Town of Cortlandt, New York Building Permit Guide

In the Town of Cortlandt, the Code Enforcement Division of the Department of Technical Services (DOTS) at Town Hall, 1 Heady Street, Cortlandt Manor (914-734-1010), issues building, demolition, steep slope and wetlands permits and certificates of occupancy outside the Villages of Buchanan and Croton-on-Hudson. Applications are made through the town’s OpenGov portal, and a residential permit costs $150 for the first $10,000 of value plus $10 per $1,000 above that, with a $200 application fee.

What requires a building permit in Cortlandt?

The town’s building law (Chapter 131) and its Master Fee List show how wide the permit net is: new buildings, additions and alterations, demolition, plumbing, electrical and HVAC work, gas lines, heating oil and propane tanks, sprinkler systems, driveways, signs and alarm systems each carry a permit. The Code Enforcement FAQ lists the few things that need no building permit or certificate of occupancy:

Exempt work must still meet the Town Code and state codes, and accessory structures must respect the setbacks and maximum areas in the Zoning chapter (Chapter 307).

What the town decides and what the state holds

The state Uniform Code and Energy Code set the construction standards, and the town posts the state’s notice that the 2025 editions apply from December 31, 2025. The Town Board writes Cortlandt’s own layer: the zoning law, steep slopes, wetlands and tree chapters, the electrical and plumbing permit law, and the Master Fee List it readopts by resolution. A construction standard stricter than the state code would need Code Council approval.

Town of Cortlandt building department: who handles permitting

The Code Enforcement Division of DOTS calls itself the building department of the town. Led by the Director of Code Enforcement, it reviews applications after a site inspection and a full review coordinated with the DOTS Engineering Division, issues building and demolition permits and certificates of occupancy, and also handles steep slope, wetlands, sign and alarm permits, zoning questions, Zoning Board of Appeals filings, and “prior to zoning” letters and duplicate certificates for property searches. Its Fire Inspector inspects commercial and multi-family buildings. The town office serves the 31,502 residents outside the two villages.

Buchanan’s department takes applications for building permits and certificates of occupancy, electrical permits and plumbing permits, and asks owners to call before starting any work. In Croton-on-Hudson the Village Engineer enforces the building code and zoning, and the village posts its own applications for buildings, sheds, generators, hot tubs, plumbing, electrical inspections, wetlands activities, tree removal and coastal assessment. The City of Peekskill is a separate city with its own government, outside the town’s jurisdiction.

Cortlandt permit types and filing

The Code Enforcement forms page sends applicants to the town’s OpenGov portal for informational documents and online applications, and complaints are also filed there rather than by email. Card, e-check and bank processing charges are paid by the applicant. A building permit application that sits with no activity for 90 days is void.

Residential permits

House projects pay the $200 residential application fee and the valuation-based permit fee. Plumbing, electrical and HVAC permits are separate $200 permits, but the cost of that trade work is added to the valuation of the building permit. Driveways need a stand-alone permit ($100) unless they are part of a building permit. An accessory apartment goes to the Planning Board first ($250 initial application), and the Fire Inspector’s renewal inspection follows every third year ($100).

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Commercial permits

Commercial work pays a $550 application fee and $300 for the first $10,000 of value plus $12 per $1,000 above. Site plans go to the Planning Board, with consultant review costs paid into an escrow account plus a 10% town administration fee, and businesses that need a fire operating permit, such as places of assembly of 100 or more people or hazardous uses, renew it each year. Sprinkler, standpipe and suppression work is covered by the building permit when filed with one; on its own it costs $200 for the first $10,000 of value plus $12 per $1,000 above for commercial buildings, or $100 plus $10 per $1,000 for multi-family houses.

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

Variances are applied for through Code Enforcement and heard by the Zoning Board of Appeals. Disturbing any steep slope, defined as ground steeper than 15% over at least 500 square feet with one side at least 10 feet long, or cutting a tree more than 4 inches across on one, needs a steep slope permit ($200 residential, $500 commercial, plus the cost of the work in the building permit fee); ordinary landscaping without regrading is exempt. The wetland buffer extends 100 feet from a wetland, watercourse or water body, and work in it needs a town wetlands permit. Topographical alterations ($500) and street openings follow their own approvals, and the Engineering Division is the town’s floodplain administrator.

A steep slope application must show the proposed construction and disturbance in relation to property lines, buildings, roads, walls, septic systems, wells and wetlands within 100 feet (500 feet for properties well below the site), soil types and existing and proposed two-foot contours to 100 feet beyond the work, and list neighboring and downstream owners within 500 feet. Cut and fill slopes may not be steeper than one vertical to two horizontal without retaining walls or other stabilization the DOTS Director accepts. Removing three or more healthy trees without other construction needs a stand-alone tree permit ($50 residential; $100 plus $10 per tree commercial), and fees in lieu of replacement plantings run from $150 to $300 per tree. Trees in the street right-of-way belong to the Highway Division (914-734-0047).

