Town of Lockport, New York Building Permit Guide

Building permits in the Town of Lockport come from the Building Department at 6200 Robinson Road (716-439-9527, weekdays 8 am to 4 pm), which also acts as the town’s fire marshal. The fee schedule adopted on December 17, 2025 charges $0.25 per square foot for a new single-family house, a fee that includes the final certificate of occupancy. There are no villages in the town, and the City of Lockport has a separate permit office.

What requires a building permit in the Town of Lockport?

Chapter 58 of the Town Code requires a permit for any work that must meet the Uniform Code or the Energy Code: building, enlarging, altering, moving or demolishing a structure, and installing a wood or other solid-fuel heater, chimney or flue. The Building Department’s own list adds the jobs it handles every week:

The adopted code is the rule: Chapter 58 exempts sheds of “less than 144 square feet”, so a shed of exactly 144 square feet needs a permit. (The department’s web page says “144 sq ft or less”; the code governs.) Exempt sheds still need zoning setbacks: 5 feet from a property line for a shed under 168 square feet and 10 feet for a larger one.

What the town decides and what the state sets

Construction standards come from the New York Uniform Code and Energy Code. The Town Board sets the rest: zoning in Chapter 200 (fences no taller than 6 feet unless the chapter allows more, decorative side out where a fence abuts a residential use, natural, neutral or white colors; in-ground pools inside a fence at least 4 feet high), flood damage prevention in Chapter 95, architectural and design review in Chapter 53, the Town Standard Specifications that Chapter 59 applies to every permitted project, and the fee schedule.

Town of Lockport building department: who handles permitting

The Building Department reviews plans, issues permits, inspects construction, answers zoning, flood plain and wetlands questions, and serves as the town’s fire marshal, responding to structure fires with the fire companies. Its inspectors are state-certified, and the Senior Building Inspector and Fire Marshal is Bill Youngman. When a project is finished, the department issues the certificate of occupancy and sends it to the Assessor.

The town has no incorporated villages, so the Building Department covers every parcel inside the town line. The City of Lockport is a separate municipality with its own building office; a “Lockport, NY 14094” address can fall in either one, so match the tax parcel before you apply.

Town of Lockport permit types and filing rules

Residential permits

Most home projects use the one-page Single Family Home & Small Project Application, which covers new houses, additions, decks, porches and sheds. It asks for the tax map number, construction type, setbacks, size, sewer or septic, and the names of the plumbing and electrical subcontractors, and it states that required building plans must carry a New York engineer’s or architect’s wet seal. A new house also needs the 2026 Code Compliance Review checklist (a state-format checklist for the 2025 codes), a survey showing where the house will sit, sealed plans with elevations, floor plans and cross-sections plus the Energy Code worksheet, and completed sewer and water cards.

Separate short forms cover roofing and siding (residential $100, and the permit must be issued before work starts), pools, permanent generators (side or rear yard only, with the manufacturer’s installation instructions and an electrical and a final inspection) and residential front-yard ditch piping. The pool application cannot be processed until an electrical inspector has been booked, and pools must sit 10 feet from other structures. Contractors keep liability and workers’ compensation insurance on file with the department; the roofing form lets an owner with no employees declare that instead.

Zoning adds pool rules of its own: an in-ground pool must be completely enclosed by a security fence at least 4 feet high with self-latching gates, an above-ground pool more than 3 feet high needs steps that are removed or locked up when the pool is not in use, and a lower above-ground pool must be fenced like an in-ground one. For work in a flood hazard area the department publishes FEMA’s elevation certificate and instructions along with the town’s flood map adoption notice.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial work uses the commercial construction application, and large projects and subdivisions use the Large Project application and checklist. New commercial buildings pay $250 plus $0.25 per square foot; alterations pay $0.25 per square foot with a $250 minimum. Signs, public improvement construction and special events have their own forms, and the department issues operating permits ($50) for regulated uses.

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

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning Board of Appeals for area or use variances ($150) and flood zone variances ($150).
• Planning Board for site plans ($500), subdivisions ($250 plus $25 per lot) and special use permits ($250, including two engineering reviews); solar energy systems and noncommercial wind turbines need a special use permit under the town’s own laws.
• Architectural review ($150) under Chapter 53 for projects it covers.
• Flood zone development permit ($50 plus building review fees) for work in a mapped flood hazard area; the town is in the National Flood Insurance Program, with a current flood map dated September 17, 2010.
• Septic approval from the Niagara County Health Department where there is no public sewer.
• Water and sewer connections: the water chapter requires a building permit before a service is connected, and each 4- or 6-inch sewer or water tap inspection costs $250.

