Madison County, New York Building Permit Guide

Madison County is one of the twelve counties that the Department of State lists as having opted out of the enforcement of the Uniform and Energy codes, so it has no building department of its own. Permits come from the City of Oneida and from each town and village; the county’s part is narrower: Public Health reviews engineered and alternative septic designs and watches soil tests, the Highway Department permits driveways and utility work on county roads, and the Planning Department reviews zoning actions referred to it.

What requires a building permit in Madison County?

Each code office sets out its own list, and they lean broad. The Town of Lenox requires a permit for every new building, any structural alteration, repair or addition, replacement windows and other envelope work that affects energy efficiency, porches, decks, sheds and fences, anything affecting a septic or sewer system and every wood or pellet stove. The Village of Hamilton’s code covers building, altering, removing or demolishing any structure except an agricultural building, and installing heating equipment; repairs that are not structural are exempt.

What the municipalities decide and what the state holds

The construction standards are the state’s 2025 Uniform Code and Energy Code, and stricter local rules need Code Council approval. Because the county opted out, it does not enforce the code in a city, town or village that has also opted out; there, the Department of State’s Code Inspection Unit provides code enforcement and administration in place of the local government and charges fees for it. The unit tells owners and contractors on private projects to contact their town, city or village office. Each city, town and village sets its own zoning, permit fees and local laws, such as the Town of Sullivan’s 12-month moratorium on data centers and cryptocurrency mining that began on July 1, 2026.

Madison County building department: who handles permitting

The county’s land use page sends questions about zoning and permits to the city, town or village first, and the table follows that rule. One office is shared: the Town of Lenox code office also serves the Village of Wampsville on one application form. Hours are short in the smaller towns; Fenner’s code officer keeps a single hour a week at town hall. Many small towns publish no code page at all, so their rows point you to the town clerk.

Watch three boundaries. Canastota and Wampsville are both inside the Town of Lenox, but only Wampsville is served by the town office. The Village of Cazenovia’s code is separate from the town’s even though the town office sits on Albany Street in the village. And the City of Oneida is in Madison County, not in Oneida County, so no Oneida County office handles its permits.

What Madison County itself does

• Public Health, 138 North Court Street, Building 5, Wampsville (315-366-2526 for septic and wells): reviews and approves alternative onsite wastewater designs and their construction, observes percolation and deep-hole tests, advises on septic placement and investigates sewage nuisances. It also posts the state’s specific waiver forms for replacement septic and water systems.
• Highway Department, 133 North Court Street, Wampsville (315-366-2221): driveway, special hauling and utility work permits on county roads.
• Planning Department, Building 4, Room 249 of the county complex (315-366-2376, weekdays 9 am–4 pm): General Municipal Law referrals, which must be made before the local board acts, plus GIS mapping, farmland districts and water quality programs.

Madison County permit types and applications

Residential permits

Expect paper forms. In Fenner the process starts with the code officer, who helps fill out the application and decides whether a board must see it; only then does the town clerk take the fee and send referrals to the county. The Town of Cazenovia requires architect-stamped plans for any addition costing $20,000 or more and lets an owner building a house over 1,500 sq ft without an architect use the prescriptive method of the residential code. Lenox and Wampsville ask for three sealed plan sets for a house over 1,500 sq ft.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial buildings need sealed drawings everywhere, and usually site plan approval from the local planning board, which refers qualifying actions to the county before deciding. Lenox employs a part-time fire marshal alongside its code staff, and the town posts aerial apparatus standards for fire access.

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 local zoning officer, planning board or ZBA, where the town or village has adopted zoning.
• County referral: planning, zoning and subdivision actions that the General Municipal Law sends to the county.
• Septic: the town or village septic permit; Lenox’s form records whether it was referred to county Public Health, and alternative systems need the county’s own approval.
• County road access: a driveway or utility permit from the Highway Department.

