City of Newburgh, New York Building Permit Guide

Inside the City of Newburgh, the Bureau of Code Compliance at 123 Grand Street reviews applications and issues building permits and certificates of occupancy; it sits within the Fire Department and is headed by the Code Compliance Supervisor. Under City Code Chapter 163, as amended on December 8, 2025, a new home costs $250 plus $17 for every $1,000 of construction value, and electrical and plumbing permits are filed separately by City-licensed contractors.

What requires a building permit in Newburgh?

Section 122-12 of the City Code requires a separate building permit for each building or structure before anyone erects, enlarges, alters, removes, improves, demolishes or converts it, or changes how it is occupied. The only exception in that section is ordinary repair work that is not structural.

Fences are regulated by Chapter 166: residential fences need a permit from the Building Inspector, may not exceed 6 feet (chain link up to 8 feet where the Building Inspector agrees in writing it is needed for public safety), and may not block Fire Department access to hydrants or standpipe connections.

What the city decides and what the state holds

Section 122-1 applies the state Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code inside the city, so construction standards come from the state and cannot be made stricter without Code Council approval. The City Council sets the fee schedule, the licensing of electricians and plumbers, the fence rules, zoning (Chapter 300), flood damage prevention (Chapter 175) and the historic and architectural design districts.

Newburgh building department: who handles permitting

The Bureau of Code Compliance was created within the Fire Department by section 12.03 of the City Charter. It is headed by the Code Compliance Supervisor, Quanetta Inman, who is appointed by the City Manager and works under the general supervision of the Fire Chief; the Supervisor enforces the city’s Construction and Housing Code. The Plumbing Inspector works in the same bureau, enforces the Plumbing Code and oversees street openings. The City of Newburgh is a separate municipality from the Town of Newburgh, which has its own Code Compliance Department on Hudson Valley Professional Plaza.

Newburgh permit types and filing

The city files on paper. The Forms & Permit Applications page carries the Building Permit Application revised January 6, 2025, and separate forms for certificates of occupancy, demolition, electrical, fence, floodplain development, heating, plumbing, scaffold, crane, sidewalk, sign, solid-fuel devices, street openings, tents and canopies, revised plans and an owner’s proxy statement.

Residential permits

The building application needs a plot plan showing the lot, buildings, connections to city water and sewer and how stormwater is handled; new construction, sheds and fences need two copies of a stamped survey. Two sets of plans and specifications are required, sealed by a licensed engineer or architect for new buildings or alterations costing $20,000 or more, or any change affecting structural safety. The checklist adds energy-code compliance (REScheck or similar), deck specifications, proof of ownership and, where relevant, the truss-construction notice. An applicant who is not the owner signs a notarized statement, and a homeowner acting as contractor files the CE-200 exemption.

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Commercial permits

Commercial work adds a letter of approval for alterations, a sprinkler permit application with hydraulic calculations (the sprinkler permit costs 2% of the cost of the work), approved site plan or change-of-use approval, and confirmation that the use is allowed in the zone under section 300-129. Insurance certificates must list the City of Newburgh as certificate holder. Commercial buildings pay an annual fire inspection fee of $100, or $200 for places of assembly.

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

A property in a historic district or an architectural design district needs a certificate from the Architectural Review Commission before the building permit is issued (section 122-13). The Commission meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month at the Activity Center, 401 Washington Street, and publishes design guidelines for the East End Historic District and Colonial Terraces. Site plans and special use permits go to the Planning Board and variances to the Zoning Board of Appeals; the land use boards may require an escrow, starting at $500, for professional review. Flood-zone sites need a floodplain development permit ($250), flood insurance and an elevation certificate.

Newburgh building permit fees

Fees are set in Chapter 163 of the City Code. The Chapter 122 building rows were last amended on December 8, 2025 by Ordinance 4-2025, and the building application, revised January 6, 2025, prints the same building rates.

