Town of Ossining, New York Building Permit Guide

The Town of Ossining Building Department issues building permits only for the unincorporated part of the town, the area outside the Village of Ossining and Briarcliff Manor. It works from the second floor of the John-Paul Rodrigues Operations Center, 101 Route 9A (914-762-8419), and takes a notarized application with three sets of sealed plans. Under the town’s 2026 adopted fee schedule a permit is $100 for the first $1,000 of work plus $15 for each additional $1,000, and a certificate of occupancy is $100.

What requires a building permit in the Town of Ossining?

Chapter 63 of the Town Code requires a separate permit before anyone erects, enlarges, alters, removes, improves, demolishes or converts a building or changes its occupancy. The department adds that an application is needed for any new construction or alteration of an existing structure or home, and names swimming pools, decks, sheds and signs; any roof change on a house or commercial building also needs a permit.

An application that leaves those four questions blank is not processed. Disturbing one acre or more of land also needs a state DEC stormwater plan and Notice of Intent before work starts.

What the town decides and what the state sets

Applications filed on or after December 31, 2025 must meet the 2025 New York codes, and plans carry the designer’s code-compliance certification. The town sets the local process in Chapter 63, which by its own terms applies only outside the incorporated villages, and its own land-use rules: zoning (Chapter 200), steep slopes (Chapter 167), freshwater wetlands and watercourses (Chapter 105), tree protection (Chapter 183) and flood damage control (Chapter 102). Fees are set by Town Board resolution.

Town of Ossining building department: who handles permitting

Building Inspector Jon Turnquist’s office issues permits and certificates of occupancy and enforces the zoning ordinance for the unincorporated town, where 5,596 of the town’s 39,964 residents live (Census 2025 estimates); the same office posts zoning violations and can authorize the condemnation of unsafe buildings. The Village of Ossining’s Building Department works out of the same Operations Center but is a separate office with its own phone line, portal and fees. Briarcliff Manor, which straddles the Ossining and Mount Pleasant town line, has its own department.

The Operations Center doors lock at 3:30 pm every day; to drop off a town application between 3:30 and 4:30 pm, call the town department in advance for an appointment. Westchester County’s directory lists a single “Ossining Town/Village” entry with the town’s number, but village parcels must use the village’s own office.

Town of Ossining permit types and filing rules

Residential permits

Read the requirements sheet in the building permit application package first: incomplete applications are not accepted. A complete filing has the signed and notarized application with the fee, three copies of plans sealed by a New York design professional (showing required and actual setbacks for any enlargement or new structure, and the added gross floor area), a property survey for any enlargement or accessory structure such as a pool, garage or shed, and a Dig Safely number for any digging. An owner who hires someone to file signs the town’s authorization form.

Insurance follows the town’s wording: a liability certificate naming the Town of Ossining, 16 Croton Avenue, as certificate holder and additional insured with the job address, workers’ compensation on form C-105.2 and disability on DB-120.1, or the Workers’ Compensation Board waiver; contractors add their Westchester County license. A homeowner doing the work gets the waiver and a liability certificate from their insurance agent. For any job other than a complete new house, the town also wants a copy of the owner’s homeowner policy showing general liability coverage.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial work uses the same application and fee scale. Site plans, subdivisions and conditional uses go to the combined Planning and Architectural Review Board, whose 2026 calendar, application and ARB submission checklist are on the board’s page; site plan review costs $350 plus $25 per parking space, with an equal inspection fee. A rezoning or zoning amendment request costs $1,000 plus $50 per acre, and a full environmental assessment form adds a $200 review fee; the Planning Board sets performance and maintenance bonds on the Town Engineer’s recommendation.

For tenant improvements and new commercial builds, Alliance handles commercial permit expediting through issuance. More on this: commercial building permits explained.

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning Board of Appeals: $350 for a variance, interpretation or special permit, usually after the Building Inspector rejects a permit on zoning grounds.
• Planning/Architectural Review Board: subdivisions and site plans; the fee schedule sets review escrows from $5,000 (two-lot subdivisions, site plans up to 3,000 sq ft, and minor applications such as wetland or filling and grading permits).
• Accessory dwelling units: $300 to the Zoning Board, $150 for each renewal.
• Steep slopes: $100 residential application and inspection fee; wetland permits issued by the Building Inspector use the building permit scale.
• Trees: $100 for a residential removal permit plus $50 for each extra tree; removing a tree that needed a permit without one costs $1,000 per tree.
• Septic and wells: new septic systems need a Westchester County Department of Health permit.

Town of Ossining building permit fees

The 2026 Adopted Fee Schedule (updated July 1, 2026) replaces the 2024 schedule still linked from older pages, and its trade fees match the town’s January and October 2026 permit forms.

