Village of Garden City, New York Building Permit Guide

In the Incorporated Village of Garden City, the village Building Department, not the Town of Hempstead or North Hempstead, reviews plans, issues building, plumbing, electrical and mechanical permits and signs off certificates of occupancy; Giuseppe Giovanniello is Superintendent of Buildings. Under the fee schedule amended August 6, 2025, a home project costs $400 for the first $1,000 of estimated cost plus $20 for each further $1,000, and a deposit on the same scale is returned when the permit is closed out.

What requires a building permit in Garden City?

Chapter 68 of the Village Code requires a permit before any building work starts, whether new construction, alteration, enlargement or demolition, and separate permits for plumbing, heating, air conditioning, electrical work, generators and elevators. The village brochure lists jobs that many owners assume are exempt.

Fences are limited by Chapter 99 to 4 feet in residential districts (posts to 4½ feet), or 6 feet along a railroad, a park or commercial property, set at least 6 inches inside the property line; chicken wire, barbed wire, plywood and bare block walls are banned. Every structure on a lot is filed on its own application.

What the village decides and what the state sets

The 2025 Uniform Code and Energy Code are the construction standards, and anything stricter would need state Code Council approval. The Board of Trustees controls the rest: the zoning code (Chapter 200), architectural design review (Chapter 57), the fence law, permit time limits and close-out rules in Chapter 68, and the fee schedule.

Garden City building department: who handles permitting

The Building Department handles plan review, permits, inspections, certificates of occupancy and code enforcement, and it takes in applications for the Zoning Board of Appeals, the Planning Commission and the Architectural Design Review Board. The Superintendent of Buildings, Giuseppe Giovanniello (516-465-4050), leads a staff of building inspectors and a code enforcement inspector, and electrical work is inspected by the village’s consultant, Certified Electrical Inspections. The village says contractors usually file, but the owner is responsible for making sure every permit is obtained.

Garden City is an incorporated village, so the Town of Hempstead and Town of North Hempstead building departments do not permit work inside it. A Garden City mailing address is not proof of village location; the village forms use its Map, Block and Lot numbers.

Permit types and submission requirements

Residential permits

Larger jobs use the full building permit application, which records the existing and proposed lot coverage, rear-yard coverage and setbacks, the plans attached (architectural, structural, energy code, zoning calculations and trade drawings), the designer of record and contractor with their state license numbers, and whether the house will be lived in during work; if not, the Department of Public Works turns off the water and pulls the meter. Fences, pools, driveways, replacement windows and accessory structures use the minor building permit application, filed in duplicate with the Nassau County assessor’s form, two sets of drawings with a full zoning analysis, a current survey and energy code calculations. Contractors attach workers’ compensation and disability certificates (an ACORD form is not accepted). A house with four or more units is filed as commercial.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial projects pay the commercial scale ($500 for the first $1,000, plus a matching deposit) and can buy a fast-track review for $1,000 plus $150 for the first $1,000 and $20 for each further $1,000. They need a commercial code data worksheet and, where the code calls for it, a special inspections form. Commercial fences need Architectural Design Review Board approval first, and elevators, escalators and dumbwaiters must be inspected twice a year with the reports filed with the department.

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

Chapter 68 bars a permit until every required board approval is in, and the Superintendent refers each application to the right board. Pools and hot tubs need Zoning Board approval, zoning calculations and an updated survey. The Architectural Design Review Board reviews street-visible additions or exterior changes that substantially change a house’s style or add or remove 30% or more of its area. Lead times are about two months for the ZBA and the ADRB and one month for the Planning Commission and the Zoning Change Review Committee; complete submissions received by month-end go on the next agenda. Residential subdivisions were under a moratorium adopted in August 2025 (Local Law 6-2025), and the subdivision review chapter was amended in March and June 2026.

Garden City permit fees

The village fee schedule was last amended on August 6, 2025. Residential rows apply to buildings with three or fewer families, and the building and trade fees already include the application and certificate fees. All fees are due at filing and are nonrefundable; only the deposit comes back.

Worked example. A $50,000 kitchen and bath renovation in a house pays $400 + 49 × $20 = $1,380 in permit fees and leaves a $300 + 49 × $20 = $1,280 deposit, $2,660 at filing; the $1,280 comes back once the permit is closed out. Plumbing and electrical permits for the same job are filed and paid separately.