Building permit fees in Madison County

Building fees are set by each municipality: Canastota posts its codes fee schedule on the village site, the Town of Cazenovia prints its fees in the permit application, and Sullivan quotes fees from its Town Board schedule. The county’s own charges are few.

Worked example: a 1,500 sq ft one-story house in the City of Oneida costs 1,500 × $0.40 = $600 for the building permit. If the same house were outside the city on a lot that needs an alternative septic system, the county’s $125 design review would be added, and a new driveway onto a county road another $50.

Trade permits and who may pull them

The county does not license electricians, plumbers or contractors, and the town pages read show no local license either; the Sullivan guide confirms that town has none. Electrical work is inspected by third-party agencies the municipality accepts: Lenox posts its list of electrical inspectors, and Sullivan names five approved agencies. Offices want insurance proof with the application: Lenox posts its contractor insurance requirements, and Fenner states that every building permit application must include liability and workers’ compensation certificates. Septic designs that go to the county must be drawn by an engineer, two copies at least.

How to get a building permit in Madison County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The Town of Cazenovia says plan review takes about a week for a complete application, and the City of Oneida 7 to 10 days for a home job without stamped plans. County driveway permits are usually approved within a week. Delays come from limited office hours, alternative septic designs sent in late, missing insurance certificates, and boards that cannot act until the county referral period ends.

Inspections and certificates

Inspections are booked with the office that issued the permit. The Town of Cazenovia takes inspection requests at 315-655-5896 with 24 hours’ notice and tells you which inspections your permit needs. For an alternative septic system the county inspects the site and the installation as part of its $125 review. A certificate of occupancy or compliance from the local officer closes the job. In Lenox and Wampsville, where septic work needs a town permit, the code office records any referral to county Public Health on that permit, so keep the county approval with the town file.

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

In Madison County the state standard is applied by the city and each town and village, because the county has declined that role.

Madison County permit FAQ

Does Madison County issue building permits?

No. The county opted out of the enforcement of the Uniform and Energy codes; the City of Oneida, the towns and the villages issue permits.

Who issues permits in Wampsville or Canastota?

Wampsville uses the Town of Lenox code office on a joint application. Canastota is a separate village with its own code enforcement and fee schedule.

Do I need county approval for a septic system?

For an alternative or engineered system, yes: Madison County Public Health reviews the design and inspects it for $125. The town or village also issues its own septic permit.

How much is a county driveway permit?

$50, payable to the Madison County Treasurer, usually approved within a week. If sight distance is adequate the county installs the culvert you buy; work on an existing driveway needs no county permit.

Is there money to replace a failing septic system?

Owners of systems within 250 feet of Cazenovia Lake, select tributaries or parts of Canastota Creek in Lincoln can be reimbursed 50% of eligible costs, up to $10,000; new construction is not eligible.

Can I build a data center or crypto-mining operation in Sullivan?

Not while the town’s 12-month moratorium that started July 1, 2026 is in force.

Is the Town of Cazenovia office the right place for a village address?

No. The town’s code office sits at 7 Albany Street inside the village, but it handles town land; the Village of Cazenovia has its own code enforcement officer under chapter 71 of the village code.

Is my town in the flood insurance program?

Every Madison County city, town and village that FEMA lists is in its participating section; the Village of Madison has no separate entry.

Madison County permit search and official resources

Permit and certificate files are held by the city, town or village that issued them; ask that clerk or code office, or file a Freedom of Information Law request there. Alternative septic approvals are kept by county Public Health.

• Madison County water and septic: individual systems
• Alternative wastewater system application
• Septic System Replacement Fund
• Madison County Highway Department permits
• County driveway permit form
• Madison County Planning Department
• Land use and county referrals
• Town of Lenox / Village of Wampsville septic permit
• Village of Canastota code
• NYS Department of State Code Inspection Unit (opted-out counties)
• FEMA Community Status Book, New York
• NYS code adoption and enforcement updates

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