Town of Clarence, New York Building Permit Guide

In the Town of Clarence, building and plumbing permits come from the Building Department at 6221 Goodrich Road, Clarence Center (716-741-8950), open 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and headed by Town Engineer Timothy Lavocat. You file in person, pay at the Town Clerk’s office once the permit is approved, and pick it up with the receipt; a new house costs a $50 filing fee plus $0.30 per square foot under the schedule in effect since January 1, 2024.

What requires a building permit in Clarence?

Clarence’s Building Code Administration law (Chapter 67, replaced in full by Local Law 3 of 2023 on May 10, 2023) requires a permit for any work under the Uniform Code or Energy Code and keeps only five exemptions. The department’s FAQ lists what needs a permit.

There is no small-shed exemption in Clarence: every accessory building needs a permit, at $50 up to 200 sq ft. Fences are handled by the Zoning Office under Chapter 101 rather than by the Building Department: residential fences may not exceed 6 feet, fences over 4 feet may not extend into a front yard, and razor wire is banned. Fencing in commercial and industrial districts goes to the Landscape Committee and the Town Board.

Pools have their own law (Chapter 196). Every private pool needs a construction permit from the Building Department with a site plan; a pool may not sit in a front yard, closer than 10 feet to any lot line or within 10 feet of the rear or side of the house, and the grade may not be changed within 5 feet of the property line. Outdoor pools need an enclosure at least 4 feet high, with gaps of no more than 2 inches at the bottom and 3.5 inches between pickets, and a house wall used as part of the enclosure needs window latches at least 40 inches above the floor and self-latching doors. Above-ground pools averaging at least 46 inches above grade, with access that can be restricted, are exempt from the fencing rule, and pools under 24 inches deep from the chapter.

What the town decides and what the state holds

Construction standards come from the state Uniform Code and Energy Code; a stricter local construction rule would need Code Council approval. Clarence sets the permit scope above, its fee schedule, plumber licensing, its zoning and subdivision laws, flood damage prevention (Chapter 107) and the Historic Preservation Law (Chapter 117), under which work on a designated landmark or in an historic district needs a certificate of appropriateness from the Town Board on the Historic Preservation Commission’s recommendation.

Clarence building department: who handles permitting

The Census Bureau lists no incorporated village in the Town of Clarence, so its Building Department is the permit office for every property in the town. The department reviews plans, issues permits for residential and commercial work, inspects, and issues certificates of occupancy and compliance; its code enforcement officers include plumbing, fire safety and property maintenance specialists. Fence permits, sign permits, variances and planning applications go to the separate Planning and Zoning Department.

Clarence permit types and filing

Clarence takes applications at the counter: bring the application to 6221 Goodrich Road between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., and call first, because each permit needs different information. When the department tells you the permit is complete, pay at the Town Clerk’s office and bring the receipt back to sign for and collect the permit. The homeowner is legally responsible for making sure a permit is obtained, even when the contractor applies.

Residential permits

For a new house the town wants a survey stamped by a New York licensed surveyor (for lots not on a filed subdivision map), a site plan meeting its residential lot grading and drainage requirements, a soil boring test (Geoprobe or STP), three complete sets of plans with one carrying an original New York engineer’s or architect’s seal, sealed energy-code documents and the design professional’s residential code review checklist. The owner of record signs the owner form, and no lot clearing or filling may start before a complete application is filed. Additions and remodels have their own application, plan requirements and a smoke detector requirement letter; pools have an application, an information sheet and a pool regulations agreement.

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Commercial permits

Projects in multiple-family, business, commercial, research and development and industrial zones must be reviewed by the Town Board and/or the Planning Board under the zoning law before a permit can issue. Commercial work is charged a $100 filing fee and $0.35 per sq ft for new construction and additions, with fire alarm, sprinkler, hood and mechanical permits priced separately. Most exterior plumbing on non-residential projects is regulated by a Private Improvement Permit from the Engineering Department.

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 questions, variances and site plan review go to Planning and Zoning, which also supports the Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals and Landscape Review Committee. Every new house needs driveway approval from the highway department that owns the road before site work starts: the culvert pipe is bought by the applicant and installed only by that highway department (Town Highway 716-741-3210, Erie County 716-759-8328). Lots without sewers need Erie County Department of Health approval of the septic system; lots in Erie County Sewer District No. 5 need the district’s approval (3789 Walden Avenue, Lancaster, 716-684-1234), while in Clarence sewer districts the sewer fee is paid with the building permit.

Clarence building permit fees

The Building Permit Fee Schedule has been in effect since January 1, 2024, alongside a separate plumbing fee schedule of the same date.

For a 2,000 sq ft house the building permit is $50 plus $600, or $650; the residential schedule also lists the $450 recreation fee and $450 open space fee, and the plumbing permit for a house with up to two bathrooms adds $175.

