Livingston County, New York Building Permit Guide

Livingston County does not issue building permits. Each town has a code enforcement or zoning officer for land outside its villages, and eight of the nine villages run their own code office; Livonia is the exception, where the town and village share one Building & Zoning office. The county steps in at three points: its Department of Health permits septic systems, its Highway Department permits any work in a county road right-of-way, and its Planning Board reviews referred zoning actions.

What requires a building permit in Livingston County?

Each municipality writes its own list, and the lists differ in ways that matter for small jobs. The Town of York puts it most simply: a building permit is required for any work regulated by the Uniform Code. The Village of Leicester names work that usually needs no permit, such as same-size window and door replacement, new fixtures in the same place, painting, carpeting, new siding, sidewalks and driveways, while the Village of Mount Morris has a separate re-roof permit and the Town of Geneseo requires a roofing permit for every tear-off.

What the municipalities decide and what the state holds

The building standards are the state’s 2025 Uniform Code and Energy Code; no town or village here can make them stricter without Code Council approval. What each one controls is zoning, its permit list for small projects, its fee schedule and how it takes applications. Several share rules: Nunda’s town and village adopted one joint zoning law, Dansville and the Town of North Dansville publish one building fee schedule, and Livingston County is not among the twelve counties the Department of State lists as having opted out of the enforcement of the Uniform and Energy codes.

Livingston County building department: who handles permitting

The county’s own directory lists a code, building or zoning officer for every town, and the table adds the villages from their own pages. A town officer stops at a village line, so an address inside Avon, Caledonia, Dansville, Geneseo, Leicester, Lima, Mount Morris or Nunda village files with the village. Dansville sits in the Town of North Dansville; Census figures show none of its residents in Sparta.

Part-time hours are normal here: Conesus opens its code office two half-days a week, Nunda village one afternoon, and several officers serve more than one town, so call before visiting. The Town of Mount Morris has no working website: the address in the county directory now leads to an unrelated business, so use the town hall at 103 Main Street.

What Livingston County itself does

• Department of Health, Center for Environmental Health (2 Murray Hill Drive, Mount Morris): issues septic permits and inspects installations, witnesses the deep-hole test and reviews engineer designs; 585-243-7280, weekdays 8 am–4 pm.
• Highway Department, 4389 Gypsy Lane, Mt. Morris (585-243-6700, weekdays 8 am–4:30 pm): Section 136 highway work permits for all work in a county right-of-way, driveway permits after a sight-distance and drainage review, and yearly special hauling approvals.
• Planning Department and County Planning Board, 6 Court Street, Geneseo (585-243-7550): reviews referred site plans, special use permits, subdivisions, variances and zoning changes, staffs the Conesus Lake Watershed Council and runs the LET’S Plan training for local board members.

Livingston County permit types and applications

Residential permits

Outside Geneseo the offices post paper forms to print and file. The Village of Leicester wants two completed copies in ink, a plot plan and, for any new house or addition, two sets of stamped drawings; the Town of Geneseo takes applications only through its iWorQ portal and only from registered contractors. Mount Morris village posts separate forms for re-roofing, fences, pools, tents and floodplain development, and Lima village adds a chicken permit and a truss notice.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial projects normally go to the local planning board for site plan or special use approval first, and the board must refer the action to the County Planning Board when it falls within the state referral rules. Drawings need a New York design professional’s stamp, and the Village of Mount Morris, for one, issues operating permits as well.

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

• Zoning: the town or village zoning officer, then the ZBA for variances; Dansville and Mount Morris list joint town–village zoning boards of appeals, and Nunda has a joint zoning law.
• County referral: the local board with jurisdiction (planning board, ZBA or town or village board) refers qualifying actions; if the county does not answer within 30 days the board may go ahead, but a county disapproval or modification received at least two days before the vote can only be overridden by a supermajority.
• Septic: the county health permit on any lot without sewer.
• Watershed and flood: Conesus Lake watershed rules where a town has them, and a floodplain permit in mapped zones.
• Road access: the county driveway permit, or the town’s own form on a town road.

Building permit fees in Livingston County

There is no county building fee; every town and village adopts its own schedule. The Town of Geneseo’s schedule, effective October 31, 2023, charges $0.35 per sq ft for a single-family house or addition with a $150 minimum, and the Village of Caledonia posts a 2026–2027 schedule. Dansville and North Dansville adopted a shared schedule effective June 1, 2026, posted only as a scanned image. The county health fees below took effect on January 1, 2020; some jobs pay both a review fee and a permit fee.

Worked example for a new house on a septic lot: the county charges $105 for engineering review and $120 for the permit, $225 in all, before the engineer’s own fee and the town or village building permit.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Neither the county nor its town pages publish an electrician or plumber license. The one county trade rule is for septic work: only a contractor registered with the Livingston County Department of Health may install a system, and the department keeps the list of registered installers and of engineers who design them. For wiring, offices rely on approved third-party inspection agencies; the Village of Lima posts its approved list, and the Town of Geneseo deputizes the agencies it accepts. Every office asks for proof of workers’ compensation and disability coverage, or a state exemption, before it issues a permit.

How to get a building permit in Livingston County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The county health review takes about 7 to 14 business days once a design meets state standards, and a copy of the permit goes to the local code official. Local reviews depend on part-time schedules. The Village of Leicester denies any application with missing information, so a missing plot plan, stamped drawings or insurance proof sends it back.

Inspections and certificates

Book building inspections with the officer who issued the permit; the Village of Leicester usually needs three days’ notice. The county health department inspects the septic installation itself. At the end the local officer issues a certificate of occupancy for a new building or a certificate of compliance for smaller work. Where the county issued the septic permit, its sign-off on the installation is a separate record from the local 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

Across Livingston County that one standard is administered by some two dozen local offices with their own hours, forms and fees.

Livingston County permit FAQ

Does Livingston County issue building permits?

No. The town or village issues them; the county handles septic permits, county road permits and planning referrals.

Who issues permits in the Village of Livonia?

The joint Town and Village of Livonia Building & Zoning office, open weekdays 8 am to 4:30 pm.

How much is the county septic permit for a new house?

$225: a $105 engineering review plus the $120 permit, under the health fee schedule in effect since January 1, 2020.

How long does septic approval take?

About 7 to 14 business days after the engineer’s design is received, if it meets state standards.

Can I install my own septic system?

Not under the county’s rule: installation is limited to contractors registered with the Livingston County Department of Health.

Do I need a county permit to put a fence in a county road right-of-way?

Yes, a Section 136 highway work permit from the county Highway Department covers fencing, landscaping and grading in the county right-of-way, apart from any town fence rule.

Which office covers a Geneseo address?

It depends on the line: inside the village, the Village of Geneseo code officer on Main Street; outside it, the Town Code Office on Millennium Drive. The two share a website but not staff, forms or fees.

Is my community in the flood insurance program?

Yes. All 26 Livingston County towns and villages are in FEMA’s participating list.

Livingston County permit search and official resources

Building permit files stay with the town or village that issued them; ask that clerk or code office, or make a Freedom of Information Law request there. Septic permits and plans are held by the county Department of Health, which also sends a copy of each septic permit to the local code official, so either office can confirm that a system was approved. The county directory gives every town and village clerk’s address and phone, and the hours of each town hall.

• Livingston County Environmental Health
• How to obtain a septic permit for a new home
• Environmental Health fee schedule (2020)
• County health forms
• County highway, driveway and hauling permits
• County Planning Board
• Zoning referral process
• Livingston County directory of town and village officials
• Conesus Lake Watershed
• FEMA Community Status Book, New York
• NYS code adoption and enforcement updates

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