Starting work before applying costs 50% of the application fee plus $250 for a residential structure or $500 for a commercial one, and the schedule also lists a surcharge for starting work without a permit (50% of the permit fee for residential work, $200 for commercial). On the adopted rates, a new house valued at $300,000 pays $250 plus 300 × $17, or $5,350, and a $120 certificate of occupancy. Two City forms print different amounts: the January 2025 certificate of occupancy application lists $175 for a one- or two-family residence and $75 for an accessory structure or alteration, and the January 2025 electrical application lists $50 per permit plus $5 per fixture, circuit, outlet or appliance. Chapter 163 is the schedule the City Council adopted, so its amounts apply: $120 and $50 for those certificates (amended December 8, 2025) and $20 plus $5 per fixture for an electrical permit.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical. Chapter 155 makes it a violation to install, alter or repair wiring in the city until an application has been filed with an electrical inspection agency approved by the Fire Chief and a permit obtained. Permits go only to electricians licensed by the City’s Board of Electrical Examiners, with one exception: an owner who lives in a one- or two-family dwelling may get a permit for work in the home where he or she resides, using the Owner Occupant Electrical Permit Application. Licenses are Class A master ($350 new, $300 every two years to renew), Class B for one job ($750) and Class C special ($50 a year), and the Board can sign reciprocal agreements with other municipalities. The City’s underwriter list names Commonwealth Electrical Inspection Service, Swanson Consulting, Electrical Underwriters of New York, Tri-State Inspection Agency, Middle Department Inspection Agency, Z-3 Consultants, New York Board, New York Certified Electrical Inspectors, NY Electrical Inspections & Consulting and Inspection on Time. Orange County also requires an electrical license for electrical work anywhere in the county.

Plumbing. The Examining Board of Plumbers says licensed plumbers are required for all plumbing work in the city. Plumbing permits are needed for water, sewer and street-opening work, renovations and replacing fixtures, boilers and water heaters, and only a City-licensed plumber may do plumbing tied to oil burners. A master plumber’s exam costs $300, the certificate of registration $250 and the yearly renewal $100 ($125 if renewed after January 1). The Board keeps a list of licensed plumbers and of bonded excavators for street openings.

Contractors. The City has no general or home-improvement contractor license, and Orange County requires none. Contractors list the City as certificate holder on liability and workers’ compensation certificates and supply disability benefits proof; homeowners acting as their own contractor file the CE-200. Water and sewer connections are shown on the plot plan with the building application, and plumbing permits cover the water and sewer work.

How to apply for a City of Newburgh building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The Building Official must approve or disapprove an application within a reasonable time (section 122-15); approved plans are stamped and one set is returned. If an application is refused before any work starts, half the fee is refunded; nothing is refunded once construction has begun. A permit authorizes work to start for six months, and the Building Official may grant up to two extensions of three months each for good cause. Changes to approved plans go in on the Revised Plan Application.

Newburgh inspections and certificates

The application authorizes the Building Inspector or a designee to make periodic inspections, and a stop-work order can follow work that departs from the approved plans. Inspections requested outside normal working hours cost $150, and repeat visits to the same site cost $40 (residential) or $75 (commercial). Electrical installations may not be connected until the approved agency issues its certificate of inspection.

No new building may be occupied until the Building Official issues a certificate of occupancy, and a building enlarged or altered under a permit may not stay in use more than 30 days after the work is finished without one; a change of use also needs one. The owner applies on the certificate of occupancy form, prepays the inspection fee and meets the inspector on the appointment date, and an architect, engineer or construction superintendent must file an affidavit that the work matches the approved plans.

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

City of Newburgh permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in the City of Newburgh?

The Bureau of Code Compliance, 123 Grand Street (845-569-7400), which is part of the Fire Department. Property in the Town of Newburgh goes to the town’s own Code Compliance Department.

How much is a building permit for an addition?

$17 for every $1,000 of construction value, with a $50 minimum, so a $40,000 addition pays $680; a $50 certificate of occupancy follows under the adopted fee schedule.

Do I need a permit for a fence?

Yes, on residential property: a $25 fence permit with a drawing of the design and materials and two stamped surveys. Fences are capped at 6 feet, and in historic or architectural design districts the zoning review comes first.

Can a homeowner do electrical work in Newburgh?

Only an owner who lives in a one- or two-family house, for work in that home, using the Owner Occupant Electrical Permit Application; the work is still inspected by an approved agency.

Who may do plumbing work?

Licensed plumbers only; the city requires them for all plumbing work, and replacing a water heater or boiler needs a plumbing permit.

How long is a building permit good for?

Work must start within six months of issue; the Building Official may extend that twice, three months at a time.

Is the City of Newburgh 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; flood-zone projects need a $250 floodplain development permit.

City of Newburgh permit search and official resources

Permit and certificate records are held by the Bureau of Code Compliance. To see them, file the FOIL Building Inspector/Code Compliance form with the City Clerk at City Hall, 83 Broadway; copies cost 25 cents a page. The City also issues informational reports on a property, requested on its Request for Informational Report form, for $100 (residential) or $250 (commercial).

• Code Compliance / Building Department
• Forms and permit applications
• Building Permit Application (revised January 6, 2025)
• Electrical Permit Application
• Certificate of Occupancy Application
• Approved electrical inspection underwriters
• Board of Electrical Examiners
• Examining Board of Plumbers
• Architectural Review Commission
• City Code Chapter 163, Fees
• Freedom of Information Law requests
• Orange County electrician licenses
• NYS Uniform Code adoption notice

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