Town of Mamakating, New York Building Permit Guide

In the Town of Mamakating, building permits come from the Building Department at Town Hall, 2948 Route 209, Wurtsboro (845-888-3000, option 3), which also handles planning and zoning for the town outside the villages of Wurtsboro and Bloomingburg. Applications take at least 7 to 10 business days to review, and a new house is charged $100 plus $5 per $1,000 of construction cost, figured at $100 per square foot of floor area.

What requires a building permit in Mamakating?

Chapter 99 of the Town Code, adopted as Local Law 1 of 2023, requires a permit for work that must meet the Uniform Code or Energy Code, and the department publishes its own list of everyday jobs that need one. The list is broad: the town expects a permit for any roof work, window replacements, any electrical work and even a hook-up outlet for a portable generator.

A permit-free shed may sit closer than 10 feet to a lot line, but every larger accessory building must keep 10 feet from side and rear lines and from the house, stay out of front and side yards, and, with the others, cover no more than 20% of the rear yard. Pools belong in the rear yard, at least 20 feet from the rear line and 10 feet from side lines and the house. Homes in a mobile home park, at Wolf Lake or in any area with an owners’ association must include the park’s or association’s approval with the application.

What Mamakating decides and what the state sets

The building standards are the state Uniform Code and Energy Code; the town also publishes its climatic and geographic design criteria table for designers (Section 99-14). The town controls its fee schedule (set by Town Board resolution under Chapter 95), permit lifetimes by type of work, electrical inspection rules (Chapter 85), alternative septic designs (Chapter 155), zoning (Chapter 199) and flood damage prevention (Chapter 103).

Mamakating building department: who handles permitting

One office covers building, planning and zoning. It sits on the main floor of Town Hall just past the Town Clerk’s office, and applicants are served at the window. Mary Grass is the Building Inspector, code enforcement officer and fire inspector.

The villages. Wurtsboro (1,081 residents) and Bloomingburg (978) are incorporated villages inside the town, and both issue their own building permits. Wurtsboro’s Building Department posts its own application and fee schedule; Bloomingburg takes building permit applications online, with plans attached, and sends them straight to its Building Inspector. Town Hall’s Wurtsboro mailing address does not make a property part of the village, so check which side of the village line the parcel is on.

Mamakating permit types and filing rules

Residential permits

Most jobs use the general Building Permit Application, but solar, septic, wells, demolition, signs and home occupations have their own forms, and existing permits are changed on Amend, Renew or Reactivate forms. Every application needs the property owner’s original signature and a site plan or survey showing all buildings, the well, septic and driveway and the setbacks of the new work, even for interior jobs.

New homes, additions, renovations and alterations need two sets of stamped and sealed plans from a New York architect or engineer with the energy code worksheet attached; for smaller work an owner or contractor may draw the plans, subject to review. The office also asks for a copy of the deed if you have owned the land for less than a year, a copy of this year’s paid tax bill, a driveway permit for a new home, and the contractor’s workers’ compensation and liability certificates (homeowners doing their own work may give proof of homeowner’s insurance with the exemption form).

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

Commercial permits

Commercial and industrial buildings use a separate schedule: $200 plus $10 per $1,000 of construction cost, with cost figured at $50 per square foot of floor area unless your own estimate is higher. Commercial permits run two years and can be renewed once for two more. The Building Inspector is also the town’s fire inspector, so operating permits and fire safety inspections of businesses come through the same office.

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 and planning. Check the district on the zoning map adopted December 17, 2019; site plan, subdivision and variance applications are handled by the same combined department.
• Land disturbance. Clearing, filling and grading jobs need the town’s clearing, filling, grading and soil erosion control application, and commercial logging a timber harvest permit.
• Septic. New or replacement systems need two sets of engineered plans and a town septic permit: $35 for a repair or $50 for a replacement on the 2012 schedule, though the current septic form asks $50, or $150 when correcting a violation. Raised and mound systems must be designed by a New York professional engineer; new ones also need state Health Department approval, replacements the Town Engineer’s review, and evapotranspiration-absorption systems are banned.
• Flood zones and wetlands. The application asks whether the parcel is in a flood zone or a mapped wetland. A floodplain permit costs $100; the town and both villages take part in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps dated February 18, 2011.

Mamakating building permit fees

The fee schedule on the town’s site was last revised on July 17, 2012; Chapter 95 lets the Town Board change it by resolution. All fees are non-refundable and are paid when you apply. For new buildings and accessory structures the fee rides on a construction cost the town works out from floor area, and if your own cost estimate is higher, the higher figure is used.

