Town of Ontario, New York Building Permit Guide

Every building permit in the Town of Ontario, Wayne County, comes from the town Building Department and Code Enforcement office at 1850 Ridge Road (315-524-7170 ext. 302), open from 9 am to 4 pm; the town contains no incorporated village. File the application with a survey map, project specifications and a workers’ compensation certificate, but no payment: the office tells you the amount once the permit is approved. Applications take at least 15 working days, and starting work without a permit adds a $100 fee.

What requires a building permit in Ontario?

Ontario’s permit list is broad: besides buildings and their systems it names fences, driveways, roofs, hot tubs, generators, solar arrays and fill or excavation work.

Chapter 80’s exemption list has no fence exemption (item 4 is marked “Reserved”), which matches the town’s listing of fences as permit work. The small-structure exemption speaks of playhouses and similar uses, while the department lists storage sheds among permit items, so call ext. 302 before setting even a small shed.

What Ontario decides and what the state sets

The state Uniform Code and Energy Code set the technical rules. Ontario administers them under Chapter 80 of the Town Code (Local Law 2 of 2023), and adds its own chapters on electrical inspections (68), swimming pools (128), excavations and fill (75), flood damage prevention (84), stormwater management (116), zoning (150) and subdivision (151). A construction standard stricter than the Uniform Code would need state Code Council approval.

Ontario building department: who handles permitting

The Town Board appointed Brian Smith as Code Enforcement Officer for 2026 at its January 5, 2026 organizational meeting, and named MRB Group as the town’s engineering firm; the same officer serves as Deputy Health Officer for the year. Ontario has no incorporated village, so this one office permits every part of the town. The town is in Wayne County, not Ontario County.

Ontario permit types and filing rules

Residential permits

One building permit application covers all project types; tick every box that applies, from new homes and additions to sheds, decks, fences, porches, pools and hot tubs, roofs, HVAC, plumbing, wells, septic, generators, solar, stoves and fireplaces, signs and mobile homes. The total project cost is required. Add a survey map showing the project and its distances from lot lines and existing buildings, a specification sheet for the work and a workers’ compensation certificate; the town does not accept an ACORD form, and owners doing their own work can use the exemption form on the town’s forms page. Separate forms exist for floodplain permits, signs, fireworks displays and the state unified solar permit.

The application also records lot dimensions, front, rear and side setbacks, the project’s footprint, height and stories, its intended use and whether it lies in a floodplain.

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

Pools

Chapter 128 treats a pool over 120 sq ft and more than 24 inches deep as a swimming pool. It needs a permit with a plot plan showing the pool’s position, its size, depth and volume in gallons, a waste-disposal plan, the cost and where the fence will go. The pool must meet zoning setbacks and be fully enclosed by a 4-foot fence or wall with a self-closing, self-latching, lockable gate; an above-ground pool whose smooth sides are at least 4 feet high all round is exempt from the full fence rule. Pool wiring must follow the National Electrical Code’s Article 680 and run underground, and pool lights may not shine on neighbors. A pool that is not an accessory to a home needs Zoning Board of Appeals approval before a permit.

Fill, excavation and floodplain work

Chapter 75 (Local Law 2 of 1997, amended in 2015 and 2020) controls digging and filling that is not part of a permitted building. Excavation for a permitted building, utility lines, well drilling, septic work that leaves the natural terrain alone, driveway and sidewalk grading, normal landscaping and farming outside an Environmental Protection Overlay District need no excavation permit. Otherwise, the Code Enforcement Officer can issue a one-time permit per parcel for an excavation up to 40 by 80 feet and 8 feet deep, or for up to 500 cubic yards of fill, with a survey map of the area and seeding of filled ground; anything larger needs a Town Board permit with five copies of the application, aerial photos, an engineer’s or surveyor’s plat and a restoration plan reviewed by the Wayne County Soil and Water Conservation District.

In mapped flood zones, Chapter 84 (Local Law 1 of 1987) requires the lowest floor of a new or substantially improved home, including any basement or cellar, to be at or above the base flood elevation; where no base flood elevation has been set, it must be at least 2 feet above the highest adjacent grade. Commercial buildings may be elevated or floodproofed instead, and manufactured homes must be elevated and anchored against flotation and collapse. Floodplain work uses the town’s floodplain permit application.

Commercial permits

Commercial and multifamily projects use the same application, marked with the occupancy. Existing commercial buildings are subject to fire safety inspections, and the department posts its fire safety inspection checklist. Site plans and subdivisions go to the Planning Board.

