Village of Freeport, New York Building Permit Guide

Inside the Incorporated Village of Freeport, the village Building Department at 46 North Ocean Avenue, not the Town of Hempstead, permits and inspects building, plumbing and electrical work, and every application now goes through the village’s OpenGov portal. A residential alteration costs $150 plus $10 or $22 for each $1,000 of cost above $1,000, depending on which of the village’s two fee pages you follow, and in the parts of the village that FEMA maps as special flood hazard areas new and substantially improved homes must be built 4 feet above the base flood elevation.

What requires a building permit in Freeport?

Chapter 86 of the Village Code requires a permit before building or altering any structure, waterfront structures included, and before installing or altering a plumbing or electrical system. Demolition and moving a building each need their own permit, and the village fee schedule shows the other items it permits.

Renting out housing needs a village rental permit under Chapter 128 on top of any building permit: $100 for one unit, $300 for a two-unit building, $550 for three units, $700 for four and $100 for each unit beyond four.

What the village decides and what the state sets

Construction standards come from the state Uniform Code and Energy Code, which the village enforces; local standards stricter than those need state Code Council approval. Freeport’s own rules are its zoning code (Chapter 210), the flood damage prevention law (Chapter 87) with its 4-foot freeboard, waterfront and bulkhead rules, licensing of master electricians and plumbers, environmental review of most permits under SEQRA, design review in the Freeport Plaza Urban Renewal Area, and a fee schedule the Board of Trustees sets by resolution.

Freeport building department: who handles permitting

The Building Department, headed by Building Department Superintendent Sergio Mauras, administers the village’s building, plumbing, electrical and housing codes and regulates multiple residences, places of public assembly, unsafe buildings and the use and upkeep of property. Freeport is an incorporated village inside the Town of Hempstead, and parcels in the village file here rather than with the town. Freeport also runs its own electric utility and water department, and both can affect a permit.

Permit types and submission requirements

Residential permits

All structural work needs two sets of signed and sealed architectural drawings plus a digital set, and the department will not accept a construction application without them. The application includes a sworn statement of the cost of the work, on which the fee is based; the Superintendent sets the cost estimate. If someone other than the owner does the work, a sworn statement naming every owner and showing the contractor’s authority goes with it. The village’s older permit packet also asks for a copy of the contractor’s current Nassau County license, two copies of a current survey, the Nassau County assessor’s sheet, an environmental review form, energy calculations, and a water letter for pools or new plumbing.

Fences: in a primary front yard only an open fence up to 4 feet; in side and rear yards an open or closed fence up to 6 feet; on canal or waterfront lots, rear fences within 20 feet of the bulkhead must be open and no taller than 4 feet; and in a mapped floodplain, fences are limited to an open style up to 6 feet. Corner lots have a separate secondary-front-yard rule, and razor or barbed wire is allowed only in industrial districts for security.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial work follows the same sealed-plan rule, and commercial fees start at $300. Excavation for a business, industrial or multiple-dwelling building needs a surety bond or cash deposit to secure filling the hole if the job is abandoned. In the Freeport Plaza Urban Renewal Area, the Architectural Review and Revitalization Board must approve structural, facade, sign, parking and landscape work before the Superintendent issues the permit.

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

Any application may need site plan review or a Zoning Board of Appeals decision first, and the packet warns that either lengthens the time to a permit. Other than minor and interior alterations, the Superintendent also applies the State Environmental Quality Review Act. Projects in the special flood hazard area need flood elevation work from the start: the village’s freeboard is 4 feet above the base flood elevation or 2 feet above the state freeboard, whichever is greater, and improvements worth 50% or more of a building’s market value must bring the whole building up to new-construction flood standards. FEMA lists Freeport as a participating NFIP community in Community Rating System class 8, a 10% premium discount.

Freeport permit fees

The Board of Trustees sets the schedule by resolution. The village posts two versions, neither dated: a Building and Zoning Fees page that lists each fee by Village Code section (the table below), and a Permit Fees page linked from the Building Department that differs on several rows (see after the table).

The Permit Fees page charges a residential alteration $150 plus $22 per $1,000, adds a $150 letter of completion fee to every building and demolition permit except fences and roofs, values outdoor decks and balconies at $48 per sq ft before applying the residential rate, lists signs at $150, residential heating or air conditioning at $75 and commercial at $150 per unit plus $7.50 per $1,000 for piping and ductwork, and says refacing or resurfacing a bulkhead is no longer permitted. Ask the department which figures apply before you budget.