Worked example: a $50,000 addition costs $100 for the first $1,000 plus 49 × $15 ($735), or $835, and the $100 certificate of occupancy brings the total to $935; the application form records the fee “inc. CO”. The estimated cost covers all construction and related work but not the land.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical. Chapter 82 forbids installing or altering wiring until an inspection application is on file with the New York Board of Fire Underwriters, and new wiring may not be connected to power until a certificate issues. The town’s January 2026 electrical permit form requires the inspection agency form attached and the electrician’s Westchester County license number, and the certificate of occupancy needs proof that the system passed final inspection by an approved electrical inspection service. Westchester County licenses electrical inspectors and posts the agencies it approves.

Plumbing and HVAC. Plumbing permits list every fixture and say whether waste goes to the public sewer or a septic tank; a separate plumbing certification form and an HVAC and mechanical application are on the permits page, along with a fuel tank removal permit. Backflow devices cost $150 per device to apply for and install in commercial and multiple residences, and $150 to install in a one- or two-family home.

Licenses. Westchester County licenses master electricians, plumbers and home improvement contractors through its Department of Consumer Protection (148 Martine Avenue, Room 407, White Plains; 914-995-2155). The home improvement license application fee has been $750 since January 1, 2026.

How to apply for a Town of Ossining building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The town publishes no review time. Plans filed before December 31, 2025 are reviewed under the 2020 codes and later ones under the 2025 codes. Applications missing the notarization, insurance certificates, license or answers to the four ordinance questions are turned away. Under Section 63-5 a permit lapses if work does not start within nine months, or is not finished within 18 months (30 months for work costing more than $1 million); the Building Inspector may approve one written six-month extension, after which a new permit is needed.

Inspections and certificates of occupancy

The permit holder must make sure every inspection that applies is done, or no certificate of occupancy will issue: footings before the pour (forms and rebar in place), foundation before backfill with drains and waterproofing, framing after electrical and plumbing rough-in, insulation for the energy code, plumbing and electrical, and a final. Call 914-762-8419 to book; a missed appointment and a same-day inspection each cost $50.

For the certificate, file an as-built survey (after the foundation for new structures), proof that the electrical system passed its final inspection, evidence that any Planning Board conditions are met, and a signed, notarized final cost affidavit. The fee schedule also offers an inspection and letter in lieu of a certificate of occupancy ($150).

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 Ossining permit FAQ

My address says Ossining. Does the town issue my permit?

Only if the parcel is outside the Village of Ossining and Briarcliff Manor. Inside the Village of Ossining, apply online to the village Building Department (914-941-3199); in Briarcliff Manor, to the village Building & Engineering Department.

Are the town and village building departments the same office?

No. Both work from the Operations Center at 101 Route 9A, but the town department (914-762-8419) takes paper applications for the unincorporated town, while the village department uses CitySquared and its own fee schedule.

How much is a permit for a $50,000 project?

$835 for the building permit plus $100 for the certificate of occupancy, under the 2026 adopted schedule.

Do I need a permit for a shed or a new roof?

Yes to both. The department lists sheds among the work needing a permit, with a survey showing the location, and says any roof change needs a building permit.

Can I do the work myself?

A homeowner can, with a workers’ compensation waiver and a liability certificate from their insurance agent. Electrical work is filed by an electrician with a Westchester County license number and needs an inspection agency certificate.

How long does a permit last?

Work must start within nine months and finish within 18 months (30 months for projects over $1 million); one six-month extension is possible, and renewal costs half the original fee.

Do I need a permit to cut down a tree?

Often. The application asks whether the work falls under the Tree Protection ordinance (Chapter 183). A residential tree removal permit is $100 plus $50 for each additional tree, and removing a tree that needed a permit without one costs $1,000 per tree.

Can I add an accessory apartment?

Accessory dwellings go through the Zoning Board: $300 for the first application and $150 for each renewal, on top of the building permit for any construction.

Is the town in the federal flood insurance program?

Yes. FEMA lists the Town of Ossining and the Village of Ossining as participating, on the Westchester County flood map effective September 28, 2007.

Permit search and official resources

The town has no online permit search. For a property’s permits and certificates, ask the Building Department for a title search ($65 per property); copies of certificates of occupancy and surveys cost $25 each.

• Town of Ossining Building Department
• Permits and applications
• Building permit application and requirements
• Electrical permit application
• 2026 Adopted Fee Schedule (updated July 1, 2026)
• Town Code Chapter 63, Building Construction
• Town Code Chapter 82, Electrical Standards
• Planning/Architectural Review Board
• Zoning Board of Appeals
• Village of Ossining Building Department
• Village of Briarcliff Manor Building & Engineering
• Westchester County plumber and electrician licenses
• Westchester County home improvement license fees
• Westchester County Health septic and well permits
• FEMA Community Status Book, New York
• NYS code adoption notice

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