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: setbacks under Chapter 150; variances from the Zoning Board of Appeals.
• Floodplain: a floodplain permit application for work in a mapped flood zone; new flood maps take effect on November 13, 2026.
• Lake Ontario shoreline: the department keeps on its page a 2012 state DEC notice about the state’s inventory of shoreline protection structures (bulkheads, revetments and seawalls) along the lake, which drew on design information in town building permits.
• Fill and grading: fill and excavation permits under Chapter 75 (see above).
• Stormwater: under Chapter 116 (Local Law 2 of 2007), clearing, grading, excavating or filling that disturbs one acre or more, or less as part of a larger plan of development or sale, is a land development activity that needs a stormwater pollution prevention plan reviewed by the town’s Stormwater Management Officer, who may inspect the work as it proceeds.

Ontario building permit fees

Under Section 80-18 the Town Board sets fees by resolution. It adopted the 2026 Town Fee Schedule at its January 5, 2026 organizational meeting, adding genealogy and water meter items. The Building Department applies that schedule and states the amount due when a permit is approved. The department’s own pages fix the payment rules below.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical. Chapter 68 (Local Law 2 of 2015) deputizes three agencies as the town’s electrical inspectors: New York Electrical Inspection Agency, Commonwealth Electrical Inspection Service and Middle Department Inspection Agency. No one may install or alter wiring until an inspection application has been filed with one of them, and the agency must file its certificate of compliance with the Code Enforcement Officer within one business day. “Electrical approval” is one of the inspections checked on the permit.

Plumbing, heating and gas. Plumbing, heating, ventilation and generator work are permit items, and plumbing, water service and the water meter are among the inspections listed on the application. Ontario’s code and pages set no local license for electricians, plumbers or general contractors.

Insurance. A workers’ compensation certificate on the state form must come with every application; ACORD forms are refused.

How to apply for an Ontario building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The town says applications take a minimum of 15 working days with no exceptions, so plan contractor start dates around that. The department lists the total project cost, the survey map with distances and a state-form workers’ compensation certificate as required parts of every filing. Under Section 80-4I a permit lapses if work has not begun within six months and expires 12 months after issue; the application allows a renewal each year for two years, after which only the Zoning Board of Appeals can extend it.

Ontario inspections and certificates

Call for every inspection at least 24 hours ahead on 315-524-7170 ext. 302. The application lists the stages the office may require: footing, foundation, framing, plumbing, sanitary system, water service, water meter, insulation, electrical approval, garage and basement floors, fire separation and an assessment visit.

After the final inspection the building official issues a certificate of occupancy or compliance, which must be in hand before the building or structure is used or occupied. Complaints about violations go to the department on its complaint of violation form.

Under Chapter 80 the Code Enforcement Officer may also issue a temporary certificate of occupancy for part of a building that is safe to use before the whole job is done, and may accept a remote inspection in place of a site visit where it shows the work as well. Existing buildings are on a fire safety and property maintenance cycle: buildings with an assembly area and schools at least every 12 months, and multiple dwellings and other non-residential buildings at least every 36 months. Places that need a state fire code operating permit are inspected before the permit issues.

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 permit FAQ

Is this the Town of Ontario in Ontario County?

No. This Town of Ontario is in Wayne County, and its Building Department is at 1850 Ridge Road; Ontario County is a separate county with its own towns.

Do I need a permit for a fence or a roof?

Yes. Fences, roofs and driveways are all on the town’s permit list, and the town code gives fences no exemption.

How long does a permit take?

At least 15 working days from a complete application; the town makes no exceptions.

Do I pay when I apply?

No. Send no money with the application; the office tells you the amount due once the permit is approved.

Who inspects electrical work?

One of the town’s three deputized agencies: New York Electrical Inspection Agency, Commonwealth Electrical Inspection Service or Middle Department Inspection Agency.

What fence does a pool need?

A 4-foot fence or wall around the whole pool with a self-closing, self-latching, lockable gate, unless the pool’s own smooth sides are at least 4 feet high all round.

What if my project runs past a year?

Apply for a renewal before the permit expires. The town grants one each year for two years; after that, only the Zoning Board of Appeals can extend the permit.

Can I bring in fill to level my yard?

Routine landscaping that does not change drainage into a public road needs no permit. Otherwise the Code Enforcement Officer can grant a one-time permit per parcel for up to 500 cubic yards of fill; larger fills need a Town Board permit under Chapter 75.

Is Ontario in the federal flood insurance program?

Yes. FEMA lists the Town of Ontario as participating, with new flood maps effective November 13, 2026.

Permit search and official resources

Permit and certificate records are kept by the Building Department at Town Hall; ask the office, or file a records request with the Town Clerk, the town’s records access officer for 2026.

• Ontario building permits
• Building Department and Code Enforcement
• Building permit application
• Forms and instructions
• Inspections
• Town Code Chapter 80, Building Construction Compliance
• Town Code Chapter 68, Electrical Inspections
• Town Code Chapter 128, Swimming Pools
• Town Board agendas and minutes
• FEMA Community Status Book, New York
• NYS code adoption notice

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