Ontario County, New York Building Permit Guide

Ontario County does not issue building permits. The Cities of Canandaigua and Geneva, the 16 towns and some of the villages run their own code offices, and in the Town of Manchester one town office permits for three villages as well. The county’s permits are for its roads: any work in a county right-of-way, from a driveway apron to a fence, needs a highway work permit from Public Works. Its Planning Department and Planning Board review the zoning actions towns and villages must refer, at no charge.

What requires a building permit in Ontario County?

Municipal lists set the scope, and they reach well past new houses. The City of Canandaigua charges $50 for every fence and shed; the Town of Canandaigua issues building, septic and fence permits; Geneva adds window replacement and minor electrical work to its 2026 list; and Victor prices fences, pools, signs and the relocation of a building. Naples posts its own guidelines on when a permit is needed, and South Bristol requires a short-term rental permit under its Chapter 141.

What local offices decide and what the state keeps

The construction standard is the 2025 Uniform Code and Energy Code throughout the county. Towns and villages decide zoning, the fee schedule, filing method and some local rules, such as the Town of Canandaigua’s septic inspection before a house is sold and South Bristol’s short-term rental law. Ontario County is not among the twelve counties the Department of State lists as having opted out of the enforcement of the Uniform and Energy codes.

Ontario County building department: who handles permitting

The table covers every city, town and village the Census Bureau places in the county, including the part of Rushville that lies in Gorham. Linked guides give fees and forms for the larger places.

The Manchester arrangement is the one to remember: its town office answers its own FAQ by saying it issues permits for the Villages of Manchester, Shortsville and Clifton Springs, and village permits there are paid by cash or check, not card. Clifton Springs reaches into Phelps, but its permits still come from Manchester. Naples works the other way: the town and the village each have their own officer, reached through the same town page. Canandaigua and Geneva each exist as both a city and a town, and the city offices cover only land inside city limits. Volumes differ widely: the Town of Canandaigua alone reviewed 633 applications and issued 585 permits in 2025, with nearly 4,000 inspections, while several towns keep short office hours, Gorham’s from Monday to Thursday and the Naples town officer’s on three days a week. Postal addresses do not settle the question either, because a Canandaigua or Geneva address can fall in the city or in the town of the same name, so check the tax map number before choosing an office.

What Ontario County itself does

• Public Works, 2962 County Road 48, Canandaigua (585-396-4000): highway work permits for any work in a county right-of-way, such as driveway paving or a fence, with a separate fee worksheet.
• Planning Department and County Planning Board, 20 Ontario Street, Canandaigua (585-396-4455): reviews referrals under General Municipal Law 239-l, -m and -n without a fee. Municipalities file through the county’s online referral portal, staff sort cases into Class 1 or Class 2 by likely impact, and some action types are exempt under an inter-municipal agreement.
• Soil and Water Conservation District: its Uniform Procedures Program supplies septic inspections for several municipalities, including inspections at property transfer.

Ontario has no county environmental health division of its own. The NYSDOH Geneva District Office, 624 Pre Emption Road (315-789-3030), does that work for Ontario, Wayne and Yates counties: it enforces the state rules on food, water and indoor air in restaurants, camps, pools, beaches, hotels, motels and fairgrounds, and investigates hazardous or unhealthy conditions in and around homes and workplaces. In the Towns of Canandaigua, Victor and Farmington, a house’s septic permit comes from the town code office, alongside the building permit.

Ontario County permit types and applications

Residential permits

The channel depends on the office. The Town of Canandaigua files everything through Cloudpermit and Farmington through iWorQ, while Victor’s portal is out of service and it takes PDF forms at Town Hall. Geneva takes applications by email, the City of Canandaigua by mail, email or at City Hall, and Canadice offers a drop box beside the Town Hall entrance. Naples books its town officer through the Town Clerk.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial work usually needs a planning board site plan and often a county referral before the building permit. The county review carries no fee, and the County Planning Board meets every month. Stamped drawings are part of the file, and in Geneva the city’s career firefighters are certified code officers who handle its more than 2,000 operating permits.

