Town of Orangetown, New York Building Permit Guide

In the unincorporated Town of Orangetown, including the hamlet of South Nyack, building permits come from the town’s Building Department at 26 Orangeburg Road, Orangeburg (845-359-8410, weekdays 8 am to 4 pm). Applications go in on the town’s legal-size paper form with two sets of plans and a PDF, and the posted fee is $150 for the first $1,000 of construction value plus $18 for each further $1,000. A permit runs for two years.

What requires a building permit in Orangetown?

The town’s permit page and its Guide for Required Building Permits list far more than new buildings. Every type of construction, alteration or replacement in a commercial building or a building with three or more units needs a permit, and so does each new owner or tenant moving into a commercial space.

Section 6-9E of the Town Code, as amended by Local Law 3 of 2021, is the adopted rule and governs these exemptions. The town’s web list and 2019 guide still print older limits (sheds over 100 sq ft in residential districts, retaining walls over 2 feet), so cite the code section if you are quoted the older figure.

What the town decides and what the state sets

Chapter 6 of the Town Code administers the state Uniform Code and sets the town’s exemptions, the two-year permit term and the certificate of occupancy rules, while fees are set by Town Board resolution. Zoning (Chapter 43), historic areas (Chapter 12), flood damage prevention (Chapter 14B) and trees (Chapter 35) are also town law.

Orangetown building department: who handles permitting

The Office of Building, Zoning, Planning, Administration and Enforcement reviews applications against the zoning code and the Uniform Code, inspects the work, issues certificates of occupancy and makes periodic inspections of commercial property. Its page states that it is responsible for buildings in the unincorporated areas of the town. If the office denies a permit under the zoning code, the applicant can appeal to the Zoning Board of Appeals.

About 40,900 of Orangetown’s 50,377 residents live outside the villages (Census 2025 estimates). Part of Nyack lies in the Town of Clarkstown, but the whole village is served by the Nyack Building Department, which also runs the village Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals and Architectural Review Board. Grand View-on-Hudson takes paper applications at Village Hall, will not issue a permit while a Planning or Zoning Board review is pending, requires a tree permit before cutting or trimming trees more than 8 inches across, and requires an inspection and a valid certificate of occupancy before a house is sold. South Nyack is a hamlet of the town, and the town keeps a separate Hamlet of South Nyack zoning code.

Orangetown permit types and filing rules

Residential permits

One Application for Building/Demolition Permit (October 2024 version) covers all work. It must be printed on legal-size paper, 8.5 by 14 inches; letter-size copies are refused, and so are incomplete applications, so the office asks you to call first and go over the scope with staff. Pages 3 and 4 must be signed. With the form you file:

• two paper sets of building plans and one PDF, showing structure, floor plans, elevations, plumbing, electrical, heating and ventilation and energy information;
• two copies of a scaled plot plan, plus a PDF, showing the lot, existing and proposed structures, driveway, parking and setbacks;
• each contractor’s Rockland County license and workers’ compensation and disability certificates, or a homeowner’s affidavit;
• driveway access approval from the highway department that owns the road, and sewer approval from the town’s Department of Public Works, where they apply.

Plans must be signed and sealed by a New York engineer or architect when the work is valued over $20,000 or is structural, and state law already requires it for a home with more than 1,500 sq ft of habitable space. The office may adjust the fee before issuing the certificate of occupancy if bills and invoices show the real cost was higher. An application that sits inactive for six months can be closed without a refund. When the permit is ready, someone must collect the red-dot placard and fasten it to the building before work starts.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial work uses the same form and adds a $190 database fee and a $30 stream maintenance fee to the permit fee. Each new commercial tenant or owner needs a use and occupancy certificate ($150 plus the same $190 and $30). For projects over $4,000,000, an applicant may pay 25% of the permit fee at filing and the rest before the permit issues. Tents, canopies and membrane structures have their own checklist.

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 Board of Appeals for variances and appeals of a permit denial; Planning Board for site plans and subdivisions, with consultant review escrow under Chapter 14.
• Architecture and Community Appearance Board of Review (ACABOR) for design review.
• Historical Areas Board of Review (HABR) for exterior changes in historic areas to buildings put up before December 1918.
• Trees: removing trees in a critical environmental area or on a lot that could be subdivided needs a permit ($100 plus $20 for a home).
• Septic: new and repaired systems need Rockland County Department of Health approval, which the final inspection checks.
• Flood zones: Orangetown takes part in the National Flood Insurance Program, with a current flood map dated March 3, 2014.

Orangetown building permit fees

The department’s fee notice, effective February 15, 2018, is still the posted schedule. Building permits are priced on estimated construction value, and a published table runs the formula out band by band.

