Columbia County, New York Building Permit Guide

Columbia County has no county building department. The county’s own Building Permits & Zoning page sends every applicant to the local office: the City of Hudson Code Enforcement Department or the building department of one of the 18 towns and 4 villages. The county steps in on septic systems, where its Department of Health has required an engineer’s design for every individual sewage application since May 1, 2025, and on zoning actions that the municipalities refer to the county Planning Board.

What requires a building permit in Columbia County?

Each municipality sets out its own list under the state code, and the lists are long. The Town of Chatham, for example, requires a permit for new homes, garages, additions, renovations, replacement roofs and windows, fences, pools that can hold 2 feet or more of water, decks and porches, storage sheds, run-in sheds for animals, barns, carports, retaining walls, fireplaces and wood stoves, gazebos, chimneys, tennis courts, riding arenas and demolition. Ghent takes online applications for roofs, sheds, garages, fences, decks and pools.

Greenport’s exemptions are its own and do not carry over to the next town; check the list where the land is.

What the municipalities decide and what the state holds

The construction standards are the state’s Uniform Code and Energy Code, and no town can tighten them without state approval. Zoning, subdivision and site plan rules are local, and they vary widely: the Town of Greenport has no zoning at all, yet requires site plan review before a building permit for any new construction other than one- and two-family houses.

Columbia County building department: who handles permitting

The county’s directory links a code enforcement or building office for every municipality, and the table follows it, with current addresses where the county’s link had gone stale. A town office covers land outside its villages; the City of Hudson is separate from the Town of Greenport around it.

The villages need the most care. Kinderhook and Valatie both sit in the Town of Kinderhook and each has its own building office; Philmont sits in Claverack. The Village of Chatham straddles the towns of Chatham and Ghent, and Ghent’s online application tells village owners plainly that the village issues its own permits. Small offices also close for stretches: Claverack’s site announced its Building Department closed from October 29 through November 3, 2026.

Hudson is the county’s only city. Its Code Enforcement Department, headed by Code Enforcement Director Nick Fox, works from 77 North 7th Street, Suite 2, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and coordinates the building, electrical, housing and fire prevention codes inside the city, including inspections of dwellings against the city’s minimum housing standards. The Town of Greenport wraps around the city with its own office at 600 Town Hall Drive, open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

What Columbia County itself does

• Department of Health (325 Columbia Street, Suite 100, Hudson; 518-828-3358): applications for individual sewage treatment systems, plan requirements, soil test witnessing, the sewage disposal system certification, and septic record searches.
• Planning Board: General Municipal Law reviews of zoning actions that municipalities refer, by the rules on its referral page.
• Highway Department (178 Route 23B, Hudson; 518-828-7011): maintains the county roads. Its page posts no permit form, so call it before building a driveway or doing work in a county road right-of-way.

Columbia County permit types and applications

Residential permits

Applications go on the local form. Ghent’s online application takes about ten minutes; you upload plans and forms as you go, and the office emails the fee invoice after reviewing the plans. Hudson issues building, plumbing, demolition and sign permits and handles Historic Preservation Certificates of Appropriateness in its historic districts. Most rural towns use paper forms from the town hall or website.

For a house on its own septic system, the county application comes first. The Department of Health posts its Individual Sewage Application (updated April 16, 2026) and its On-Site Sewage Disposal System Plan Requirements (updated August 2026). The engineer’s plans must follow the state’s Appendix 75-A standards for residential onsite systems, and the county will give a list of engineers and contractors who work in the county on request.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial projects usually need local site plan review, even in Greenport, which has no zoning, and need the state-required fire safety and property maintenance inspections once open. Ghent charges $0.25 per square foot for new commercial work, with a $150 minimum. The Town of Chatham’s commercial list shows how broad the trigger is: new buildings, open buildings, signs, fuel storage tanks, roofing, siding and windows, additions, storage sheds, renovations and any change of use. Its Building Department keeps Monday and Thursday hours from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Tuesday hours from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (518-392-1655).

