Town of Horseheads, New York Building Permit Guide

In the Town of Horseheads, building permits for land outside the villages are issued by the town’s Code Enforcement & Building Permits office at 150 Wygant Road (607-739-7605), whose director is Code Enforcement Officer Gregory Larnard. The office is open weekdays from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, but permits are issued only from 8:00 to 10:00 am and 3:00 to 3:45 pm, or by appointment. The Village of Horseheads and the Village of Elmira Heights each run their own code offices, so check which side of the line a parcel is on first.

What requires a building permit in Horseheads?

Chapter 83 of the Town Code, rewritten by Local Law No. 1 of 2024 on June 12, 2024, requires a permit for any work governed by the state Uniform Code or Energy Code and says plainly that no work outside its exemption list can be exempted. The town’s FAQ adds that every reroofing job, even a layover of new shingles on old, needs a permit.

What the town decides and what the state holds

The construction standards are New York’s Uniform Code and Energy Code. The Town Board decides how they are administered (Chapter 83), what the permits cost (by resolution), which electrical inspection agencies may work in the town (Chapter 99), and the land-use rules in its zoning law (Chapter 204) and flood damage prevention law (Chapter 111), applied by the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals under Chapter 41.

Horseheads building department: who handles permitting

The town holds 18,383 people (Census, 2025), but only 9,357 of them live outside the incorporated villages, and that is the town code office’s territory. The Village of Horseheads lies wholly inside the town, and about three-quarters of the Village of Elmira Heights (2,751 of its residents) is in the town, with the rest in the Town of Elmira. Each village issues its own building permits.

The village rules differ from the town’s. The Village of Horseheads, for example, requires permits for storage buildings of 120 square feet and over but none for siding, replacement windows or fences that meet its zoning, and its Planning Board meets on the fourth Monday at 4:00 pm as needed. Elmira Heights asks for a complete application, a CE-200 or insurance form, and a sketch or blueprints with materials and dimensions.

A Horseheads mailing address does not settle the question; the town posts a cross-reference of parcels by address, and its zoning map, to help place a property. The town’s FAQ gives the office hours as the two permit windows only, while the department page lists 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Horseheads permit types and filing requirements

Residential permits

House projects are priced by floor area plus construction value, so the office needs both figures. Chapter 83 calls for two sets of construction documents and a site plan with the application, and contractors show workers’ compensation and disability coverage or the CE-200 exemption the town explains on its documents list. Decks, pools, generators, small solar systems and heating systems carry flat fees. Mobile homes may be placed only in a mobile home park, and a new installation there costs $125.

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

Commercial permits

A business moving to a new location in the town may need Planning Board site plan review, or a building permit followed by a certificate of occupancy, and every new business needs a fire inspection before opening. Commercial buildings are fire-inspected every three years and places of assembly every year, with fees from $25 for buildings up to 1,000 square feet to $1,000 for the largest; multi-family buildings pay $25 per building, up to $100 per complex. Temporary signs need a permit and may stay up no more than 30 consecutive days in a calendar year.

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: site plan review ($75 minor, $150 plus $25 an acre major), special use permits and subdivisions, with a $100-per-lot recreation fee on new subdivision lots.
• Zoning Board of Appeals: area and use variances at $75, with the applicant paying for the hearing notices.
• Floodplain: building in a mapped flood area needs a floodplain development permit under Chapter 111 ($50 residential, $75 commercial). FEMA lists the town as participating, with a Community Rating System class 8 that gives policyholders a 10% discount.
• Stormwater: the town runs an MS4 stormwater program and charges for SWPPP review, from $50 for a single house lot.
• Septic: off public sewer, Chemung County Environmental Health Services evaluates the site with test holes, and the county issues the system’s construction permit only to a registered contractor.
• Driveways and the road: driveway permits are $25 and work in a town road right-of-way $100.

Horseheads building permit fees

The Town Board sets fees by resolution under Chapter 83, and it re-adopted the Code Enforcement fee structure, effective immediately, as Resolution #9 of 2026 at its January 14, 2026 organizational meeting. The rates are the same as on the fee sheet posted on the Code Enforcement page, which is still headed January 13, 2021. Both have two money columns, a fee calculation and a base fee, and neither says whether the base fee is added to the calculation or works as a minimum; only the new-construction entry says “$500.00- new construction/minimum”.