Cortlandt building permit fees

The Town Board readopted the Master Fee List by Resolution 68-26 on February 10, 2026; the version marked “Rev 02/2026” is the one in force. Its DOTS Code Enforcement page sets these charges:

For example, a $60,000 residential addition pays $150 plus 50 × $10, or $650, for the building permit, and the $200 application fee brings it to $850 before any trade permits. A permit with no activity in its first 12 months is void and needs a new application and fee, and an open permit not closed out within 90 days must be renewed and reopened. Permits issued after January 1, 2024 owe every missed year’s renewal before they can be closed.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Licenses. Under Chapter 155, electrical and plumbing permits are taken out by the contractor, who must give the county license number and proof of liability insurance; the town’s law notes that Westchester County took over licensing electricians and plumbers. Westchester’s Department of Consumer Protection issues those trade licenses after an examination, and county law also requires home improvement contractors to hold a county license (the county changed its home improvement license fees on January 1, 2026). The town’s Electrical Board and Plumbing Board advise Code Enforcement but issue no licenses.

Electrical inspections. The Town Board designates the private inspection agencies whose electrical inspections the town accepts, by resolution; the inspection cost is never charged to the town. The town charges $200 for each gas line inspection or test and for heating oil tank removal, installation or abandonment, and $100 to install or move a residential propane tank.

Septic and wells. The town keeps no septic records: the Westchester County Department of Health (914-813-5000) holds the septic plans for properties in Cortlandt. Have the year the house was built and the section, block and lot number ready when you call; the Town Assessor can supply them.

How to apply for a Town of Cortlandt building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

No permit issues until staff have inspected the site and completed a full review coordinated with the Engineering Division. An application left idle for 90 days lapses; revised plans need a plan amendment ($200 residential) and a revised fee on any added cost. Stop work orders are costly: after a first offence the town charges $1,000 to lift a second order, plus $250 a day for work done in violation of it.

Cortlandt inspections and certificates

Code Enforcement inspects the site before the permit issues and the work as it progresses. The fee list charges for reinspections once an inspection has failed twice: $50 each for residential work and $150 for commercial. The Fire Inspector carries out periodic inspections of commercial and multi-family buildings, places of assembly and buildings with hazardous uses, with annual or three-yearly fees set in the Master Fee List.

Each permit closes with a certificate of occupancy, completion or compliance. The fee list warns that a permit not closed out within 90 days must be renewed and reopened before the certificate can issue. For municipal searches, the division also performs “prior to zoning” inspections ($250 residential, $500 commercial) and issues duplicate certificates ($25).

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

Town of Cortlandt permit FAQ

How much is a residential building permit in Cortlandt?

$150 for the first $10,000 of value plus $10 per $1,000 above, plus a $200 application fee. A $60,000 addition comes to $850.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

Not if it is under 100 square feet and not permanently fixed to the ground, though it must meet the zoning setbacks. Larger or anchored sheds need one.

I live in Croton-on-Hudson. Does the town issue my permit?

No. The Village of Croton-on-Hudson Engineering Department at 1 Van Wyck Street (914-271-4783) does; Buchanan residents use the Buchanan Building Department.

Does my electrician need a special license?

Yes, a Westchester County trade license; the contractor takes out the town electrical permit using that license number.

What happens if my permit expires?

Residential permits renew at 12 months for $200, then every six months for $200 plus half the original fee (capped at $2,000). A permit with no activity in its first year is void.

Where are the septic plans for my house?

With the Westchester County Department of Health (914-813-5000); the town has none on file.

How do I find my zoning district?

Call Code Enforcement at 914-734-1010 with the address or owner’s name; it also gives section, block and lot numbers. Printed zoning maps cost $25 at the Town Clerk’s office.

Is Cortlandt in FEMA’s flood insurance program?

Yes. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the Town of Cortlandt as participating, with a current flood map dated September 28, 2007; Buchanan and Croton-on-Hudson also participate.

Cortlandt permit search and official resources

To see what has been permitted on a property, order a title search from Code Enforcement ($150, plus $20 for each certified copy of a building permit, certificate of occupancy or certificate of completion); plain copies cost 25 cents a page.

• Town of Cortlandt Code Enforcement Division
• Cortlandt OpenGov permit portal
• Code Enforcement FAQs
• Master Fee List, Resolution 68-26 (February 10, 2026)
• Code of the Town of Cortlandt (eCode360)
• Westchester County plumber and electrician licenses
• Westchester County home improvement contractor licenses
• Village of Buchanan Building Department
• Village of Croton-on-Hudson Engineering Department
• NYS Uniform Code adoption notice

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