Genesee County, New York Building Permit Guide

Genesee County does not issue building permits. The City of Batavia’s Bureau of Inspection covers the city, each of the 13 towns appoints a code officer, and the Villages of Bergen, Le Roy and Oakfield keep their own, while Elba’s town and village share one. What the county does is permit septic systems and wells through the Genesee and Orleans County Health Department (GO Health), issue driveway and right-of-way permits on county roads, and review zoning actions through its Planning Board.

What requires a building permit in Genesee County?

Each city, town and village applies the Uniform Code through its own local law, so the list is local. Elba’s shared town and village page is a clear example: new construction, alterations, additions and repairs, sheds, barns and garages, swimming pools, decks, fencing and demolition all need a permit. Le Roy’s fee schedule shows permits for generators, hot tubs, roofing with tear-off, woodstoves and farm buildings with an agricultural exemption.

What the towns decide and what the state holds

The 2025 Uniform Code and Energy Code are the construction rules everywhere in the county; towns and villages choose their zoning, fees and staffing, and any stricter local building standard needs state Code Council approval. Shared arrangements are common: Le Roy’s town and village keep separate code officers but a joint planning board and one website, Elba’s town and village share an officer and both boards, and the same code officer is listed by Bethany and Byron, and another by Elba and the Village of Oakfield.

Genesee County building department: who handles permitting

The table lists the city, all 13 towns, every village the Census Bureau places in the county and the Tonawanda Reservation. The City of Batavia has a full guide on this site; the Town of Batavia around it is a separate municipality with its own Building & Zoning department.

What Genesee County itself does

• GO Health, Environmental Health: designs onsite wastewater treatment systems and helps owners with permits for new, repaired or replaced systems, takes applications for new or replacement wells and percolation tests, and inspects septic systems at property transfers. A completed environmental fee schedule and payment go with each application.
• Public Works, 153 Cedar Street, Batavia: formal permits for new driveways on county roads and for contractors or utilities working in the county right-of-way, priced on a 2024 permit fee worksheet. Where a culvert is needed, the owner buys smooth-interior plastic pipe and the county installs it on its own schedule, or a contractor installs it under a permit.
• Planning, County Building 2, 3837 West Main Street Road, Batavia (585-815-7901, weekdays 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.): GIS mapping, the FEMA map update and staff for the county Planning Board’s review under General Municipal Law 239-l, m and n. The county charges no fee for referrals and warns of fake emails asking for payment.

Genesee County permit types and applications

Residential permits

Town applications are generally paper forms handed to the code officer, and several officers work by appointment, as in Bethany. Stafford explains its two-part system plainly: a zoning permit covers the placement and use of almost any structure on a legal parcel, farm buildings included, and the building permit covers its construction; applications are picked up from the Town Clerk before any work starts, and dividing land needs a separate Land Separation application. The Town of Batavia’s Building & Zoning department is led by a building inspector who is also department head, with additional inspectors on staff. The Village of Bergen posts separate building, demolition, driveway, fence, temporary storage structure and sign permit forms. The City of Batavia files building and plumbing permits through its iWorQ portal, as its guide explains.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial projects go through site plan review by the local planning board first; in Le Roy that review is $100 and a special use permit $200 to $250 depending on the zone, and projects needing outside attorney or engineering review can be charged that cost. Commercial building permits there are $0.10 per sq ft, with storage tank installation at $100 and removal at $50. In Stafford every non-residential use needs at least site plan approval from the town Planning Board, and the town’s boards meet only once a month, which sets the pace of a commercial file.

For tenant improvements and new commercial builds, Alliance handles commercial permit expediting through issuance. More on this: commercial building permits explained.

What comes before the building permit

• Septic and well: GO Health design or approval and a perc test where needed, before the building permit on an unsewered lot.
• Driveway: the county permit on a county road; town roads have their own permits, as Bergen’s driveway application shows.
• Zoning boards: variances, site plans and special use permits, referred to the county Planning Board where state law requires.
• Flood maps: new FEMA maps for the whole county take effect in February 2027; check a lot against the preliminary maps now.

