Franklin County, New York Building Permit Guide

Franklin County does not issue building permits. Each town appoints its own code enforcement officer, the Villages of Malone, Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake run code offices, and on the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe issues permits. The southern towns lie in the Adirondack Park, where the Adirondack Park Agency (APA) may need to approve a project first. The county’s own role is narrower: driveway and road-work permits on county roads and planning referrals.

What requires a building permit in Franklin County?

The rule comes from each town’s local law under the Uniform Code, so the details change at the town line. Westville’s page shows the usual scope: permits for new homes and renovations, residential and commercial, plus pools, demolition and septic systems, with no fee for decks under 64 sq ft or sheds under 144 sq ft. The Village of Malone also requires permits for rental properties, signs, heating appliances and fences.

What the towns decide and what the state holds

The 2025 Uniform Code and Energy Code set the construction standards in every town and village, and stricter local building rules need the state Code Council’s approval. What differs is zoning: the APA’s March 2024 survey of Park communities found no zoning, subdivision or site plan law in Bellmont, Brighton, Duane, Franklin or Waverly, while Harrietstown, Santa Clara, Tupper Lake and both Park villages have zoning and subdivision rules. Tupper Lake’s town and village share one Land Use Code and a Joint Planning Board.

Franklin County building department: who handles permitting

The tables list every town, village and reservation the Census Bureau counts in Franklin County. A village lies inside a town but keeps its own board, so read the two tables together. The Town of Malone has a full guide on this site, which also covers the Village of Malone office.

Several rural towns publish no code contact online; there, start with the town clerk, who can put you in touch with the town’s code officer.

What Franklin County itself does

• Highway Department (518-483-1140): a driveway permit for any new entrance on a county road, with a $50 non-refundable fee; the superintendent inspects the staked location and sets the culvert size, and the owner buys the pipe and has a contractor install it for inspection. Other work in the county road system needs a separate work permit, also $50. Both forms require any DEC wetland determination before the permit is issued.
• County Planner, Courthouse, 355 West Main Street, Suite 456, Malone (518-481-1693): General Municipal Law 239-m referrals of zoning laws, comprehensive plans, special permits, site plans and variances on land within 500 ft of a municipal boundary, a county or state road or park, or a farm in an agricultural district. The planner has 30 days to report, and a local board can override a recommendation only by a majority plus one.
• Public Health at 355 West Main Street runs clinical and community programs; it is not the septic permit office.

Franklin County permit types and applications

Residential permits

Paper applications are the rule. The Village of Malone asks applicants to print the form, complete it and bring it to 343 West Main Street; Westville’s officer keeps one hour on Monday evenings; Tupper Lake works by appointment only. Brighton, Constable, Moira and the Town of Franklin post their permit forms or local laws online, and Franklin revised its solar permit application in August 2026. Harrietstown’s building permit application includes a residential energy code compliance checklist, and its office keeps weekday hours from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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

Commercial permits

Tupper Lake requires plans sealed by a New York architect or engineer for any commercial building, any building over 1,500 sq ft and major alterations, and many commercial uses or changes of use there need Joint Planning Board approval. Westville prices commercial construction at $150 for the first 1,500 sq ft. Inside the Park, businesses outside hamlet areas are APA regional projects.

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

• APA: in the eight Park towns, file the Jurisdictional Inquiry Form; single-family dwellings and two-lot subdivisions are decided within 45 days of a complete application.
• Zoning: town zoning permits, variances and site plans, with county referral in the cases above.
• Water and septic: the NYSDOH district office for wells and sewage systems, plus the town septic permit where one exists (Malone and Westville both issue them).
• Road access: the county driveway permit, or the town highway superintendent on a town road.

Building permit fees in Franklin County

There is no county building fee. Westville’s code page posts a full chart, shown below; the page gives no adoption date. Malone’s town schedules are in the Malone guide, and other towns quote fees on request.

Worked example: a new 2,000 sq ft house in Westville is 2,000 × $0.15 = $300; a basement under it adds $30. The county’s $50 driveway permit is paid separately to the Franklin County Highway Department.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Franklin County publishes no contractor, electrician or plumber licensing program, and the town pages listed here describe none. Where the villages describe it, electrical work is inspected by third-party agencies: the Village of Malone keeps a list of approved electrical inspectors, and Saranac Lake gives out its own list. Westville charges $25 for a heating permit and $60 for an EV charger. Proof of workers’ compensation and disability insurance, or the state exemption form, comes before any permit.

How to get a building permit in Franklin County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Short office hours slow many files: some officers are available one hour a week or by appointment. A missing DEC wetland determination holds up a county driveway permit, and APA projects other than single homes and two-lot subdivisions carry a public comment period with a 90-day decision clock.

Inspections and certificates

Inspections are booked with the office that issued the permit, and the electrical inspection with the approved third-party agency. The county Highway Department inspects a new driveway culvert after installation and has an improperly installed pipe removed and reset at the owner’s expense. The local office issues the certificate of occupancy or compliance after the final inspection.

Building on the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation

The Tribe’s permit application goes to its Compliance Department with a certified set of blueprints, and the file may be routed to the Tribal Clerk, the Environment Department, Tribal Historic Preservation or the Water & Sewage Department for special approval. Work must conform to the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe Fire Prevention and Building Code, the Code of Ordinances of TCR 2008-081 and the Tribe’s other applicable codes. Owners call the Compliance Office (518-358-2272, weekdays 8 a.m.–4 p.m.) at least 48 hours before each inspection, must not cover internal work until it has been seen, and display the permit card where it is visible from the nearest street. No structure that needs a certificate of occupancy may be occupied before it is issued.

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

FEMA’s status book lists 22 Franklin County towns and villages as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program; the Town of Chateaugay and the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation are not on that list, and nine communities have no mapped special flood hazard area.

Franklin County permit FAQ

Does Franklin County issue building permits?

No. Towns, villages and the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe do; the county issues highway driveway and work permits.

Who issues permits in the Village of Malone versus the Town of Malone?

The village Code Office at 343 West Main Street handles village parcels; the town office at Malone Town Hall handles the rest of the town.

Which Franklin County towns are in the Adirondack Park?

The APA’s map shows Bellmont, Brighton, Duane, Franklin, Harrietstown, Santa Clara, Tupper Lake and Waverly, plus the Villages of Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake.

Who approves my septic system?

The NYSDOH Saranac Lake district office handles individual sewage systems; Malone and Westville also issue a town septic permit.

What does a county driveway permit cost?

$50, non-refundable, plus the culvert pipe the owner buys and has installed if the Highway Department requires one.

Who issues permits on the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation?

The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe’s Compliance Department, using its own building permit application and blueprint review.

What if my town lists no code officer?

Start with the town clerk, who can name the officer and supply the application.

Franklin County permit search and official resources

Permit records stay with the town or village that issued them; ask the town clerk or code officer for copies. County records, such as highway permits, are requested under the Freedom of Information Law through the county’s FOIL page.

• Franklin County Planning: 239-m referrals
• Franklin County 239-m referral form
• Franklin County Highway Department permits
• Franklin County FOIL requests
• NYSDOH district offices (Saranac Lake serves Franklin County)
• Adirondack Park Agency permitting overview
• APA Jurisdictional Inquiry Form
• APA map of local land use controls in the Park (March 2024)
• Village of Malone code enforcement
• Town of Westville code enforcement and fees
• Tupper Lake Code Enforcement
• Town of Harrietstown Building and Planning
• Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe
• FEMA Community Status Book, New York
• NYS code adoption and enforcement updates

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