For example, a $25,000 kitchen renovation in a house is $150 plus 24 × $18, or $582, the figure the town’s table shows for the $24,000–$25,000 band, and the $20 database fee brings it to $602. Local Law 1 of 2026, adopted March 10, now leaves the amount of the database and electronic-records fee to Town Board resolution, so confirm that charge when you pay. The part of a fee attributable to solar or other renewable-energy equipment can be waived with an architect’s or engineer’s cost affidavit. If you withdraw an application, the town keeps 10% of the fee or $100, whichever is more. Card payments at the counter carry a $2.50 minimum charge and 3.95% on amounts over $63.29.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical. Electrical work is inspected by a third-party agency on the town’s approved list, which the department took from the Rockland County Electrical Examiner in October 2022: NY Electrical Inspections & Consulting, New York Certified Electrical Inspectors, Electrical Underwriters of NY, Tri-State Inspection Services, State Wide Inspection Services, Inspections On Time, and Swanson Consulting & Associates. Their certificate is one of the items the final inspection requires.

Rockland County licenses. The application has a line for each contractor’s Rockland County license number: builder, plumber, electrician and heating or cooling installer. The county’s Consumer Protection and Weights & Measures office licenses master electricians (county Chapter 250), plumbing, heating, air-conditioning, sheet metal, refrigeration and fire-protection contractors (Chapter 319) and home improvement contractors under Chapter 286, which the County Legislature replaced on April 14, 2026 with a law effective May 14, 2026. The town tells residents hiring an electrician or plumber to check the license with that office at 845-364-3901 or through its online lookup.

Insurance. Contractors file workers’ compensation and disability certificates; an owner doing the work files the homeowner’s affidavit instead.

Sewer and water. Sewer connections need Department of Public Works approval, and a demolition needs Department of Environmental Management and Engineering approval to seal the sewer line, plus written shut-off confirmations from Orange and Rockland Utilities and Veolia Water.

How to apply for an Orangetown building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The town does not publish a review time. Applications on the wrong paper size or missing a document are not accepted at all, and ones left inactive for six months may be closed without a refund. Any work beyond the approved scope needs a permit amendment or a separate permit. A permit is good for two years; up to two six-month extensions can be granted if you ask before it expires, and an expired permit needs a new application and fee.

Orangetown inspections and certificates

Calling for inspections is the owner’s responsibility, and every inspection needs at least 24 hours’ notice. Before work starts, the owner or representative must speak directly with the assigned inspector to go over the required inspections, and must speak to that inspector again to schedule each one. The general list covers footing forms before the pour, the foundation, plumbing and gravel under the slab, plumbing and HVAC rough-in, framing, insulation, roofing, fire-rated drywall in garages, rough grading and the final.

For the final you file the certificate of occupancy application with a certified plot plan or as-built survey showing the footing-drain outlet, the electrical agency’s certificate and any Rockland County Health approvals for septic or wells. Chapter 6 also calls for an affidavit from the architect, engineer or construction superintendent, and a building altered under a permit may not stay in use more than 30 days after completion without a certificate.

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

Orangetown permit FAQ

I live in Pearl River. Where do I get a building permit?

Pearl River is a hamlet of the town, so you apply to the town Building Department at 26 Orangeburg Road, Orangeburg.

Do I need a permit to replace windows or a roof in Orangetown?

Yes. The town lists window and door replacement and roof or shingle replacement as permit work.

Do I need a permit for a fence?

Not at a one- or two-family home if the fence does not enclose a pool and stays within 4½ feet in the front yard and 6 feet at the sides and rear. Taller fences and pool fences need one.

How much does a building permit cost in Orangetown?

$150 for the first $1,000 of construction value plus $18 for each further $1,000, and a $20 database fee for residential work.

How long is a permit valid?

Two years from issue, with up to two six-month extensions ($100 each) if you apply before it expires.

Who inspects electrical work?

An agency on the town’s approved third-party list; its certificate is required at the final inspection.

Does the town permit cover Nyack or Piermont?

No. Nyack, Piermont and Grand View-on-Hudson issue their own permits; the hamlet of South Nyack is covered by the town.

Permit search and official resources

The town has no online permit search. Send records requests (permits, certificates of occupancy, plans) to the department’s FOIL email with your name, phone, email, the property address, the details you need and any permit number; a violation search costs $200.

• Office of Building, Zoning, Planning, Administration and Enforcement
• When you need a building permit
• Guide for required building permits (2019)
• Building/demolition permit application (October 2024)
• Building fee notice effective February 15, 2018
• Building permit fee table by construction value
• Approved third-party electrical inspection agencies
• Town Code Chapter 6, Building Construction Administration
• Local Law 1 of 2026, records and GIS fees
• Town zoning code
• Hamlet of South Nyack zoning code
• Village of Nyack Building Department
• Village of Piermont Building Department
• Village of Grand View-on-Hudson Building Department
• Rockland County contractor and trade licenses
• Rockland County Health septic program
• NYS code adoption notice

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