Building permit fees in Genesee County

There is no county building permit fee. The Town of Le Roy’s Planning/Zoning/Code fee schedule, revised April 18, 2023, is shown as an example; it also sets a multi-family surcharge for the village. The City of Batavia’s April 2026 schedule is in its guide.

Worked example: a new 2,000 sq ft house in the Town of Le Roy costs 2,000 × $0.15 = $300; a 240 sq ft deck added later is 240 × $0.10 = $24. Le Roy permits are valid for one year, with up to two six-month extensions for good cause.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Genesee County has no county trade licensing. The City of Batavia licenses plumbers through its own examining board and accepts five approved electrical inspection agencies, as its guide sets out; the town pages listed here describe no local licenses. Le Roy’s schedule notes that electrical certification, UL approval and county or state approvals may be needed depending on the project. Proof of workers’ compensation and disability insurance, or the state exemption, is required before any permit issues.

How to get a building permit in Genesee County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Officers who serve more than one municipality and keep limited hours are the usual bottleneck, so call ahead. County referrals add time because the Planning Board must review them before the local board acts, and an unsewered lot cannot move forward until GO Health has approved the septic design.

Inspections and certificates

Inspections are booked with the office that issued the permit. Stafford asks for inspection calls at least 24 hours in advance and issues permits for one year with extensions if more time is needed. GO Health inspects septic systems during property transfers as well as at installation. Stafford treats a permit as closed only when a certificate of occupancy or compliance has been issued, and adds late fees when work is found to have started without one. In Le Roy, one town code officer handles vacant building registration and fire inspections for both the town and the village. The local office issues the final certificate.

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 the city, every town and the Villages of Alexander, Attica, Bergen, Corfu, Elba, Le Roy and Oakfield in the National Flood Insurance Program, with new maps effective February 19, 2027; the county’s own flood map page gives February 20, 2027. The City of Batavia earns a Community Rating System class 7 discount.

Genesee County permit FAQ

Does Genesee County issue building permits?

No. The City of Batavia, the towns and the villages do; the county issues septic, well and county-road permits.

Is the Town of Batavia the same office as the City of Batavia?

No. The city’s Bureau of Inspection is at One Batavia City Centre; the town’s Building & Zoning department is reached at 585-343-1729, option 3.

Who approves a septic system in Genesee County?

GO Health’s Environmental Health staff, who design onsite systems and help with permits for new, repaired and replaced systems.

Does a county Planning Board referral cost anything?

No. The county charges no fee for 239 referrals and warns about fraudulent payment requests.

Who handles permits in the Village of Le Roy?

The Village Code Enforcement office, separate from the town’s; call 585-768-6910 and ask for village code enforcement.

When do the new flood maps take effect?

February 2027; FEMA lists February 19 and the county page February 20.

Do I need a zoning permit as well as a building permit?

In towns with zoning, usually yes. Stafford, for example, issues a zoning permit for the placement and use of almost any structure, farm buildings included, before the building permit for its construction.

How much is a permit for a fence in Le Roy?

$30 in the Town of Le Roy under its 2023 schedule.

Genesee County permit search and official resources

Each issuing office keeps its own permits. The City of Batavia’s iWorQ portal has a public permit search; for towns and villages, ask the clerk, using a Freedom of Information Law request for older files.

• Genesee County towns and villages
• Genesee County Planning Department
• Genesee County flood insurance rate map update
• Genesee County highway permits
• GO Health private wells and septic systems
• City of Batavia Bureau of Inspection
• Town of Batavia Building & Zoning
• Town of Le Roy fee schedule (revised 4-18-23)
• Village of Le Roy Code Enforcement
• Village of Bergen permits
• FEMA Community Status Book, New York
• NYS code adoption and enforcement updates

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