City of Middletown, New York Building Permit Guide

In the City of Middletown, the Department of Public Works at City Hall, 16 James Street, reviews plans and issues building permits; its Building Inspector inspects all new construction. Under Chapter 193 of the City Code the permit fee is $10 for every $1,000 of construction cost up to $500,000, and the City requires City-licensed plumbers and electricians for trade work.

What requires a building permit in Middletown?

Section 193-6 of the City Code requires a permit before anyone constructs, alters, repairs, moves or demolishes a building or structure, and excavation may not begin before the permit is granted unless the Commissioner of Public Works issues a temporary excavation permit. Separate City applications cover other kinds of work.

Demolishing a building without the Commissioner’s written approval is a Class A misdemeanor under section 193-6E, punishable by a fine of up to $2,500 or up to a year in jail, and the owner must restore the property. Minor plumbing repairs, such as fixing leaks, traps and frozen pipes, are outside the plumbing permit rule.

What the city decides and what the state holds

Chapter 193 makes the city’s building code identical to the state Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code, so construction standards come from Albany and the city cannot make them stricter without Code Council approval. What Middletown sets for itself is administration and local law: its fee schedule (Chapter A490), its trade licensing boards, pool licenses, the barbed-wire and pool-barrier rules in Chapter 252, architectural review downtown, zoning (Chapter 475) and the water, sewer and recreation hookup charge for new homes.

Middletown building department: who handles permitting

The Department of Public Works, led by Commissioner of Public Works Jacob Tawil, P.E., runs permitting for the whole city. Its Building Inspector regulates and inspects new construction, and the department also employs code enforcement, plumbing, housing and fire inspectors. The Commissioner’s office reviews and approves the subdivisions that the City Planning Board approves. A Middletown mailing address does not by itself put a parcel in the city: the Towns of Wallkill, Wawayanda and Mount Hope surround it and have their own building departments.

Middletown permit types and filing

Middletown permits are filed on paper: the forms are posted on the Public Works page and filed with the department at City Hall. Under section 193-7 the application is filed in duplicate with duplicate plans and specifications, and section 193-10 requires a sworn statement naming the registered architect or licensed engineer who prepared them, where the Education Law requires one.

Residential permits

The Application for Building Permit, revised July 11, 2022, asks for the owner, architect or engineer, builder, the licensed electrician and licensed plumber, the use and construction type, the total cost of construction and whether the property is in a flood plain. It comes with the state homeowner exemption affidavit (BP-1) for owners of an owner-occupied one- to four-family home who do all the work themselves, hire no one, or carry homeowner’s insurance and pay helpers for less than 40 hours a week in total. A plot plan must show the complete property lines, dimensioned distances to every part of the building and the north point. Pools need the separate pool license, and the City’s rental permit applications are on their own page.

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Commercial permits

Commercial renovations and additions need one extra set of plans addressed to the Bureau of Fire Prevention, and fire alarm, sprinkler, cooking-hood and elevator work each need a fire permit. Operating permits for public assembly cost $100, plus $50 for every 50 occupants over 150. A commercial building in the downtown Architectural Control District cannot start exterior work until the Architectural Board of Review has acted, and the building application asks for that approval or the reason it is not needed.

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 questions go to the Zoning Board of Appeals and site plans to the City Planning Board; new subdivisions are then reviewed by the Commissioner’s office. The Architectural Board of Review covers the Downtown Business Improvement District plus parts of East Main Street, North Street, Railroad Avenue and Wickham Avenue, and it also reviews every sign on a commercial or mixed-use building anywhere in the city. Street openings and sidewalk work need City permits, and a new gas service needs Orange & Rockland’s compliance certificate, which the City inspects and signs before O&R will set a meter. Parcels in a mapped flood zone also fall under Chapter 270, Flood Damage Prevention.

Middletown building permit fees

Building fees are set in section 193-11 and repeated in the City Fee Schedule (Chapter A490, adopted by the Common Council on December 7, 2010, with later amendments). The building permit fee is $10 for every $1,000 of construction cost up to $500,000; a project over $500,000 pays an inspection fee of 2% instead.

On these rates a new single-family house costing $250,000 to build pays a $2,500 building permit fee, a $100 certificate of occupancy fee and a $2,300 hookup charge for its one dwelling unit (with 12 fixtures or fewer), or $4,900 to the City before plumbing, electrical and sewer permits. Nonresidential buildings pay a hookup charge set by the Treasurer and the Commissioner from expected water use; the code’s own example charges $4,600 for a building inside the city expected to use 292,000 gallons a year.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Middletown licenses its own trades; a DPW notice says City-licensed plumbers and electricians must be used, with some exceptions.

Electrical. Chapter 235 creates a Board of Electrical Examiners. An electrical permit is issued only to a holder of a City master electrician’s license: Class A ($300 a year), Class B for a single job ($750 for a one-time license; electricians licensed by the Cities of Newburgh and Port Jervis may obtain one) or Class C for oil burners and other specialized work ($300). The application, revised July 10, 2024, must be signed by the City-licensed electrician with a license number and insurance on proper forms, not an ACORD certificate. Inspections are made by the agencies named in section 235-14, such as Tri-State Inspection Agency, Swanson Consulting, Electrical Underwriters of NY, NY Certified Electrical Inspectors and Switch-On Electric. A $50 electrical permit fee applies unless the work is already in the scope of a DPW building permit. Orange County’s Department of Consumer Affairs separately states that an electrical license is required to do electrical work anywhere in Orange County (845-862-9500).