Street trees and Public Works charges. The same schedule prices work that touches village property. Removing a street tree costs $500 up to 10 inches in caliper, $1,000 up to 20 inches and $1,500 above that, and other work near a street tree, such as excavating or moving utilities, is $200; a permit to remove a dead, infested or dangerous tree is free, though removing one without a permit is penalized. A dumpster in the right of way at a house is $150 a week or $400 for 30 days, a sidewalk, drop curb or apron permit $300 for a house, a new residential curb cut $500, and a road opening $500 for up to 25 square feet. Public Works also takes a cash or bond deposit of twice the fee or 150% of the restoration cost, refunded once the work passes.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Licensed trades only. The village requires all plumbing and electrical work to be done by a licensed plumber or electrician, who must be present at inspections. The electrical and plumbing permit forms ask for a copy of a license issued by the Town of Hempstead, the Town of North Hempstead or the Town of Oyster Bay. Structural work must be done by a licensed and insured contractor.

Electrical. The electrical application is filed in triplicate with the electrician’s license and insurance certificates. Inspections are made by the village’s consultant, Certified Electrical Inspections (1-888-238-1338), whose own fee is paid directly to it, and its certificate serves as the final electrical sign-off.

Plumbing and mechanical. A plumbing permit is filed with a mechanical permit for any related equipment, and a mechanical permit (boilers, furnaces, central air) needs companion electrical and plumbing permits for its wiring and gas piping.

Home improvement contractors. Nassau County’s Department of Consumer Affairs licenses everyone who runs a residential home improvement business in the county and fingerprints its licensees; its licensing line is 516-571-2600, and it offers an online license lookup.

How to apply for a Garden City building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Incomplete applications are not accepted, and an application is treated as abandoned if the owner does not answer a request for more information within a year. Major projects (new buildings and work that changes the certificate of occupancy) and minor ones both expire six months after issuance unless the Superintendent finds substantial progress, which carries a major project to 18 months and a minor one to a year. Two three-month extensions can be requested in writing within 30 days after expiry. A permit that lapses without close-out forfeits the deposit and can bring fines of $1,500, $3,000 and $5,000 for repeat offenses.

Garden City inspections and certificates

Inspectors work by appointment only, Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and every request needs 48 hours’ notice. Routine inspections are free; the department charges $150 for an extra visit when work failed, was done without approval or is built in phases. Electrical inspections are booked with Certified Electrical Inspections. Every permit ends with a close-out inspection, and nothing may be occupied until the department issues a certificate of occupancy, a certificate of completion or a letter in lieu. A temporary certificate of occupancy costs $150 for a home when the file is not complete.

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

Garden City permit FAQ

Do I need a permit to replace a fence in Garden City?

Yes. Any new or replacement fence or wall needs a $150 permit, and residential fences are limited to 4 feet in most locations.

How much is a building permit for a renovation?

$400 for the first $1,000 of estimated cost and $20 per $1,000 after that, plus a refundable deposit of $300 and $20 per $1,000.

Do I need a permit to remodel a kitchen or bathroom?

Yes. The village lists kitchen and bathroom remodeling, fixture replacement and basement finishing as permit work.

Can a homeowner do the electrical or plumbing work?

Not under the village’s rules: plumbing and electrical work must be done by a plumber or electrician licensed by the Town of Hempstead, North Hempstead or Oyster Bay.

Do I need a permit to repave my driveway?

Yes, to install, repave or replace a front-yard driveway; the residential pavement permit is $150, and a new curb cut from Public Works is $500.

When do I get my deposit back?

After the close-out inspection; a permit that expires without close-out or extension forfeits the deposit.

How long does board review take?

About two months for the Zoning Board or the Architectural Design Review Board and one month for the Planning Commission.

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

Three times the permit fee on top of the permit fees themselves, filed on a separate maintain-and-legalize application.

Permit search and official resources

The village has no online permit search. A certificate of occupancy search for a title company costs $100 per address (a folder with up to 10 certificates), copies of certificates are $10 each, and other building records are requested on the village FOIL form, for which the Building Department charges no fee; retrieval can take up to 30 days.

• Garden City Building Department
• When do I need to apply for a building permit? (brochure)
• Building permit application
• Minor building permit application
• Electrical permit application
• Plumbing permit application
• Mechanical permit application
• Village fee schedule, amended August 6, 2025
• Application for extension of building permit
• Architectural Design Review Board application
• Zoning Board of Appeals applications
• Village Code Chapter 68, Building Construction Administration
• Village Code Chapter 99, Fences
• Village Code Chapter 200, Zoning
• FOIL request form
• Nassau County home improvement licensing
• NYS Department of State code adoption notice

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