Town of Pittsford, New York Building Permit Guide

In the Town of Pittsford, Building and Code Enforcement in the Department of Public Works at Town Hall, 11 South Main Street, issues building permits and certificates of occupancy or compliance and inspects the work; the Village of Pittsford runs its own Building Inspector. Applications are on paper, every new house and addition first goes to the Design Review and Historic Preservation Board, and fences, roofing, siding and replacement windows need no permit.

What requires a building permit in Pittsford?

Chapter 64 of the Town Code requires a permit for any work that must meet the Uniform Code or the Energy Code: building, enlarging, altering, improving, moving or demolishing a structure, excavations, and installing a solid-fuel heating appliance, chimney or flue in a dwelling. The town’s submission guidelines turn that into a practical list.

Exempt work must still meet the Chapter 185 zoning rules on setbacks, easements and height.

What the town decides and what the state sets

The technical construction rules are the state Uniform Code and Energy Code, which Pittsford enforces through Chapter 64 (Local Law 6 of 2006). What the town controls itself is the zoning code, rewritten and adopted in March 2025; design review and landmark protection through the Design Review and Historic Preservation Board; board review before demolition; floodplain permits under Chapter 95; the list of approved electrical inspection agencies; plumber licensing; and the fee schedule, which the Town Board sets by resolution. A stricter construction standard than the Uniform Code would need state Code Council approval.

Pittsford building department: who handles permitting

The Code Enforcement Office issues permits, enforces the state and local codes and the fire code, inspects permitted work and issues certificates of occupancy and compliance for new buildings, additions, alterations, decks, pools and signs. Its staff also serve as liaisons to the Design Review and Historic Preservation Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals. The Fire Marshal, in the same office, handles fire alarm and fire prevention permits.

Village of Pittsford. The village is a separate municipality with its own Building Inspector, who also serves as code enforcement officer and fire marshal, plus its own Planning and Zoning Board of Appeals and Historic Preservation Board. Village parcels file at Village Hall, 21 North Main Street (585-586-4332), not at Town Hall.

Permit types and submission requirements

Residential permits

A new house needs the completed application, two full sets of stamped drawings (one stays with the department, one on site), the RES-check energy compliance certificate from the architect, heat calculations and a plot or tape map. A residential addition adds photographs of the existing house showing the elevations where the addition goes; the energy certificate is needed when the addition is living space. The town’s info sheets set out the common smaller jobs:

• Sheds and accessory buildings: up to 120 sq ft may sit 4 feet from the rear and side lines if part of it is within the rear setback; 120 to 225 sq ft must be outside the setbacks; none in front or side yards, 12 feet maximum height, and all roofed or enclosed accessory structures together (pergolas included) capped at 320 sq ft with no single one over 225.
• Decks: outside the setbacks, not forward of the house’s rear wall, a railing at 30 inches or more above grade, and a construction design showing footings and their depth, beams, joists and the ledger attachment.
• Pools: outside the setbacks measured from the water’s edge and behind the rear wall of the house, with a grading plan, equipment specifications, barrier and gate details and the pool alarm locations; equipment beside the house is screened by a solid fence at least 6 inches taller than the equipment.
• Generators: an RG&E energy audit letter confirming the existing utility main has capacity for it, no closer than 5 feet to combustibles or to windows, doors and vents, outside the setbacks and not forward of the front wall.
• Finished basements: a floor plan with room sizes, detectors, insulation and the egress window, which must be in any new bedroom.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial new buildings, additions and renovations need two stamped sets plus three sets of stamped sprinkler plans, and renovation drawings must answer Chapter 33 of both the fire code and the building code on safety during construction and demolition. Interior commercial renovations are reviewed only by the code enforcement officers and the Fire Marshal. Activities listed in Article VI of Chapter 64 need an operating permit from the office, and every business sign needs a sign permit.

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

What comes before the building permit

Design Review and Historic Preservation Board. All plans for new homes, additions and commercial buildings go to this board, which meets on the second and fourth Thursdays at 6 p.m. in the lower-level meeting room of Town Hall; submissions are due by 4 p.m. on the first or third Wednesday. A designated landmark needs a certificate of appropriateness after a public hearing, and inventoried properties and their neighbors are reviewed too. Demolition of most buildings also goes to board review under Article VIII of Chapter 64; sheds under 180 sq ft, decks, patios, pools and fences are exempt from that step.

Zoning Board of Appeals. A deck, pool, shed or fence inside a setback needs an area variance. The board meets on the third Monday at 7 p.m., takes only the first four complete applications per agenda, wants 12 copies of each document, and the town posts a sign on the property about 10 days before the hearing.

Planning Board, floodplain and right-of-way. Subdivisions and non-residential site plans go to the seven-member Planning Board through Planning, Zoning and Development. Work in a mapped flood hazard area needs a floodplain development permit under Chapter 95, with the lowest floor at least 2 feet above the base flood elevation; FEMA lists the town as a participating NFIP community. Any driveway, fence, tree or landscaping in the town right-of-way, typically an 18-foot strip behind the gutter, needs a permit from the Highway Superintendent.

