Town of Newburgh, New York Building Permit Guide

In the Town of Newburgh, the Code Compliance Department at 21 Hudson Valley Professional Plaza reviews applications, issues building permits and certificates of occupancy, and runs the town’s fire inspections. A new house pays $200 plus 50 cents per square foot of floor area under Chapter 104 of the Town Code, and each inspection needs at least 24 hours’ notice.

What requires a building permit in the Town of Newburgh?

Chapter 71 of the Town Code, rewritten in December 2022, requires a building permit for any work that must comply with the Uniform Code or the Energy Code, including building, enlarging, altering, improving, removing, relocating or demolishing a structure and installing a solid-fuel heater, chimney or flue in a home. The subsection where the state model law lists exemptions is marked “intentionally omitted” in the town’s version, so the code itself adds no local list of permit-free work.

Work beyond the building lot often needs a separate town permit: sewer and water connections, any work in the town right-of-way (driveways, road cuts, utility taps) and backflow valves on commercial water services.

What the town decides and what the state holds

The town administers the state Uniform Code and Energy Code through Chapter 71; it cannot make those standards stricter without Code Council approval. Local choices sit in Chapter 104 (fees), the zoning law (Chapter 185), clearing and grading (Chapter 83), flood damage prevention (Chapter 109), stormwater management (Chapter 157), and the list of electrical inspection agencies the Town Board appoints. The department’s own forms add requirements of their own, such as upgrading all smoke and carbon monoxide alarms on residential electrical jobs.

Town of Newburgh building department: who handles permitting

The Code Compliance Department, under Code Compliance Supervisor Gerald Canfield, issues building permits and certificates of occupancy for new and existing homes and businesses and investigates code complaints. Its two full-time Fire Inspectors carry out annual fire inspections and plan reviews for more than 1,200 businesses, and the department’s 911 clerk assigns house numbers and verifies new road names. The Census Bureau lists no incorporated village in the town; the City of Newburgh is a separate municipality with its own Bureau of Code Compliance.

Town of Newburgh permit types and filing

The department posts a Long and a Short Building Permit Application (both revised March 11, 2025), a Septic Permit Application (June 1, 2026), a 2026 Pool, Hot Tub & Spa application, a sprinkler permit packet, a clearing and grading application, blasting forms and a residential electrical information sheet. Fees are paid in cash or by check, and the applicant agrees to call for the required inspections.

Residential permits

The long application lists what each job must include. A new house needs plans with REScheck, insurance certificates, a survey, the highway permit, the septic design where there is no sewer, the subdivision details and payment; an addition needs plans, a survey or plot plan, a lumber identification sheet, the owner’s consent and the electrician’s license. Pools need the barrier type and location and a pool or door alarm, and generators need the manufacturer’s clearances and the propane tank size and location. The checklist asks whether the lot has wetlands (they must be drawn on the plot plan) or lies in a flood plain (flood insurance and an elevation certificate), and plans must be sealed by a New York architect or engineer where the law requires.

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

Commercial permits

New commercial buildings, fit-outs and changes of occupancy need sealed plans with COMcheck, an approved site plan, a sprinkler application where required and a floor plan showing the nature of the business; commercial alterations also need a letter of approval. The application records the fire district (Middle Hope, Goodwill, Dan Leghorn, Winona Lake, Plattekill, Coldenham or Cronomer Valley), and fire suppression systems required by the town’s sprinkler ordinance are approved by the Fire Inspector.

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

Subdivisions and site plans go through the Planning Board and variances through the Zoning Board of Appeals; the long application has a box for referral to the ZBA. Water and sewer connections need permits from the town Water and Sewer Departments, and any work in a town road needs a Highway Department road opening permit. A commercial backflow valve is approved by the Orange County Department of Health through the town’s Water Supply Superintendent. Septic systems need their own town permit before work begins, and the inspection sheet warns that no burning is allowed without a NYSDEC permit.

Town of Newburgh building permit fees

Building fees are set in Chapter 104 of the Town Code (Local Law 7 of 2008, as amended). The department’s fee page posts a sheet dated January 1, 2014, and the 2025 application prints the same figures under a January 1, 2013 heading; both match the code.

On those rates a new house with 2,000 square feet of floor area pays $200 plus $1,000, or $1,200, and $60 for its certificate of occupancy; a septic system adds $100. Electrical inspections are billed separately by the approved agency and are not covered by the building permit fee.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical. Electrical work must be inspected by an agency the Town Board has appointed, and the long application lists them: Commonwealth Electrical Inspection Service, Electrical Underwriters of New York, New York Certified Electrical Inspectors, Z3 Consultants, Swanson Consulting, Tri-State Inspection Agency, New York Electrical Inspections, Middle Department Inspection Agency, NY Electrical Inspections & Consulting, Inspections on Time and SAS Electrical Inspection. They are independent contractors paid by the applicant. Whenever a job involves electrical work, the town asks for a copy of the electrician’s Orange County license; the county’s Department of Consumer Affairs licenses electricians (845-862-9500). The residential electrical information sheet makes upgrading all smoke and carbon monoxide alarms mandatory.