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

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning and site plan: the town or village zoning board of appeals and planning board.
• County referral: special use permits, site plans, variances and zoning changes within 500 feet of a town or village line, a county or state road or park, county drainage land, or a farm in an agricultural district go to the county Planning Board (area variances are not referred for the farm trigger). Subdivisions are not referred; the county is not authorized to review them. Many municipalities have agreements that exempt routine actions, and only the municipality, not the applicant, may submit, sending one paper and one electronic copy with the county’s referral form.
• Septic: the county Department of Health approval described above, before the local permit for a new house on its own system.
• Historic review: Hudson’s Certificate of Appropriateness for work in its historic districts.

Building permit fees in Columbia County

Every municipality adopts its own fee schedule; there is no county building fee. The Town of Ghent’s 2025 schedule is a clear example of a rural town’s rates:

Worked example in Ghent: a new 2,000 square foot house is $70 at 3.5 cents per square foot, so the $100 minimum applies; a 300 square foot deck adds $30, and the certificate of occupancy $50, for $180. A permit can be renewed once at half the original fee, and after two years a new permit is needed. Other towns post their own schedules on the pages in the table.

Trade permits and who may pull them

The county licenses no contractors or trades. Electrical work is checked by approved third-party inspection agencies: Ghent requires a certificate from one for any electrical work, including solar, before the final inspection, and the Town of Kinderhook’s code sets out how electrical installations are inspected there. Hudson’s Code Enforcement Department enforces the electrical code inside the city and issues separate plumbing permits. Each office asks for proof of workers’ compensation and disability coverage, or the state exemption form, with the application.

How to get a building permit in Columbia County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The biggest county-wide delay in 2026 is septic. In February the Department of Health said it had no Public Health Engineer on staff and was contracting outside firms to clear its queue, and it will not certify any new system that does not meet Local Law 3. Its September 1, 2026 memo gives priority for soil-test witnessing to applications received by October 1, 2026; later applications may not be scheduled until spring 2027. Locally, short office hours and a missing zoning approval are the usual holdups.

Inspections and certificates

Inspections are booked with the office that issued the permit; Ghent’s building inspector keeps Tuesday and Thursday morning hours, and Greenport’s office is open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The final inspection leads to a certificate of occupancy or compliance; Ghent charges $50 for a residential certificate. A house on its own septic system also needs the county’s sewage disposal system certification, which the Department of Health issues only when the Local Law 3 design, approval, construction and inspection steps are documented.

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

Columbia County permit FAQ

Does Columbia County issue building permits?

No. The county says municipalities are responsible for building codes, zoning and land use enforcement, and its directory links each city, town and village office.

Do I need an engineer for a septic system?

Yes. Since Local Law 3 of 2025 took effect on May 1, 2025, every individual sewage application must come with plans designed by a New York licensed professional engineer.

When should I file a septic application to get soil tests done this year?

The Department of Health gave priority to applications received by October 1, 2026; later ones may not be scheduled until spring 2027.

Who issues permits in the Village of Chatham?

The village’s own Building and Zoning office, whether the parcel is on the Chatham or the Ghent side of the village.

Do I need a permit for a shed or fence?

It depends on the town. Greenport exempts sheds under 144 sq ft and residential fences up to 6 feet (not pool or dumpster fences); Chatham lists storage sheds and fences among the jobs that need permits.

Can I apply directly to the county Planning Board?

No. Referrals must be submitted by the municipality reviewing your project; the county does not accept them from applicants without the local board’s written authorization.

Is my community in the flood insurance program?

FEMA lists 22 Columbia County communities as participating. Philmont does not appear in either section of its list, so ask the village about flood rules.

Columbia County permit search and official resources

Permit and certificate files are held by the city, town or village that issued them; ask that office or file a Freedom of Information Law request with its clerk. In Hudson, the Code Enforcement Department (518-828-3133) holds city permits and housing inspection records. For septic history, the Department of Health takes an Application for Septic Record Search from its Sewage Disposal page.

• Columbia County Building Permits & Zoning directory
• Columbia County Department of Health sewage disposal
• Department of Health Local Law 3 compliance letter (February 17, 2026)
• Department of Health soil-test priority memo (September 1, 2026)
• Submit a referral to the Columbia County Planning Board
• Columbia County Highway Department
• Town of Ghent 2025 fee schedule
• FEMA Community Status Book, New York
• NYS code adoption and enforcement updates

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