Pittsford permit fees

Chapter 64 leaves building fees to a schedule set by Town Board resolution, and the department works it out when it issues the permit. The town does not post that building-fee table online, so ask 585-248-6265 for the figure on your project. The application lists the possible charges: building permit, certificate of occupancy, recreation fund and demolition fees. Payment is taken when you pick up the permit.

The variance fees are the schedule effective in 2023 printed in the variance packet. Electrical inspection is paid to the agency you hire, not to the town.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical. Chapter 79 names three agencies as the only qualified electrical inspectors in Pittsford: Commonwealth Electrical Inspection Services, Middle Department Inspection Agency and New York Electrical Inspection Agency. An application for inspection must be filed with one of them before wiring of 50 volts or more is installed or altered, and nothing may be connected to power until the agency issues a temporary certificate or certificate of compliance. The agency files its certificate with the Building Inspector within one business day; the owner pays the agency. The town has no electrician license.

Plumbing. Anyone doing plumbing in the town needs an annual license from a code enforcement officer under Chapter 114. It is open to holders of a City of Rochester Examining Board of Plumbers license, a license from an approved municipality, or someone who has worked in the trade for at least 10 years. The application costs $100, is valid one year, and needs liability, workers’ compensation and disability proof; the town does not accept an ACORD form for the last two.

Insurance on every permit. Contractors must show general liability of $1,000,000 with the Town of Pittsford as certificate holder, with no exemption allowed, plus workers’ compensation and disability on the state forms or a CE-200 exemption filed for each project address. A homeowner building a shed or deck can use the homeowner exemption form.

Septic and sewer. Public sewers reach about 70% of the town and the Sewer Department must be told before a building on sewer is demolished. On lots with a septic system, the Monroe County Department of Public Health (585-753-5060) approves the design, which must be drawn by a design professional, and inspects construction within 48 hours of a request.

How to apply for a Pittsford building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

After the design board approves a project, the town says the permit itself may take up to two weeks. The town warns that insurance papers missing at application delay processing, and a CE-200 must be filed fresh for each project address. A variance case waits for a monthly hearing that takes only four complete applications. Eligible solar applications get a decision within 14 calendar days, or feedback within 7 days if incomplete. A permit expires 12 months after it is issued and can be renewed on application and payment of the renewal fee.

Pittsford inspections and certificates

Call the department at 585-248-6265 when each stage is ready; work must stay exposed until it is accepted. Under Chapter 64 the inspector visits, where they apply, the site before the permit, footings and foundation, slab preparation, framing, underground and rough-in systems, fire-resistant construction and penetrations, solid-fuel appliances and chimneys, energy code insulation, and a final once everything is done. Electrical inspections are made separately by your chosen agency.

No new building, addition or altered space may be used until a certificate of occupancy or compliance is issued after the final inspection. For it, the inspector may also ask for a structural observation statement, a final special inspection report or flood elevation certificates.

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

Pittsford permit FAQ

Do I need a permit for a new roof or siding in Pittsford?

No. The town’s current guidelines say building permits for roofing, siding and replacement windows are not required at this time.

Do I need a permit for a fence?

No, but fences are limited to 6 feet (berms included), may be no more than 3 feet high in front of the front setback line, must stay out of the right-of-way, cannot go in easements, and the finished side faces out.

How big a shed can I build without a variance?

Up to 225 sq ft and 12 feet tall, behind the house, outside the setbacks; a shed of 120 sq ft or less may be 4 feet from the rear and side lines. All accessory structures together cannot exceed 320 sq ft.

Does my addition need design review?

Yes. All new homes and additions go to the Design Review and Historic Preservation Board; interior work does not unless it changes the exterior.

Who inspects electrical work?

Commonwealth, Middle Department or New York Electrical Inspection Agency, the three agencies named in Chapter 79. You hire and pay one of them.

I live in the Village of Pittsford. Where do I apply?

At Village Hall, 21 North Main Street, with the village Building Inspector; village parcels are handled there, not at Town Hall.

How much does a Pittsford building permit cost?

The building fee comes from a Town Board fee schedule that is not posted; call 585-248-6265. Published fees include $100 for a unified solar permit and $75 for a residential area variance.

Permit search and official resources

Questions about the permits and certificates on file for a house, pool, shed or commercial building go to Code Enforcement at 585-248-6265. For copies of permit files, plans or certificates, file a Freedom of Information request with the Town Clerk on the town’s FOIL form, online or by mail to Town Hall (585-248-6214).

• Building and Code Enforcement
• Public Works forms and permits
• Building permit guidelines and application
• Garden sheds and accessory structures
• Deck guidelines
• Pool information packet
• Generator information
• Fence facts
• Insurance requirements for permits
• Design Review and Historic Preservation Board information
• Area variance guidelines and fee schedule
• Unified residential solar permit
• Plumbing license application
• Town zoning code (updated 2025)
• Town of Pittsford Code (eCode360)
• Chapter 64, Building Construction and Maintenance
• Chapter 79, Electrical Standards
• Chapter 95, Flood Damage Prevention
• Town Clerk and FOIL requests
• Village of Pittsford Building Inspector
• Monroe County onsite wastewater (septic) program
• NYS Department of State code adoption notice

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