Town of Goshen, New York Building Permit Guide

For land in the Town of Goshen outside the Village of Goshen, building, electrical, plumbing, heating and demolition permits come from the Building & Zoning office on the second floor of Town Hall, 41 Webster Avenue (845-294-6430). Applications are taken from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. as one paper set with payment plus an emailed copy, and a new house costs $150 plus $0.75 per square foot. Since September 8, 2026, inspections can be booked only by email.

What requires a building permit in the Town of Goshen?

The town’s rule is broad: a permit is needed to build, enlarge, alter, repair, move or demolish a building, change its occupancy, move a lot line that affects a building, or install, alter or replace any electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system the code regulates. In practice that covers:

The town’s requirements sheet adds that exempt work must still meet the Uniform Code and Energy Code; the exemption only removes the paperwork.

What the town decides and what the state sets

The Uniform Code and Energy Code set construction standards; the town sets zoning, its fee and escrow schedule and its board procedures. Goshen has an Environmental Review Board as well as a Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals. The review board advises the Planning Board and other town agencies on how projects affect natural and man-made features, meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall, and receives applications under the same paper-plus-email rule as the other boards.

Town of Goshen building department: who handles permitting

The Building & Zoning office, headed by Building Inspector Frank P. Leva, issues all building permits for residential and commercial structures in the town, including electrical, plumbing, heating and air conditioning and demolition permits. It reviews plans, inspects work during construction, issues certificates of occupancy and compliance, and answers floodplain questions.

Villages inside the town

The Village of Goshen, home to 5,744 people, has its own Building & Zoning department at Village Hall, 276 Main Street. It requires two complete sets of plans and specifications and a plot plan with every application, and no new building there may be occupied until the village issues a certificate of occupancy. A small corner of the Village of Florida, home to eight people according to the Census, also lies in the town; Florida’s Building and Planning Department at 33 South Main Street permits work there. It takes applications in person from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the second floor of Village Hall, does not accept emailed applications, requires a permit for any accessory structure, and books inspections by phone at least 24 hours ahead. The town office covers the remaining 8,773 residents.

Town of Goshen permit types and filing rules

Residential permits

Use the town’s building permit application. Since January 1, 2023 every application, including those to the Planning Board, Zoning Board and Environmental Review Board, must be filed as one hard copy with payment and also emailed to buildingandzoning@townofgoshen.org; partial submissions are refused, and every message should quote the section-block-lot number or the permit or project number with the address.

Construction documents go in as two paper sets and one digital copy, prepared by a New York architect or engineer where the Education Law requires it. The town’s requirements sheet lists the exceptions it accepts without a stamp: farm buildings used only for agriculture, single-family homes of 1,500 square feet or less (not counting garages, carports, porches, cellars or unused basements and attics), and alterations under $20,000 that do not affect structural or public safety. Where applicable the plans include a site plan showing buildings, any well or septic system and distances to lot lines. Trusses or engineered wood require the town’s truss notice under 19 NYCRR Part 1265, and an owner claiming exemption from workers’ compensation files a CE-200.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial buildings cost $200 plus $0.95 per square foot for the first 100,000 square feet and $0.85 per square foot beyond, plus an inspection fee of 5% of construction cost or an escrow by agreement with the town; the town engineer’s estimate sets the escrow and any unused balance is refunded. Operating permits ($150) and event permits ($200) use the town’s operating permit application, posted in June 2026. Signs are $160 with a $2,000 escrow, wireless telecommunications facilities $3,000, and solar farms $55 per 1,000 square feet of panels, each with the 5% inspection fee or an escrow; a check returned for insufficient funds adds $20.

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

• Zoning Board of Appeals: $450 plus a $2,000 escrow for a residential application, $900 plus $3,000 for a commercial one, and a $150 public hearing fee.
• Planning Board: a staff meeting before filing carries a $250 administrative fee; a site plan or conditional use application costs $750 plus $150 per dwelling unit or $75 per 1,000 square feet of floor area, with an escrow of $2,500 plus $2,500 per 10,000 square feet, and the $150 public hearing fee is drawn from the escrow. Subdivisions, lot line changes and mergers have their own fees and escrows on the schedule.
• Environmental Review Board: advises the Planning Board and other town agencies on how a proposal affects the town’s natural and man-made features.
• Site development: $2,000 for less than an acre and $2,000 plus $40 an acre above that, with the 5% inspection fee or an escrow; a clearing and grading permit is $250.
• Flood plain: the town takes part in the National Flood Insurance Program, its current flood maps date from August 3, 2009, and the Building Department answers floodplain questions; a flood plain development permit is $250 plus a $500 review escrow.
• Utilities: town water and sewer hook-ups are $2,000 each.

