Town of Plattekill, New York Building Permit Guide

The Town of Plattekill Building Department, 1915 Route 44/55 in Modena (845-883-7331 ext. 21), issues building permits, electrical permits and certificates of occupancy for the whole town, which has no incorporated villages. Small jobs use the short form, new buildings the new-construction form priced by floor area, and the electrician must file the electrical permit in person.

What requires a building permit in Plattekill?

Chapter 32 of the Town Code, the Building Code Enforcement law rewritten by Local Law 1 of 2007, requires a permit for any work that must conform to the Uniform Code or Energy Code, including building, enlarging, altering, improving, removing, relocating or demolishing a structure and installing a solid-fuel heater, chimney or flue in a dwelling. The short-form application describes the scope as construction of buildings, additions or alterations, and removal or demolition; the town’s fee list adds the smaller items it prices separately.

Residential tents need no permit up to 500 square feet; commercial tents cost $10 a day for up to 15 days a year. Work started without a permit costs $250 for residential and $500 for commercial projects, on top of the permit.

What the town decides and what the state holds

New York sets the building and energy standards. Plattekill’s Town Board writes the zoning law (Chapter 110), the driveway permit law, freshwater wetlands control within 100 feet of mapped wetlands, rules for mobile homes, logging, outdoor furnaces and short-term rentals, and the fee schedule in Chapter A116. A local construction standard stricter than the state code would need Code Council approval.

Plattekill building department: who handles permitting

The Building Department at Town Hall in Modena is the only permit office, as the town has no incorporated villages. Its posted notice says no building inspectors work Thursdays and Fridays until further notice, so inspections happen Monday to Wednesday and are scheduled around the inspector’s availability. The building inspector, Bill Johosky, works Monday to Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; the building and fire safety clerk keeps the office open every weekday and on Tuesday evenings.

Plattekill permit types and filing

The department posts four main forms: a short-form building permit for additions, alterations and other smaller work; a new-construction form for residential and commercial buildings; an electrical permit application; and a tent permit. A short-term rental annual application and a driveway permit form sit alongside them.

Residential permits

The short form needs the owner’s signature if someone else applies, the contractor’s workers’ compensation (or exemption) and liability certificates, the project dimensions and estimated cost and, when the department asks, one surveyor’s map and two full plan sets. A new house uses the new-construction form, which lists what must be in hand before a permit issues: the completed application and fee, two plan sets sealed by a New York architect or engineer when the work exceeds $20,000 or changes structure, a current survey sealed by a licensed surveyor, the deed if the assessor does not have it, insurance, any state, county or town highway approval, and the Ulster County Department of Health permit to construct the septic system. Do not pour footings until the inspector has checked the building’s location and the soil, and keep the inspection page of the form at hand as the checklist for the job.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial buildings use the same new-construction form and the same floor-area fee bands, and list every business or mixed use with its extent. Commercial electrical permits are $100, commercial site plan review is $500 at application and $500 at final, and businesses then pay fire safety inspection fees every two years, from $100 up to 5,000 square feet to $500 above 25,000, and solar or battery facilities pay $9,000 or $4,500 per megawatt at the building permit stage.

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

Under the Driveway Permit Law no building permit issues on a town road until the Highway Superintendent has granted a driveway permit, and no certificate of occupancy until he approves the finished driveway in writing; the driveway must slope away from the road at 2% for at least 15 feet. The $1,000 refundable driveway bond and $150 inspection fee are paid with the building application. Site plans, subdivisions and special uses go to the Planning Board and variances to the ZBA, and the inspector can refer an application to either board. Work in or within 100 feet of a mapped freshwater wetland falls under the town’s wetland authority. Residential site plan review is $300, and a minor subdivision pays a $1,750 recreation fee for its new lots.

Short-term rentals

In a notice posted April 8, 2026, the Building Department said the town had recently enacted new short-term rental rules and told owners that every short-term rental must be registered and hold a town operating permit as well as an Ulster County tax certificate. The amnesty period ran until June 1, 2026, and owners who had not applied by May 1 were told to expect a cease-and-desist order. The annual application is posted with the building forms.

Plattekill permit fees

Plattekill’s fees sit in Chapter A116 of the Town Code, the Town Board’s fee resolution as last amended on February 21, 2024, and are also printed on the application forms. All permit fees are non-refundable; checks go to the Town of Plattekill.

