Town of Highlands, New York Building Permit Guide

Building permits for both the Town of Highlands and the Village of Highland Falls are issued by the Town of Highlands Building Department at Town Hall, 254 Main Street, Highland Falls (845-446-4280, ext. 316), open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Plans must carry the seal of a New York architect or engineer unless the code official waives it for non-structural work, and every electrical job needs a third-party inspection certificate.

What requires a building permit in the Town of Highlands?

Chapter 82 of the Town Code, rewritten by Local Law 1 of 2023, makes the rule broad: a permit is needed for any work that has to meet the Uniform Code or the Energy Code, including building, enlarging, altering, moving or demolishing any structure and installing a wood or pellet stove, chimney or flue in a home. The two subsections that would list exempt work are marked “Reserved”, so the town code itself names no exempt project; ask the department before assuming a small job is free of a permit.

Fences are limited by zoning rather than listed as permit work: in the residence districts a fence may be 4 feet high along the front lot line, where only an open wire or cyclone type is allowed, and 6 feet along side and rear lines; the mobile home and business districts allow 8 feet at the sides and rear. On corner lots nothing over 2 feet may stand in the sight triangle. Garages and sheds may not sit in a required front or side yard.

What the town decides and what the state sets

The Uniform Code and Energy Code set construction standards; the town adopts its own administration law, zoning, flood damage prevention, stormwater and septic rules. Building permits in Highlands become void if work has not started within six months and expire 18 months after issue; the same chapter holds the town’s stop-work orders, orders to remedy and operating-permit rules. The Village of Highland Falls keeps its own code, with a Building Construction chapter (Local Law 4 of 2007) and village zoning, which the same town office applies inside the village.

Town of Highlands building department: who handles permitting

The Building Department handles building inspections, permits, code enforcement and zoning administration for Fort Montgomery and the rest of the town and for the Village of Highland Falls. Philip Hannawalt is the Building Inspector. The United States Military Academy at West Point lies outside the department’s jurisdiction, so federal work there does not come to Town Hall.

The Village of Highland Falls

Highland Falls is the only incorporated village in the town. Its own website lists a Village Clerk, police and public works but no building office, and the town department’s page states that it covers the village. Village rules still differ in places: pools there must be at least 10 feet from side and rear lot lines, landlords register rental units under village Chapter 128, and village fees are set by Board of Trustees resolution. The Planning Board and ZBA are consolidated boards that hear town and village cases.

Town of Highlands permit types and filing rules

Residential permits

The town uses one paper application for building permit, typed or completed in ink and sworn before a notary. It asks whether the house will be lived in during the work, the framing type (including truss or engineered framing), whether the lot is on a town road, village street or state highway, the water and sewer source, whether grading, filling, tree removal or blasting is planned, whether the lot is in a FEMA flood zone, and the zoning district. If a special permit, site plan approval or variance was granted, the decision letter goes with the application.

Two complete sets of plans and specifications are required, sealed and signed by a New York architect or engineer; the code official may waive the stamp when the work does not affect structural or public safety. Exterior work also needs two plot plans showing the buildings, lot lines and nearby streets. An owner authorization letter lets someone else sign for and collect the permit, and an owner-builder of a one- to four-family home files the BP-1 affidavit in place of workers’ compensation proof.

For a pool or spa the department wants a survey with setbacks and the product literature for the pool, filter and safety equipment, including a pool alarm and, for an above-ground pool, the ladder.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial and multi-family work goes through the same department and usually starts at the Planning Board. A non-residential site plan costs $250 plus $0.25 for each square foot over 300, a special exception use permit $300, and mixed-use or commercial site plans carry an escrow of $1,000 plus $200 per 1,000 square feet of floor area. Fire-code operating permits use their own form.

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

• Planning Board: subdivisions, lot line changes, site plans and special permits; file at least 21 days before the meeting with ten copies, and pay the escrow before any review starts.
• Zoning Board of Appeals: variances and interpretations for town and village parcels.
• Flood plain: Chapter 114 applies to mapped flood zones, and the application asks the question directly; FEMA lists both the town and the village as participating communities, with maps dated August 3, 2009.
• Erosion and stormwater: a $100 erosion control permit, and inspection escrows of $2,000 to $4,000 where a stormwater plan is required.
• Other agencies: the town reminds applicants that DEC, Orange County health and DOT permits are theirs to obtain before construction.