For example, a 2,000 sq ft house with no garage is valued at 2,000 × $100, or $200,000; at $5 per $1,000 that is $1,000, plus the $100 application fee: $1,100. Starting work without a permit costs a flat $50 plus twice the normal permit fee. An expired permit is reissued for $100 plus the original fee, counted from the old expiry date. The office now asks $125 for a residential municipal search and $350 for a commercial one, more than the $75 printed on the 2012 schedule.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical. Electrical work is on the town’s permit list, and under Chapter 85 it is inspected by electrical inspection companies that have registered with the Building Department. The person doing the work fills in the inspection application and sends it to the registered inspector of their choice; rough wiring must be approved before walls are insulated or closed, and the final electrical approval is needed before the town issues any certificate. The August 2025 list names NY Electrical Inspectors & Consulting, Atlantic-Inland, Middle Department Inspection Agency, Electrical Underwriters of NY, New York Electrical Inspections, Swanson Consulting, Tri-State and Tri-County Inspection Agencies, CP Certified Electrical Inspector, Commonwealth, Z3 Consultants, SAS Electrical Inspection and Inspections On Time.

Electricians. The town’s list cites Sullivan County Local Law 13 of 1977 on the use of licensed electrical contractors, and the county’s Board of Electrical Licensing requires electrical work in the county to be done by a county-licensed electrician.

Plumbing, heating and septic. Neither the Town Code nor the department’s pages create a plumber or general contractor license. Rough plumbing is inspected at the framing stage with a pressure test running, solid-fuel stoves need their own $50 permit, and septic installers work from engineered plans that an engineer must certify before the system is covered.

How to apply for a Mamakating building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

No work may start until the permit is issued. Missing items show up in the mailed application status, and the permit cannot issue until they are supplied. Under Section 99-4 every permit must be started within six months, and each type has its own finish date: pools within six months or by October 31, whichever comes first, with no renewal; wood stoves and wells within six months; decks within six months plus one six-month renewal; garages, sheds, additions and alterations within one year plus one more; new homes within two years plus one more.

Mamakating inspections and certificates

Call 845-888-3000, option 3, with your permit number to book. Inspections run Monday to Thursday, start after 12:30 pm and follow the order of the roads; if a voicemail is not returned, call back and speak to the office. For a new house the town lists nine stages: footing forms, wall forms, the finished and waterproofed foundation with drains, the slab, framing with rough electrical and a witnessed plumbing pressure test, ice and water shield before it is covered, insulation and air sealing before drywall, the septic before backfill with an engineer’s certification, and the final.

The final walk-through happens only after the paperwork is in: septic final, as-built survey, water test, well log, driveway final, electrical final and a blower door test, which the town requires with a duct test on every new dwelling. The house must be finished inside and out, empty of furniture, with the 911 number posted at least 4 inches high. Work covered before inspection must be opened up or certified by a New York architect or engineer.

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

Mamakating permit FAQ

Does the town issue permits in Wurtsboro or Bloomingburg?

No. Each village has its own building office: Wurtsboro at 845-888-2819 and Bloomingburg through Village Hall at 845-733-1400.

How much is a building permit for a new house?

$100 plus $5 per $1,000 of construction cost, with cost set at $100 per square foot, so about $1,100 for a 2,000 sq ft house without a garage.

Do I need a permit to replace my roof or windows?

Yes. The department’s list includes any roof work and window replacement.

Does an inflatable pool need a permit?

Yes, if it holds 24 inches of water or more. The permit is $50 for an above-ground pool and the work must be done within six months or by October 31.

How long does review take?

At least 7 to 10 business days, after which the town mails an application status.

Who inspects electrical work?

A registered electrical inspection agency you choose from the town’s list; its final approval is needed before any certificate.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

Not for a one-story shed of 144 sq ft or less at a home. Larger ones need a permit and a 10-foot setback from side and rear lines and the house.

How do I get a municipal search?

Send a written request with the address and tax lot, a $125 check and an original notarized smoke and carbon monoxide affidavit; allow at least 10 business days.

Permit search and official resources

The town has no online permit lookup. Chapter 99 requires the department to keep permanent records of applications, permits, certificates and inspections; a municipal search (residential $125, commercial $350) reports certificates of occupancy, violations and street status for a property, and other records can be requested from the Town Clerk under the Freedom of Information Law.

• Mamakating Building Department
• How to apply for a permit
• What requires a permit
• Schedule of inspections
• How to request a municipal search
• Residential building fee schedule (2012)
• Commercial building fee schedule
• Building permit application
• Septic permit application
• Registered electrical inspectors (August 2025)
• Zoning map adopted December 17, 2019
• Town Code Chapter 99, Fire Prevention and Building Construction
• Town Code Chapter 199, Zoning
• Town Code Chapter 155, Sewage Disposal
• Village of Wurtsboro Building Department
• Village of Bloomingburg
• Sullivan County Electrical Licensing Board
• NYS code adoption notice

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