Worked examples using the flat or single-formula rows: a 300-square-foot deck is $75; a residential reroof worth $12,000 is $60 + (12 × $2) = $84; a pool or a standby generator is $75 each; and a commercial reroof worth $40,000 is $100 + $80 = $180.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical. Chapter 99 names the agencies whose inspectors are authorized to inspect electrical work in the town: Middle Department Inspection Agency, Commonwealth Electrical Inspection Service, New York Atlantic-Inland, Lauper Electrical Inspections, and Erb Inspections, listed for commercial electrical inspection, alongside the Code Enforcement Officer; the list was last amended by Town Board resolution in November 2025. Installing or altering wiring before an application for inspection has been filed is a violation, and so is connecting power before the inspector’s certificate of compliance, with fines of up to $1,000.

Plumbing, heating and gas. The Town Code has no plumber or electrician licensing chapter. Heating systems are a $50 permit, fuel, CNG and LPG tanks $50, tank removal $40, and dispensing islands $50 plus $2 per $1,000 with a $100 base.

Fire systems. Fire alarm, sprinkler, life-safety, truss identification and carbon monoxide systems each need a $75 permit; residential truss ID signs are $15.

How to apply for a Town of Horseheads building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The short issuing windows are the main scheduling constraint, so an appointment helps for anything more than a simple permit. Fees based on construction value need a credible cost figure, and planning or zoning approvals must come first where they apply. Starting without a permit doubles the fee and adds $100, or $200 for a second offense.

Horseheads inspections and certificates

Under Chapter 83 work must stay exposed until the Code Enforcement Officer or an authorized inspector accepts it, and the permit holder calls when each stage is ready, from footings and framing through Energy Code items to the final inspection. A certificate of occupancy or compliance closes the job; a new business needs its fire inspection before it opens. A permit becomes invalid if work has not started within six months and expires 12 months after it was issued; renewal costs half the original fee. Fire inspections include one follow-up visit, extra visits are billed per visit, and a no-show costs $25.

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

The Town of Horseheads administers the code through Chapter 83 of its Town Code, Building Code Administration, adopted in full on June 12, 2024.

Town of Horseheads permit FAQ

Does the town issue permits in the Village of Horseheads?

No. The village has its own code enforcement office at 202 South Main Street (607-739-5691, option 2), and Elmira Heights has its own at 215 Elmwood Avenue (607-734-7156).

When can I pick up a permit?

Between 8:00 and 10:00 am or 3:00 and 3:45 pm on weekdays, or by appointment.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

Not for a one-story detached shed of 120 square feet or less. Larger accessory buildings are $0.10 per square foot with a $50 base fee.

Do I need a permit to put new shingles over old ones?

Yes. The town requires a permit for all reroofing, including layovers, at $60 plus $2 per $1,000 of value for a house.

Who inspects electrical work?

The Code Enforcement Officer or one of the agencies named in Chapter 99, such as Middle Department Inspection Agency or Commonwealth Electrical Inspection Service.

Can I put a mobile home on my land?

Only in a mobile home park; the installation permit is $125.

Can I burn brush or trash?

No. Open burning, including in a burn barrel, is not allowed in the town or the village.

Is the town in the National Flood Insurance Program?

Yes. FEMA lists the Town of Horseheads as participating, in Community Rating System class 8, and the town issues floodplain development permits.

Horseheads permit search and official resources

The Code Enforcement Officer keeps the town’s permit, inspection and certificate records under Chapter 83. For a past permit or a certificate, ask the office, request a letter of compliance ($25 residential, $35 commercial), or file a Freedom of Information Law request with the Town Clerk.

• Town of Horseheads Code Enforcement & Building Permits
• Town Board minutes, January 14, 2026 (fee resolution)
• Code Enforcement fee sheet (headed January 13, 2021)
• Horseheads cross reference by parcel address
• Codes & permits FAQ
• Town Code Chapter 83, building code administration
• Town Code Chapter 99, electrical inspections
• Village of Horseheads permit information
• Village of Elmira Heights building and code enforcement
• Chemung County new sewage treatment systems
• NYS code adoption and enforcement updates

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