Town of Highlands permit fees

Chapter 82 says building permit, renewal and certificate fees are those set in Chapter 109, but Chapter 109 as published lists only Planning Board fees and escrows, and the department posts no building fee sheet. The application asks for the estimated value of construction beside the fee line, and the department assesses the fee when it examines the file. The published charges are:

No building permit or certificate of occupancy is issued until the town’s professional inspection charges on the project have been paid. A one-time renewal of up to a year is available for an extra fee.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical. Orange County, not the town, licenses electricians, under county Local Law 1 of 2024, and since that law also requires electrical inspectors to hold a county license, the third-party agency that inspects the job must be licensed too. The application asks whether a county-licensed electrical contractor will do the work, and the department will not close a permit until a certified third-party agency’s certificate of approval is on file. The county law exempts an owner working in his or her own unattached single-family house that is more than a year old, except for replacing the whole service, and that work still needs an inspection where a permit applies. The county posts a list of licensed electricians and inspectors, updated October 29, 2026.

Plumbing, heating and gas. These are reviewed as part of the building permit; the plans must show plumbing and mechanical installations. Orange County says it requires no trade license other than for electricians, and the Town Code has no plumbing or contractor licensing chapter.

Septic. Outside the village, Chapter 146 bars any new building for occupancy until a septic system is approved: the owner files a septic application in triplicate on Town Clerk forms with a drawing of the tank location, the Sanitary Inspector of the town Board of Health checks the site before and after installation, and nothing may be covered until approved. Systems must be more than 50 feet from lakes, reservoirs and streams. Orange County Environmental Health, 124 Main Street, Goshen (845-862-6201), reviews realty subdivisions of five or more lots under 5 acres.

How to apply for a Town of Highlands building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The department examines the form, plans and plot plans and records approval or the reason for denial on the application itself. Missing seals, an unanswered question about septic, road access or flood zone, or an unpaid professional review charge from a Planning Board case hold the permit. Once issued, the approved plans must stay on site, and any change to them must be brought to the department before it is built; a significant change needs an amended permit.

Town of Highlands inspections and certificates

Inspections are booked with the Building Department for weekday appointments between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., with at least two business days’ notice; the department fits in shorter notice when it can. Every stage of the work must be inspected before it is covered, and electrical work is inspected separately by the third-party agency. Pool and spa installations are checked against the 2025 Property Maintenance, Residential and Building Codes and the 2023 electrical code before a certificate of compliance is issued.

The final inspection and the certificate of occupancy or compliance must both happen before the permit expires. The town suggests limiting noisy construction to 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.

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 Highlands permit FAQ

Does the Village of Highland Falls have its own building department?

No. The Town of Highlands Building Department at 254 Main Street handles permits and inspections inside the village too.

Who issues permits at West Point?

Not the town. The department’s page states that the Military Academy is outside its jurisdiction.

How much is a building permit in Highlands?

The town does not publish a building fee schedule; the department assesses the fee when it reviews the application, which asks for the estimated value. Planning Board fees and escrows are in Chapter 109.

How long is a permit good for?

Work must begin within six months, and the permit expires 18 months after issue. One renewal of up to a year is possible for a fee.

Can I do my own electrical work?

Only in your own single-family house more than a year old, under the Orange County exemption, and it still has to be inspected by a certified agency.

Do I need stamped plans for a small project?

The form requires a New York architect’s or engineer’s seal, but the code official may waive it when the work does not affect structural or public safety.

How tall can my fence be?

In residence districts, 4 feet along the front lot line (open wire type only) and 6 feet along the sides and rear.

Who approves a septic system?

Outside the village, the town’s Sanitary Inspector, on an application filed with the Town Clerk under Chapter 146.

Permit search and official resources

The town has no online permit search. Records of permits, certificates and inspections are requested from the Town Clerk under the Freedom of Information Law, online or on the paper form; a residential municipal search costs $200 with the smoke and CO affidavit.

• Town of Highlands Building Department
• Application for building permit
• Requirements for swimming pools and spas
• Consolidated Planning Board
• Consolidated Zoning Board of Appeals
• FOIL requests (Town Clerk)
• Town Code Chapter 82, Building Construction and Fire Prevention
• Town Code Chapter 109, Fees
• Town Code Chapter 146, Sewers (septic rules)
• Town Code Chapter 210, Zoning
• Code of the Village of Highland Falls
• Orange County Local Law 1 of 2024, electrical licensing
• Orange County licensed electricians and inspectors
• Orange County Environmental Health
• FEMA Community Status Book, New York
• NYS code adoption notice

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