Town of Lockport permit fees

The Town Board adopted the current fee schedule on December 17, 2025, effective January 1, 2026. Building permit fees include the final certificate of occupancy, and when one request involves several fees, each one applies.

For a new 2,000 sq ft single-family house, the building fee is 2,000 × $0.25 = $500. Add the $250 tap inspection for each sewer or water connection, and the $25 lot fee and $400 parkland fee where the department applies them. A 120 sq ft deck works out to $30 at the square-foot rate, so the $50 minimum applies. Plumbing fixtures are charged separately from the building fee.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical. Wiring is inspected by an outside agency from the town’s list. The electrical inspector list (updated November 2025) names three agencies: Commonwealth Electrical Inspection Service, Atlantic Inland and Empire Inspections. Pool permits are not processed until one of them has been booked, and generator permits list an electrical inspection before the final.

Plumbing. Plumbing fixtures and sewer repairs are permitted and charged by the town under the same fee schedule, and the department inspects the connections. The Town Code has no chapter licensing plumbers or electricians, so the town’s own rule is insurance: contractors keep liability and workers’ compensation proof on file before a permit issues.

Septic. The Niagara County Health Department enforces Chapter 3 of the county Sanitary Code. It must give written approval before anyone builds, connects, alters or extends a septic system, reviews engineer-designed systems for new houses on vacant lots ($290 plan review) and runs the dye test required before a sale ($505, or $240 to review a private engineer’s dye-test report).

How to apply for a Town of Lockport building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The department encourages a call before you draw plans, since it will walk through what the zoning district allows. Before filing, check the package against the department’s own list: a survey marked with the work, sealed plans, completed sewer and water cards and insurance on file. A permit becomes invalid if work has not started within six months and expires 12 months after issue; renewal is $50 and climbs by $50 a year until a certificate of occupancy or compliance is issued.

Town of Lockport inspections and certificates

Call the Building Department at 716-439-9527 when each stage is ready; Chapter 58 requires work to stay uncovered until it has been inspected and accepted, from a site visit before the permit through footings, slab preparation, framing, rough-ins, Energy Code items and the final. Electrical work is inspected by the agency you hired, which reports to the town. After the final inspection the department issues a certificate of occupancy (the schedule lists $50 for a new one) or a certificate of compliance ($50 for the first unit and $25 for each additional unit) and forwards it to the Assessor.

As the town’s fire marshal, the department also carries out fire safety inspections of commercial and multifamily buildings and issues operating permits.

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 Lockport permit FAQ

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

$0.25 per square foot under the 2026 schedule, with the final certificate of occupancy included; a 2,000 sq ft house is $500 before tap, lot and parkland fees.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

Not for a one-story shed of less than 144 square feet with no cellar or slab; a 144 sq ft shed needs one. Larger sheds and garages cost $0.10 per square foot with a $50 minimum, and every shed must meet the 5- or 10-foot setback.

Do I need a permit for a fence?

No building permit is needed unless the fence is part of a pool enclosure, but zoning still limits fences to 6 feet and keeps them out of the road right-of-way.

Do I need a permit to replace my roof?

Yes. The town’s roofing and siding permit costs $100 for a one- or two-family house and must be issued before work begins.

Who inspects electrical work?

One of the agencies on the town’s list: Commonwealth Electrical Inspection Service, Atlantic Inland or Empire Inspections.

Does the town issue permits in the City of Lockport?

No. The city has its own building office; the town covers everything else in the town, which has no villages.

Who approves a septic system?

The Niagara County Health Department, which reviews engineer-designed systems for new homes and requires a dye test before a sale.

Permit search and official resources

The town has no online permit search. Ask the Building Department about a property’s permits and certificates, or file the Freedom of Information Law request form with the Town Clerk; copies are $0.25 a page.

• Town of Lockport Building Department
• Town fee schedule, effective January 1, 2026
• Single family home and small project application
• 2026 Code Compliance Review checklist
• 2026 roofing permit application
• Pool permit application
• 2026 generator permit
• Approved electrical inspectors, November 2025
• Commercial construction application
• Town Code on eCode360
• FOIL request form
• Niagara County sewage disposal program
• FEMA community status book, New York
• NYS code adoption notice

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