Town of Eastchester, New York Building Permit Guide

In the Town of Eastchester, the Building Department at Town Hall, 40 Mill Road, Room 216 (914-771-3317), issues building permits and certificates for the unincorporated town; the Villages of Bronxville and Tuckahoe issue their own. Under the September 17, 2024 fee schedule, a house permit costs $100 for the first $1,000 of construction cost plus $15 for each further $1,000, after a $150 application fee, and new houses need Architectural Review Board and Planning Board approval before the permit application.

What requires a building permit in Eastchester?

The town’s fee schedule shows how many kinds of work it permits. Several small jobs need a permit here too, though they skip the application fee:

Plumbing, gas and electrical work take their own trade permits on top of these. Retaining walls over 2 feet high must be detailed on the drawings, and work in the town right-of-way needs a separate Highway Department permit (914-961-8540). Construction is allowed from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday, and is banned on certain holidays printed on the permit.

What the town decides and what the state holds

The state Uniform Code and Energy Code are the construction standards; commercial plans must carry a certification that they meet the Energy Code. The town adds its own land-use layer: the Zoning Law sends many projects to the Planning Board, the Architectural Review Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals before a building application, and the Building and Planning Department publishes one fee schedule for permits, certificates and board reviews. A construction standard stricter than the state code would need Code Council approval.

Town of Eastchester building department: who handles permitting

The Building Department, headed by Building Inspector Carlo Valente, covers the unincorporated Town of Eastchester, home to 20,482 of the town’s 34,015 residents. It shares Room 216 with the Planning Department, which runs the Planning Board, Architectural Review Board, Zoning Board of Appeals and Sign Review Board. Bronxville and Tuckahoe are incorporated villages with their own building departments, and an Eastchester mailing address does not tell you which office has the parcel.

Bronxville takes original paper applications at its front window, quotes a normal review lead time of three weeks, holds a pre-permit inspection before issuing, closes every building permit with a certificate of occupancy (and fence, shed, siding, mechanical and oil tank permits with a certificate of completion), and bans construction on weekends and holidays. Tuckahoe issues building and alteration permits, sees applicants by appointment, takes no online payments and closes at 1 p.m. on summer Fridays.

Eastchester permit types and filing

Use the application package dated September 17, 2024, and include only the pages that apply. Fees are paid by check to the Town of Eastchester when plans are filed and are not refundable. Plan review starts once the application, affidavit of ownership, zoning compliance table (when the site plan changes), any co-op board letter, the application fee and the drawings are in; the permit itself waits for the contractor’s documents and the remaining sets of plans.

Residential permits

For one-, two- and three-family houses and individual units, file one set of drawings sealed and signed by a New York architect or engineer, on sheets at least 24 by 36 inches, with a site location map, a certified survey where the footprint, paving or accessory structures change, a site plan with setbacks and two-foot contours, a gross floor area plan and elevations tied to a surveyed bench mark. After review the contractor supplies a Westchester County contractor’s license and liability, workers’ compensation and disability certificates (ACORD forms are accepted only for liability), any Highway Department permit, and two more sets of approved stamped drawings. Homeowners may obtain building permits to work on their own residences, using the state CE-200 exemption.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial and multifamily applications start with two sealed sets and pay a $300 application fee for additions and alterations or $500 for new construction, and the building permit runs at $200 for the first $1,000 and $30 per additional $1,000 up to $3 million. Plans must include electrical, plumbing, HVAC and fire alarm or suppression schematics.

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

Every new one- or two-family house, every new commercial or multifamily building and their exterior additions, and any street-facing addition or alteration that exceeds 30% of the existing front elevation (roof excluded) need Architectural Review Board and Planning Board approval before the building application is filed. Questions about whether a project crosses the 30% line go to the Building Inspector. Variances go to the Zoning Board of Appeals; the land use board applications were revised on July 29, 2026, including new public hearing notice instructions after the county updated its GIS map. Sites that add impervious surface must provide stormwater facilities for it, designed for zero increase in the discharge rate in a 50-year storm (7.5 inches of rain), and need an erosion control plan.

Eastchester building permit fees

The Building and Planning Department fee schedules dated September 17, 2024 are the current posted fees; the Planning Department’s forms page still lists them beside the land use applications it revised in July 2026.

For example, a $50,000 kitchen and bath alteration pays $100 plus 49 × $15, or $835, for the permit, plus the $150 application fee: $985, with $100 more for the certificate of compliance at the end. The estimated cost must include design, excavation, framing, finishes, plumbing, electrical, cabinets and all labor, even donated or the owner’s own, and before a certificate issues the owner files a notarized affidavit of final construction costs; if the real cost was higher, more fees are due. Demolition costs $50 for an accessory structure and $200 for a house ($100 and $400 for commercial and multifamily properties); moving a building costs $250 for the first $1,000 plus $10 per $1,000, oil tank removal or installation $100 per tank, and a blasting permit $250.