The rate for ordinary building work comes from the February 21, 2024 resolution codified as Chapter A116: $75 for the first $6,000 of cost and $5 per $1,000 after, so a $50,000 renovation costs $75 + 44 × $5 = $295. Two town forms print different figures, noted here only as differences: the short form posted in December 2025 says $100 for the first $6,000 and $10 per $1,000, and the new-construction form lists a $100 certificate reinspection against the resolution’s $75.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical. Plattekill requires a separate electrical permit, and the electrician pulls it. The application must be filled out in person at Town Hall; emailed or mailed electrical applications are refused. The electrician shows an Ulster County electrical license and its number, a liability certificate naming the Town of Plattekill as additional insured, and workers’ compensation proof or an exemption. Ulster County’s licensing law (County Code Chapter 185) applies to anyone in the electrical contracting business; homeowners may do limited work in their own detached house over a year old, excluding pool and spa wiring, generator transfer switches and sale-related violation repairs. The county board’s notice to electricians, posted on the town’s building page, explains that the master electrician exam requires at least 7 years of experience or education in electrical installation, and that grandfather licenses, for those who applied within two years, were open to holders of a City of Kingston master license and to contractors with 11 consecutive years in business. Every electrical job is inspected by a licensed third-party electrical inspector; the department links Central Hudson’s list of approved inspection agencies, and the final electrical certificate is needed for the certificate of occupancy.

Plumbing and septic. Plattekill does not license plumbers. The building inspector checks underground plumbing before cover and rough plumbing before insulation, with potable water lines air-tested at a minimum of 60 psi for 24 hours. On-site septic systems need the Ulster County Department of Health’s permit to construct before the building permit and its final approval before occupancy.

How to apply for a Plattekill building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The inspector may grant the application, deny it, or refer it to the ZBA or Planning Board, and the new-construction form says the department may ask for any other information it needs for a fuller review. The three-day inspection week is the main scheduling constraint, and missing highway or health approvals hold up both the permit and the certificate.

Plattekill inspections and certificates

Notice must reach the office 24 hours before each inspection, and the visit is set by the inspector’s availability on Monday to Wednesday. A new house runs through a staked site check before excavation, footing forms before concrete, backfill (footing drains uncovered, walls waterproofed and the first deck in place before backfilling), underground plumbing, the slab, rough framing, rough plumbing, rough electrical by the electrical inspector, insulation before drywall, final electrical and the health department’s final where needed.

Section 32-14A bars using any building until the building inspector issues a certificate of occupancy. The final inspection for that certificate ($75) needs the final electrical certificate, a final survey, the health department’s approval and the driveway approval where they apply. A building permit lapses if work has not started within six months and expires after 12 months; the short form says a renewal runs 6 months.

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 Plattekill permit FAQ

Does any village in Plattekill issue its own permits?

No. Plattekill has no incorporated villages, so the town Building Department in Modena covers every address in the town.

On which days does Plattekill inspect?

Monday to Wednesday. The department’s notice says no building inspectors are available Thursday and Friday until further notice, and inspections need 24 hours’ notice.

How much is a permit for a new house?

The new-construction band for buildings up to 5,000 square feet is $450 plus $0.25 per square foot, and the certificate of occupancy inspection adds $75. The higher bands start at $2,000, $6,000 and $14,000.

Can I email or mail an electrical permit application?

No. The electrician must come to Town Hall in person with the Ulster County license and insurance certificates.

Do I need a permit for an above-ground pool?

Yes, unless it is less than 24 inches deep: Chapter A116 lists seasonal and above-ground pools at $75 and in-ground pools at $250.

Do short-term rentals need a town permit?

Yes. Since the town’s short-term rental law, every rental must be registered and hold a town operating permit as well as an Ulster County tax certificate.

Can I get a certificate of occupancy before the driveway is finished?

No. The driveway law bars a certificate until the Highway Superintendent gives final written approval of the driveway.

Is Plattekill in FEMA’s flood insurance program?

Yes. FEMA lists the Town of Plattekill as a participating community; its first flood insurance rate map dates from September 25, 2009, and its current map entry shows no special flood hazard area.

Plattekill permit search and official resources

Permit and certificate files are town records kept under the Town Clerk, who serves as Records Management Officer; ask the clerk in writing for copies of past permits or certificates, or ask the Building Department for a municipal search, which Chapter A116 prices at $75 for a certificate of occupancy search, $25 for a violation search and $25 for a street search.

• Town of Plattekill Building Department
• New construction (residential/commercial) requirements and inspections
• Short-form building permit application
• Electrical permit application
• Town Code Chapter A116, schedule of fees
• Town Code Chapter 32, