Nassau County, New York Building Permit Guide

Nassau County is made up of two cities, three towns and 64 incorporated villages, and each one issues its own building permits; the county runs no building department. A town’s office covers only the unincorporated land outside its villages. The county licenses home improvement contractors through Consumer Affairs, permits curb cuts and sewer hook-ups and reviews building permits on county roads through Public Works, and approves septic plans for subdivisions.

What requires a building permit in Nassau County?

Permit lists are set locally and run long. Glen Cove requires permits for roofing, siding and windows, and Valley Stream’s list reaches replacement windows, siding and every plumbing or electrical fixture swap, while Long Beach lets only a city-licensed contractor or the homeowner take out a permit at all.

What the municipalities decide and what the state holds

The building standards are the state’s 2025 Uniform Code and Energy Code, and stricter local rules need Code Council approval. Each city, town and village sets its own zoning, permit fees and trade licensing, so electrician and plumber licenses differ from one municipality to the next. The county names its Planning Commission and Economic Development Office as the administrators of county zoning and planning matters, including subdivision control review; variances and site plans for a lot go to that city, town or village’s own boards.

Nassau County building department: who handles permitting

The county’s own advice is to call your city, town or village directly, and its directory lists each one’s main number, which the table repeats. Villages are listed under the town they sit in; a village issues permits inside its lines whatever town surrounds it. Where a listed website no longer works, use the village hall phone.

Six villages straddle town lines: Floral Park and New Hyde Park (Hempstead and North Hempstead) and East Hills, Old Westbury and Roslyn Harbor (North Hempstead and Oyster Bay), with a few Garden City residents in North Hempstead. Hamlet names such as Manhasset or Levittown are not on the Census list of villages, so those addresses go to the town that surrounds them.

What Nassau County itself does

• Consumer Affairs, 240 Old Country Road, 3rd Floor, Mineola (licensing 516-571-2600; front desk 9 am–4:30 pm, sign in by 4:15): home improvement contractor licenses under Administrative Code 21-11, with fingerprinting, and an online license look-up.
• Department of Public Works: road opening and curb-cut permits, sewer connection permits, dumpster and hauling permits on county roads, subdivision plan review and the 239F review of building permits on county roads.
• Department of Health, 200 County Seat Drive, Mineola (516-227-9697): septic, water and drainage approval for realty subdivisions of five or more lots and for commercial systems over 1,000 gallons a day, with a state discharge (SPDES) permit; Article X density limits in the Special Groundwater Protection Areas. Demolition needs its rodent-free certification first (516-227-9715).
• Fire Marshal (516-572-1000): permits for fire alarm systems and stored flammables or combustibles.

Nassau County permit types and applications

Residential permits

Filing ranges from fully online to counter-only. The Town of Hempstead, Freeport and Valley Stream use OpenGov portals; Lynbrook wants a notarized owner’s signature, two sets of stamped plans and two surveys with a $75 application fee; Rockville Centre requires an inspector to review an application before it can be filed.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial work needs sealed drawings and usually local zoning or planning board approval. In unsewered areas a commercial septic system with a design flow over 1,000 gallons a day needs Health Department plan approval and a SPDES permit.

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

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning: the local board of appeals or zoning board for variances and special permits.
• County road frontage: DPW’s 239F building permit review, plus a road opening permit for a curb cut.
• Sewer: a DPW sewer permit to connect to a county line, with inspection.
• Septic: the local building department for a single house; the county Health Department for subdivisions of five or more lots.

Building permit fees in Nassau County

Every municipality adopts its own schedule; the rules below come from this site’s guides for those places.

Worked comparison for a $50,000 residential renovation: Valley Stream charges $50 plus 49 × $6, or $344; Mineola $100 plus 49 × $20, or $1,080; Glen Cove $250 plus 49 × $20, or $1,230; Garden City $400 plus 49 × $20, or $1,380. County charges are separate: DPW’s 239F review costs $1,500 ($740 to resubmit), a residential road opening or curb cut $735 including deposit, and a sewer permit with inspection $519.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Nassau licenses home improvement contractors at the county level. Anyone in the home improvement business, from general contractors and roofers to fence, paving, pool, solar and window installers, needs a Nassau County license from Consumer Affairs, and licensed contractors must be fingerprinted. Electricians and plumbers are licensed locally: the Town of Hempstead licenses both and charges a $150 filing and exam fee for a master plumber license, North Hempstead licenses electricians, Oyster Bay’s Plumber’s Examining Board tests every plumber, and Rockville Centre, Valley Stream, Lynbrook, Mineola and Long Beach license their own electricians and plumbers. Every office also asks for workers’ compensation and disability coverage or a state exemption.

How to get a building permit in Nassau County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Applications stall when a contractor or trade lacks the license the municipality requires, a zoning variance is still pending, or county road or sewer permits were not started in parallel; a returned 239F review costs $740 to resubmit.

Inspections and certificates

Inspections are booked with the office that issued the permit, which also issues the certificate of occupancy or completion. County inspections are separate: DPW inspects road openings and sewer connections under its permits, and the Health Department issues the SPDES discharge permit for subdivision and commercial systems only after the approved construction is satisfactorily completed.

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

Nassau County permit FAQ

Does Nassau County issue building permits?

No. Each city, town and village does; the county licenses contractors and permits work on county roads and sewers.

Do I need a Nassau County contractor license?

Yes, for home improvement work. Consumer Affairs issues the license (516-571-2600); 516-571-2467 is the taxi and limousine line, not licensing.

My address says Manhasset. Who issues the permit?

Manhasset is a hamlet, not a village, so the Town of North Hempstead does; its building department is itself on Plandome Road in Manhasset.

Who approves a septic system for one house?

Your local building department. The county Health Department reviews septic plans only for subdivisions of five or more lots and commercial systems over 1,000 gallons a day.

What does the county charge for a curb cut?

The residential road opening application is $735, deposit included; DPW also lists a residential road opening inspection at $735 plus deposit. Commercial: $1,470 each.

Do I need anything from the county before demolition?

Yes, a rodent-free certification for any residential, commercial or industrial building (516-227-9715).

Is my village in the flood insurance program?

All 63 Nassau communities in FEMA’s book participate; six small villages, including Bellerose and Muttontown, have no separate entry.

Nassau County permit search and official resources

Permit records stay with the city, town or village that issued them; ask its building department or file a Freedom of Information Law request there. Contractor licenses can be checked on the county’s online look-up.

• Nassau County building and zoning permits
• Nassau County cities, towns and villages
• DPW permits and fees
• County applications, licenses and permits
• On-site sewage disposal FAQ
• On-site sewage system and SPDES permit
• Obtaining a home improvement license
• Who must be licensed
• License look-up
• FEMA Community Status Book, New York
• NYS code adoption and enforcement updates

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