Plumbing. Under Chapter 356, adopted in 2020 with the International Plumbing Code as the State adopts it, only City-licensed master plumbers and owners personally working in their own primary residence may extend, add to or install plumbing, house drains or house sewers. Owners doing their own plumbing file a monthly report of the work with the Commissioner. A master plumber must have the plumbing permit ($10 a fixture, $25 minimum) before starting, and the Commissioner must be told within 48 hours after the work is finished. The homeowner affidavit adds that owners must use City-licensed plumbing or electrical contractors at any property other than their primary residence.

Contractors and insurance. Neither the City Code nor Orange County licenses general or home-improvement contractors; the county says no licenses other than electrical (and precious-metals dealers) are required at county level. Contractors file workers’ compensation and disability proof on state forms, and the City does not accept an ACORD certificate for workers’ compensation. The Public Works department runs the City’s water and sewer plants, which also serve parts of Wallkill, Wawayanda and Mount Hope; Orange County Environmental Health reviews realty subdivisions of five or more lots under five acres.

How to apply for a Middletown building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Section 193-16 tells the Commissioner to reject plans that lack the information needed for a full check, and plans that only say work will meet the code without naming materials and sizes. Approved plans are stamped and may not be altered; changes go in as signed written amendments or revised prints. A permit expires if work has not started within 12 months, or is not finished within 18 months (30 months for work costing over $1,000,000); the Building Inspector may extend either period once by six months in writing if no relevant law has changed. Under section 193-30 a permit also becomes void if work stops for a year.

Middletown inspections and certificates

Inspections are made by the Commissioner of Public Works or his representative, and structural work may not be covered or concealed until it has been inspected and approved (sections 193-32 and 193-33). Contact Public Works at 845-343-3169 about inspection timing. Where the Commissioner requires it for a building on a street line or public land, a licensed surveyor’s location certificate must be filed after the foundation and approved before the walls go up.

Plumbing work needs a final inspection card, with notice to the Commissioner within 48 hours of completion. Electrical work is inspected by one of the approved agencies, which issues the certificate of approval before power is connected. Pools are reinspected every year, and an owner told to correct a pool violation has 10 days.

No new, enlarged or converted building may be used until the Commissioner issues a certificate of occupancy, which the code says will be issued within 10 days of notice that a compliant building is complete. A temporary certificate is possible for part of a building, but not for a private residence. The certificate states the occupancy, construction type, number of occupants and permitted floor loads.

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

Middletown permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in the City of Middletown?

The Department of Public Works at City Hall, 16 James Street (845-343-3169). Its Building Inspector inspects all new construction, and the Commissioner of Public Works signs off certificates of occupancy.

How much is a building permit in Middletown?

$10 for every $1,000 of construction cost up to $500,000, so a $60,000 addition pays $600; projects over $500,000 pay a 2% inspection fee. A certificate of occupancy adds $100, or $25 when the work cost under $10,000.

Can I do my own plumbing or electrical work?

Owners may do plumbing personally in their own primary residence and must report the work monthly; everyone else needs a City-licensed master plumber. Electrical permits go only to City-licensed master electricians.

Do I need a permit for a swimming pool?

Yes. Every above-ground or in-ground pool needs a $50 City pool license before it is installed, based on a plot plan showing the pool, its fence and zoning compliance, and the City reinspects pools each year. Barriers must be at least 4 feet high with self-closing, self-latching gates.

What is the Architectural Board of Review?

A seven-member board that must approve exterior work on commercial and mixed-use buildings in the downtown Architectural Control District, and signs on such buildings anywhere in the city. Its fee runs from $10 to $100 depending on the job estimate.

What does a new house owe the City besides the permit?

A water, sewer and recreation hookup charge of $2,300 per dwelling unit, plus $10 for each fixture over 12, and a $300 sewer permit.

Is Middletown in FEMA’s flood insurance program?

Yes. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the City as participating, with its current flood map dated August 3, 2009, and the building application asks whether the property is in a flood plain.

Middletown permit search and official resources

The Public Works office keeps the plan and permit files for each property. For copies or an existing permit, file a request through the City’s online FOIL portal, which also lets anyone search earlier requests and released documents. Public Works also takes applications for a municipal report, and the City charges $100 for an abstract search.

• Middletown Department of Public Works: applications and contacts
• Application for Building Permit (revised July 11, 2022)
• Application for Electrical Permit (revised July 10, 2024)
• Application for Plumbing Permit
• Application for Swimming Pool Permit
• Use of City-licensed plumbers and electricians
• Rental permit applications
• Code of the City of Middletown (eCode360)
• City of Middletown FOIL request portal
• Orange County Consumer Affairs licenses (electricians)
• NYS Uniform Code adoption notice

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