Board reviews are charged separately and add up when a project needs more than one: a Planning Board site plan costs $150 for a one- or two-family addition or alteration and $250 for a new house, $250 for commercial or multifamily additions, $750 to $1,000 for new commercial and multifamily buildings depending on size, and a subdivision $250 plus $500 per new lot, with consultant escrow on top where the boards require it. A sign permit is $250 after a $100 Sign Review Board application.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Licenses. The town asks for the contractor’s Westchester County license before a permit issues. Westchester County requires home improvement contractors to hold a county license, and plumbers and electricians must pass the county exam and hold a county trade license to work anywhere in the county; the county changed its home improvement license fees on January 1, 2026.

Plumbing and gas. Plumbing permits cost $200 for the first 10 fixtures in new construction and $100 for the first 10 in an addition or alteration to a one- or two-family house, plus $10 for each additional fixture. A gas test costs $50 for the first meter and $10 for each additional meter, and gas piping $50.

Electrical. Electrical permits are $200 for a new house and $50 for additions and alterations to a one- or two-family house; commercial alterations are $100 up to 10 outlets or fixtures and $200 above, and new commercial or multifamily buildings $500. Commercial air-conditioning and HVAC work is $100 plus $10 per ton over 10 tons. Hard-wired fire alarm systems must be shown on the plans and installed to the state Building Code.

Insurance. Contractors file three separate certificates naming the Town of Eastchester, 40 Mill Road, as holder: liability (ACORD form allowed), workers’ compensation (CE-200, C-105.2, U-26.3, SI-12 or GSI-105.2) and disability (CE-200, DB-120.1 or DB-155).

How to apply for an Eastchester building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Revised plans are not accepted without the $50 resubmission fee, and once review is done the permit still cannot issue until the insurance certificates arrive on the accepted forms. If construction has not begun within six months, or is not finished within a year, a six-month extension costs $100; a permit that has expired can be reissued for the lesser of the fee on the remaining cost or half the original fee, and a project not started or finished within the extension must reapply. Changes that raise the cost by more than 10% are major amendments, priced at $200 for the first 10% increase plus the per-$1,000 rate.

Eastchester inspections and certificates

A failed inspection costs $50 to repeat. The Building Department closes permits with a certificate of occupancy ($150 for a one-family house, $300 for a two-family, $300 plus $200 per floor for a commercial building) or a certificate of compliance ($100 for one- and two-family work; none for fences, driveways, roofs or siding). Both carry their own fee on top of the permit.

A temporary certificate of occupancy for a house lasts 30 days at a time with no exceptions: $100 for the first 30 days, then $150, $200 and $250 for the next three periods and $250 for each one after that. Commercial and multifamily temporary certificates climb from $200 to $1,500 a period. Legalizing work done without a permit costs 10% of its cost, with a $1,000 minimum, before any certificate can issue.

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 Eastchester permit FAQ

How much is a building permit in Eastchester?

For a house, $100 for the first $1,000 of construction cost plus $15 per additional $1,000, after a $150 application fee ($250 for a new house). A $50,000 alteration comes to $985.

Do I need a permit for a fence, shed or new roof?

Yes. Sheds, walls and fences pay $75 for the first $1,000 plus $10 per additional $1,000, and roofs and siding pay the building permit rate; none of them pays the application fee.

I live in Tuckahoe or Bronxville. Which office do I use?

Your village’s own Building Department: Tuckahoe at 65 Main Street (914-961-8148), Bronxville at 200 Pondfield Road (914-337-7338).

Does my addition need Architectural Review Board approval?

If it changes a street-facing elevation by more than 30% of that elevation’s area (roof excluded), yes, along with Planning Board approval, before you apply.

Can I pull my own permit as a homeowner?

Yes, for building permits on your own residence, using the state CE-200 exemption in place of workers’ compensation and disability certificates.

What does it cost to legalize work done without a permit?

10% of the construction cost as of the application date, with a minimum of $1,000.

Is Eastchester in FEMA’s flood insurance program?

Yes. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the Town of Eastchester as participating, with a current flood map dated September 28, 2007; Bronxville also participates.

Eastchester permit search and official resources

Records of past permits and certificates for town properties are requested from the Town Clerk on the Freedom of Information request form. In the villages, Bronxville opens property files by appointment on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Tuckahoe holds property search hours from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

• Town of Eastchester Building Department
• Building permit application package (September 17, 2024)
• Building and Planning Department fee schedules (September 17, 2024)
• Town Planning Department
• Land use board applications (revised July 29, 2026)
• Town Clerk and FOIL request form
• Village of Bronxville Building Department
• Village of Tuckahoe Building Department
• Westchester County plumber and electrician licenses
• Westchester County home improvement contractor licenses
• NYS Uniform Code adoption notice

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