspections, but the county now runs them through Plumbing Control. The county plumbing permit number goes on the town application.

Sewage disposal. Septic systems are approved by the Onondaga County Health Department (315-435-6600), and the approval is recorded on the town application before a permit issues.

How to apply for a Cicero building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Minor construction is generally permitted in three to five business days and a new dwelling’s plan review takes two to six weeks, depending on size, completeness and how many town agencies must approve. A permit is valid for 12 months, and lapses at six months if work has not started; renewal costs 25% of the original fee. Starting without a permit brings a stop-work order, possible fines and a double fee, the work cannot receive a certificate of occupancy or compliance, and anything that does not meet the codes must be corrected or removed.

Cicero inspections and certificates

Under Chapter 68, work must stay exposed until a code enforcement officer has inspected it, and the permit holder tells the office when each stage is ready. Where they apply, the inspected elements are the work site before the permit issues, footings and foundation, preparation for a slab, framing, building service systems, fire-resistant construction and penetrations, solid-fuel appliances, chimneys and vents, energy code items such as insulation, windows and air leakage, manufactured home installation, and a final. The officer may allow a remote inspection when it can show the work as well as a site visit. Electrical inspections come from the approved agency and plumbing inspections from county Plumbing Control. A repeat visit because work was not ready, or a second re-inspection, costs $125.

Commercial buildings also get periodic fire safety and property maintenance inspections, at least once every 12 months for assembly areas and schools; the posted fee sheet charges $75 to $125 a year for the fire inspection and operating permit, by floor area.

The department issues the certificate of occupancy once all authorized work is complete and it has received the outside agencies’ plumbing and electrical certificates. Since June 1, 2014 the town has stopped issuing temporary certificates of occupancy except in extreme circumstances approved by the Director of Code Enforcement, so plan for the building to be finished before move-in.

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

Cicero permit FAQ

Can I e-mail my permit application to the Town of Cicero?

No. The town takes applications in person at Town Hall, by mail or in the drop box outside Town Hall, with cash or a check.

Do I need a permit for a shed or fence in Cicero?

Yes, for any shed regardless of size and any new or replacement fence. The posted fee sheet lists a fence permit at $50.

Do I need a permit to replace windows or a roof?

Not for windows or doors of the same size, or for roofing that leaves no more than two layers. Changing window sizes or locations needs a permit.

How long does a Cicero permit take?

Three to five business days for minor work and two to six weeks of plan review for a new house.

Can I get a temporary certificate of occupancy?

Only in extreme circumstances approved by the Director of Code Enforcement; the town stopped routine temporary certificates on June 1, 2014.

Who issues permits in the North Syracuse part of Cicero?

The Village of North Syracuse Code Enforcement office at 600 South Bay Road (315-458-4763).

Permit search and official resources

Cicero has no online permit search. Request copies of permits, certificates or plans with the town’s fillable FOIL form, and ask the department for a zoning compliance letter ($25) when a buyer or lender needs one.

• Department of Zoning & Planning
• Forms, licenses and permits
• Application for permit (July 2024)
• Building permit instructions
• Planning & Zoning fee sheet
• Approved electrical inspection agencies (July 2025)
• Floodplain development permit application
• Zone variance application
• Site plan application
• Town Code Chapter 68, Building Construction
• Chapter 188, Swimming Pools
• FOIL request form
• Village of North Syracuse Code Enforcement
• Onondaga County Plumbing Control
• NYS code adoption notice

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