The schedule adds charges for missed steps: 50% of the permit fee (at least $200) for starting without a permit, double the pool fee for a pool started without one, $200 for each visit when work goes past a required inspection or is not ready, $500 a week for occupying a building before its certificate of occupancy, and 50% of the permit fee every year a project is not substantially complete. Changing contractors after issue costs $50, and a voided permit is refunded at 60%.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Plumbing. Every plumber working in Clarence must hold a Town of Clarence license, and a permit is needed for all plumbing work. The town examines master plumbers, journeymen and sewer contractors twice a year (call the Engineering Department at 716-741-8952 for dates); a master plumber’s license costs $100 a year, a journeyman’s $75 on passing and $30 a year after, and a sewer contractor’s $100. On a new house the plumber must come to the Building Department to sign the permit. The town posts its 2026 master plumbers list.

Electrical. The Building Department’s residential inspection list says rough and final electrical inspections are conducted by Empire Inspections (585-798-1849), and its links page names the same agency; the final electrical inspection leaves a compliance sticker on the panel. The town’s 1960 electrical ordinance (Chapter 89) still names the New York Board of Fire Underwriters as the deputized inspector. The town code has no electrician licensing chapter.

Insurance. Contractors with employees file workers’ compensation and disability proof on forms C105.2 and DB-120.1 naming the Town of Clarence, 6221 Goodrich Road, as certificate holder; people doing their own work with no employees file a CE-200.

Septic. A new house that needs an onsite wastewater system must have it designed by a licensed engineer, architect or exempt land surveyor and approved by the Erie County Department of Health, which issues a construction permit and later a completed-works approval (716-961-6800). Repairing or replacing an existing system needs a county application and a $300 fee. The town’s final inspection requires the county’s written septic compliance or the sewer authority’s sign-off.

How to apply for a Clarence building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The soil test, survey and stamped grading plan must come with the application, the driveway culvert and stone must be in place before site work, and a commercial project needs its Town Board or Planning Board review before the permit. A change of lot or substantial plan change before issue costs $150; after issue, a smaller or substantially changed project voids the permit and starts a new plan review. Under Chapter 67 a permit becomes invalid if work does not start within six months and expires after 12 months unless renewed.

Clarence inspections and certificates

Call 716-741-8950 between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. at least 24 hours ahead; plumbing inspections can sometimes be booked the same day. The department says a single-family house averages 15 inspections. Its residential list runs in this order: driveway approval before the permit, grades and setbacks before excavation, footings and foundation, a spotted survey after the foundation (stamped by a licensed surveyor and filed before more work), rough plumbing, electrical and framing, solid-fuel appliances, insulation, foundation drain tile, and the final.

Before the certificate of occupancy, the final needs the electrical compliance sticker, the county’s septic compliance or the sewer authority’s sign-off, the town’s final building inspection and the final plumbing inspection. The certificate can be picked up no sooner than 24 hours after the final is passed, and nothing covered by the permit may be used, even for furniture storage, before then. The adopted 2024 schedule’s $200 charge per visit replaces the $100 re-inspection fee on the older 2012 inspection list.

Before any digging, call U.F.P.O. at 1-800-962-7962, and keep the builder’s name, phone number and the house number posted on the site.

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

Clarence permit FAQ

Do I need a permit for a shed in Clarence?

Yes. Chapter 67 has no shed exemption; an accessory building up to 200 sq ft costs $50.

Who issues fence permits?

The Planning and Zoning Department (716-741-8933), not the Building Department. Residential fences are limited to 6 feet, and to 4 feet in a front yard.

How do I pay for a permit?

Once the Building Department says the permit is complete, pay at the Town Clerk’s office (8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.), then bring the receipt back to sign for and collect it.

Can any plumber work in Clarence?

No. Plumbers must be licensed by the Town of Clarence, which tests applicants twice a year.

How much is a permit for a new house?

$50 plus $0.30 per square foot ($650 for 2,000 sq ft), with the schedule also listing $450 recreation and $450 open space fees, plus the plumbing permit.

Is Clarence in FEMA’s flood insurance program?

Yes. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the town as a participating community with a current flood map dated June 7, 2019, and the town regulates floodplain building under Chapter 107.

Do I need permission to work on a historic building?

For a designated landmark or a property in an historic district, exterior alterations, new construction and demolition need a certificate of appropriateness from the Town Board, after the Historic Preservation Commission’s recommendation.

Clarence permit search and official resources

The town keeps records of every permitted project, including plans, and releases copies under the Freedom of Information Law: visit the Building Department or mail or fax the FOIL request form, and the office calls when copies are ready (a copying fee applies). The department also posts monthly permit reports; the 2026 reports run from January to September.

• Town of Clarence Building Department
• Building Department FAQs
• Building and plumbing fee schedules (effective January 1, 2024)
• New home construction permit requirements
• Residential inspections required
• Plumbing and sewer licenses and permits
• Planning and Zoning Department
• Monthly permit reports
• Code of the Town of Clarence (eCode360)
• Erie County Department of Health septic systems
• NYS Uniform Code adoption notice

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