Plumbing and mechanical. The Town Code has no plumber licensing chapter, and the county licenses no trade but electricians. Plumbing is checked through the building permit: the underslab piping gets a pressure test, and the rough framing and plumbing inspection needs the water service and drain system pressurized. Oil tank installations need tank, support and piping details and the separation from the furnace.

Septic. The Code Compliance Department issues septic permits. A residential system must be designed to Appendix 75-A and the state Health Department design handbook, commercial systems to NYSDEC guidelines, and the application needs a survey, one set of plans, proof of ownership and insurance naming the town as certificate holder. A licensed professional must certify the installed system, and the final inspection needs the engineer’s septic as-built.

Insurance. Contractors and owners supply liability insurance and New York workers’ compensation and disability proof, or the exemption form, with the Town of Newburgh named as certificate holder.

How to apply for a Town of Newburgh building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The department will not schedule the final inspection until every listed item is in, and it will not issue a certificate of occupancy until all other involved town departments have given their final approvals; the applicant is responsible for coordinating them. The foundation location survey can also hold a job up: no inspection after the foundation walls is allowed until it has been received and approved. Under Chapter 71 a permit becomes invalid if work has not started within six months and expires 18 months after issue; reissuing an expired permit costs from 10% to 50% of the original fee, depending on how long ago it expired.

Town of Newburgh inspections and certificates

The application sets out a fixed sequence. Footings are inspected with forms and reinforcing tied in (concrete may not be earth-formed, and there is no inspection in rain); foundation walls no sooner than seven days after the footing pour; underslab plumbing under an air or water test; the slab; damp-proofing and footing drains seven days after the walls; and deck footings. Then come house wrap, rough framing and plumbing together, fire walls and sprinkler piping where they apply, insulation and the septic system, which a licensed professional must also certify.

Inspections need at least 24 hours’ notice, photographs are not accepted in place of an inspection, and an approved set of plans must be on site at every visit; Chapter 71 also lets an inspector use a remote inspection where it gives the same quality as an in-person visit. The final requires the project to be 100% complete, site work included, with the driveway sign-off, water test and well log, septic as-built, as-built plot plan, the underwriter’s electrical final and any Orange County Department of Health approval. A certificate of occupancy is required before a building is used or occupied.

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

Town of Newburgh permit FAQ

Is the Town of Newburgh the same as the City of Newburgh?

No. The City of Newburgh has its own Bureau of Code Compliance at 123 Grand Street. Everything in the town is permitted by the Town Code Compliance Department at 21 Hudson Valley Professional Plaza.

How much does a permit for a new house cost?

$200 plus 50 cents per square foot of floor area, so $1,200 for 2,000 square feet, plus a $60 certificate of occupancy and $100 for a new septic permit where needed.

What does a pool or hot tub permit cost?

$10 for every $1,000 of construction cost plus a $25 certificate of compliance under the 2026 application; work started before the permit adds $50.

Who inspects electrical work?

One of the agencies the Town Board has approved, chosen and paid by the applicant. The town asks for a copy of the electrician’s Orange County license with the application.

Do I need a permit to repair a septic system?

Yes. The town issues septic repair permits for $50, and no work may start until the permit is issued.

Can I send photos instead of an inspection?

No. The town’s inspection sheet says pictures will not be accepted, and nothing may be covered before it is inspected.

Is the Town of Newburgh in FEMA’s flood insurance program?

Yes. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the town as participating, with its current flood map dated August 3, 2009; a floodplain development permit costs $500.

Town of Newburgh permit search and official resources

To see permits and certificates on file for a property, file a Freedom of Information Law request through the town’s online F.O.I.L. portal. Certification letters on certificates of occupancy, title, zoning or road ownership cost $125 each.

• Town of Newburgh Code Compliance Department
• Code Compliance downloadable forms
• Long Building Permit Application (March 11, 2025)
• Septic Permit Application (June 1, 2026)
• 2026 Pool, Hot Tub and Spa Permit Application
• Building permit fee sheet (as of January 1, 2014)
• Code of the Town of Newburgh (eCode360)
• Town of Newburgh F.O.I.L. request portal
• Orange County electrician licenses
• NYS Uniform Code adoption notice

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