Worked example. A $50,000 residential alteration is $150 plus $10 for each of the 49 thousands above the first $1,000: $150 + $490 = $640 on the code-section page. On the Permit Fees page it is $150 + 49 × $22 = $1,228, plus the $150 letter of completion, or $1,378. Any permit issued after work has started costs twice the scheduled fee, and an expedited plan review is available at a separate fee the Board sets by resolution.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Home improvement contractors. Nassau County’s Department of Consumer Affairs licenses everyone running a residential home improvement business in the county, Freeport included, and requires licensed contractors to be fingerprinted (240 Old Country Road, Mineola; licensing 516-571-2600). The village asks for a copy of that license and for workers’ compensation and disability coverage, or the state exemption, before it issues a permit.

Electrical. Electrical work for others may be done only by a master electrician licensed by the village, someone working under one, or a holder of a Town of Hempstead master electrician’s license. Village licenses come through the Electricians’ License Board: $75 exam fee, $225 license and $225 yearly renewal, with a certificate of insurance on file with the Village Clerk; electricians not licensed by the village who work here under the code’s exception pay $300 a year. Service connections go through the Freeport Municipal Electric Utility, which requires a certificate of approval from the New York Board of Fire Underwriters or another inspection agency the village approves. For a new primary service the applicant also gives the utility the building plans with the electrical requirements, which it may approve, modify or reject.

Plumbing. Plumbers get a village license from the Village Clerk on proof of a current plumber’s license from the Town of Hempstead, North Hempstead or Oyster Bay; anyone without one who works only in Freeport goes through the village’s Examining Board of Plumbers ($75 exam, $225 license, renewal due by May 1). Plumbing and gas work then needs its own permit from the Building Department.

How to apply for a Freeport building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The Superintendent examines applications within a reasonable time and may approve part of a large job before the full plans are in. The village’s permit packet warns that site plan review or a Zoning Board decision extends the time before a permit can issue. Once issued, a permit lapses if work does not start within three months, though one three-month extension can be granted on a written request showing good cause. A job not finished within two years of issue is deemed abandoned and needs a new permit, with no refund.

Freeport inspections and certificates

Inspections are requested through the OpenGov portal. On new construction, once the foundation walls are in, the owner must file a licensed land surveyor’s diagram showing the foundation, and no superstructure may go up until the Superintendent approves it in writing. For the certificate of occupancy, a final survey must show the building, street and sidewalk grades and the first-floor elevation; in flood zones the village also needs the elevation certificate.

A new or altered building cannot be used until the certificate of occupancy is issued. The village will not issue one until a sidewalk meeting village standards is built or bonded, water used during construction is paid for and the Water Department confirms a meter is installed. Certificates are issued within 10 days of a written application when the work qualifies, and a temporary certificate is good for up to 90 days at a time.

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

Freeport permit FAQ

Does the Town of Hempstead issue permits in Freeport?

No. Freeport is an incorporated village with its own Building Department at 46 North Ocean Avenue, which permits all work inside the village.

How much does a building permit cost in Freeport?

A home alteration is $150 plus $10 per $1,000 of cost over $1,000 on the code-section fee page, or $22 per $1,000 plus a $150 letter of completion on the Permit Fees page; a new house is $150 plus $22 per $1,000. Commercial work starts at $300 plus $22 per $1,000.

Do I need a permit for a fence?

Yes, at $0.75 per linear foot. Front-yard fences must be open and no taller than 4 feet; side and rear fences can reach 6 feet.

Can I file on paper?

The village asks for every permit to be filed and submitted through OpenGov; call 516-377-2242 if you cannot use the portal.

How high must a house in the flood zone be built?

Four feet above the base flood elevation, or 2 feet above the state freeboard if that is higher, for new and substantially improved buildings.

Who can do electrical work in Freeport?

A village-licensed master electrician, someone working under one, or a Town of Hempstead-licensed master electrician.

Do I need a Nassau County contractor license?

Home improvement contractors do; the county Department of Consumer Affairs issues it, and the village asks for a copy.

How long do I have to start and finish the work?

Work must begin within three months of issue, with one three-month extension possible on a written request; a job unfinished after two years is treated as abandoned and needs a new permit.

What happens if I build without a permit?

The permit fee doubles when the permit is issued after work has begun.

Permit search and official resources

Applicants can review their own previous permits in the OpenGov portal. For other building records, file a Freedom of Information Law request with the Village Clerk’s Office by email or mail to 46 North Ocean Avenue; copies are $0.25 a page. The department keeps elevation certificates on file and can tell owners whether one exists for their property.

• Freeport Building Department
• Building permits (OpenGov filing notice)
• Online permitting
• Village of Freeport OpenGov portal
• Building and zoning fees
• Directions for filling out building permits
• Flood management
• FOIL requests to the Village Clerk
• Code of the Village of Freeport (eCode360)
• Chapter 86, Building Construction
• Chapter 87, Flood Damage Prevention
• Chapter 106, Electricity
• Chapter 162, Plumbing
• Chapter 210, Zoning
• Nassau County home improvement licensing
• NYS Department of State code adoption notice

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