Town of Goshen permit fees

The town’s Fee & Escrow Schedule (revision 08/2024) took effect on August 12, 2024. Fees are not refunded for abandoned applications.

For example, a 2,000 sq ft new house costs $150 + (2,000 × $0.75) = $1,650, and a 240 sq ft deck $150 + (240 × $0.75) = $330. Pools, roofs, mechanical work, wells, septic and solar are charged $150 or $250 plus $5 for each $1,000, as the schedule states it.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical. The town issues the electrical permit ($150 for an upgrade or modification), but all electrical work must be inspected by an independent inspector from the town’s approved list, whose fee is not covered by the permit. The inspector issues a report and puts a sticker on the panel, and the Building Department still makes its own final inspection. Inspectors pay the town $150 a year for approval. The list the town still posts says “This list shall not be valid after June 30, 2025”; it named Electrical Underwriters of NY, Swanson Consulting, NY Certified Electrical Inspectors, NY Electrical Inspections & Consulting, Inspections on Time, Tri-State Inspection Services, SAS Electrical Inspection and Commonwealth Electrical Inspection; ask the office for the current list. Electricians themselves are licensed by Orange County, which posts its list of licensed electricians and inspectors, and under the county’s Local Law No. 1 of 2024 inspectors must also hold a county-issued license, granted after the Orange County Electrical Board approves their qualifications.

Plumbing, heating and septic. Plumbing and HVAC permits come from the same office. Septic replacements carry a $1,000 escrow on top of the permit fee, and wells are permitted at $150 plus $5 per $1,000. The town’s permit pages show no local license for plumbers or home-improvement contractors.

How to apply for a Town of Goshen building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The office will not accept an incomplete packet, so a missing form, digital copy or payment sends the whole application back; correspondence should always carry the section-block-lot or permit number the office files by. Once plans are accepted, one set stays with the town and one goes back to be kept on site; any change during the work must be reported, and a change the office considers significant needs an amended permit before it is built. An expired permit is renewed for $150 or the original administrative fee, whichever is greater.

Town of Goshen inspections and certificates

From September 8, 2026, inspections are made Monday to Friday in two windows, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Requests must be emailed to buildingandzoning@townofgoshen.org at least 24 hours ahead during business hours; a request sent after 5 p.m. for the next day, or over a weekend for a Monday, will not be granted, and phone or walk-in requests are not taken. A failed or not-ready inspection costs $100, payable before the next appointment. The electrical inspector’s report and panel sticker come before the town’s final inspection, which leads to the certificate of occupancy or compliance. The office also carries out fire safety and property maintenance inspections ($150 each).

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 Goshen permit FAQ

How much is a building permit for a new house in the Town of Goshen?

$150 plus $0.75 per square foot; a 2,000 sq ft house pays $1,650.

Do I need a permit for a fence or shed?

A fence that is not part of a pool enclosure needs no building permit. Sheds under 144 square feet are exempt; larger sheds pay $150 plus $0.75 per square foot.

How do I schedule an inspection?

By email only, at least 24 hours ahead during business hours; inspections run 9:30–11:30 a.m. and 1:30–3:30 p.m.

Can I file my application by email alone?

No. The town wants one hard copy with payment at Town Hall plus an emailed copy of the whole package.

Do I need stamped plans for a small house?

Not for a single-family home of 1,500 square feet or less, or for alterations under $20,000 that do not affect structural safety.

Who inspects electrical work?

An independent inspector on the town’s approved list, paid separately; the town then makes its own final inspection.

Do I need a permit for a generator or wood stove?

Yes. Generators, wood and pellet stoves and HVAC work are $150 plus $5 per $1,000 under the 2024 schedule.

I live in the Village of Goshen. Do I apply to the town?

No. Apply to the village Building & Zoning department at Village Hall, 276 Main Street (845-294-8881), with two sets of plans and a plot plan.

Permit search and official resources

The town has no online permit search. For a property’s permit history, ask Building & Zoning with the section-block-lot number, order a municipal search letter ($175), or make a Freedom of Information Law request through the Town Clerk.

• Building & Zoning
• Building permit instructions
• Building permit application
• Building permit requirements
• Paper and email filing notice
• Fee & Escrow Schedule, rev. 08/2024
• Approved electrical inspectors (2024–25 list)
• Operating permit application
• Environmental Review Board
• Village of Goshen Building & Zoning
• Village of Florida Building and Planning
• Orange County licensed electricians and inspectors
• FEMA Community Status Book, New York
• NYS code adoption notice

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