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 boards: ZBA variances, special use permits and site plans under the local zoning law.
• County referral: the County Planning Board’s recommendation on referred actions.
• Septic: the town septic permit and, in the Towns of Canandaigua and Farmington, an inspection at the time of sale.
• County highway: the Public Works highway work permit for a driveway or fence in the right-of-way.
• Short-term rentals: a separate operating permit in South Bristol, where no rental may run without one.

Building permit fees in Ontario County

Every municipality adopts its own schedule, and the four below show how widely they differ. The full tables are in this site’s city and town guides; county highway work permits have their own fee worksheet.

Worked comparison for a new 2,000-square-foot house: the City of Canandaigua 2,000 × $0.30 = $600; the Town of Canandaigua $500 + 2,000 × $0.35 = $1,200; Geneva 2,000 × $0.12 = $240; the Town of Victor 2,000 × $0.15 = $300. A new lot in the City of Canandaigua also carries a $1,500 recreation fee.

Trade permits and who may pull them

No county license applies to electricians or plumbers in Ontario County, and neither city licenses them: Canandaigua’s code has no such chapter, and Geneva’s licensing chapter covers other trades. Electrical work is inspected by approved third-party agencies: Canandaigua’s Chapter 354 deputizes agencies approved jointly by the City Manager, Code Enforcement Officer and Fire Chief, and Geneva requires a rough and a final agency inspection on every electrical job.

Mechanical and plumbing items are usually priced as their own small permits: $75 for a water heater or furnace in both cities, and $75 in Victor for electrical, mechanical, septic or sewer work on its own. Every office wants proof of workers’ compensation and disability coverage from whoever does the work, or the state exemption form.

How to get a building permit in Ontario County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Farmington quotes about 10 business days for a complete application, Gorham’s office works Monday to Thursday only, and Manchester’s staff are often out on inspections, so its office suggests an appointment. Files slow down when the county referral has not cleared, when the septic design or sale inspection is missing, or when the electrical agency is not named on the application, which Canandaigua requires.

Inspections and certificates

Each local office books its own inspections; Farmington inspects between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. with at least 24 hours’ notice. The electrical agency’s certificate goes to the code office before the final, and in Canandaigua the agency also certifies that a new service entrance is safe to energize.

The office closes the permit with a certificate of occupancy for new buildings or a certificate of compliance for other work. In Farmington the inspection before a sale must fall between 10 days and six months before the transfer; Soil and Water does it for the town and checks the interior plumbing, the tank before, during and after pumping, the baffles, the distribution box and the leach field. A replacement tank or distribution box there also gets a Soil and Water inspection before backfill.

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

Ontario County’s 26 municipalities share that code but not their fees, forms, filing methods or the days their officers keep office hours.

Ontario County permit FAQ

Does Ontario County issue building permits?

No. The two cities and each town or village office issue them; the county issues highway work permits for county roads.

Who issues permits in Shortsville, Manchester village or Clifton Springs?

The Town of Manchester Zoning/Code Enforcement Office, which says it issues permits for all three villages. Pay by cash or check.

Do I need a county permit to pave a driveway apron or put up a fence near a county road?

Yes, if the work is inside the county right-of-way. Public Works requires a highway work permit for it.

Who handles septic systems?

Town code offices issue septic permits, the Soil and Water District inspects systems for several municipalities, and the Towns of Canandaigua and Farmington require an inspection before a sale.

Is there a fee for the county planning review?

No. The County Planning Board reviews referred actions free of charge.

Do electricians need a license?

Not from the county. Wiring is inspected by approved third-party agencies chosen under each city’s or town’s rules.

Is my town in the flood insurance program?

Yes. Every Ontario County community FEMA lists, including Rushville, is in the participating section.

Ontario County permit search and official resources

Permit records stay with the issuing office. The Victor Planning & Building Department keeps property permit histories, the cities take FOIL requests through their clerks, and the Ontario County Clerk holds recorded survey maps.

• Ontario County highway work permits
• Ontario County Planning Board
• Ontario County SWCD onsite wastewater inspections
• NYSDOH district environmental health offices (Geneva)
• NYS Department of State Code Inspection Unit (opted-out counties)
• FEMA Community Status Book, New York
• NYS code adoption and enforcement updates

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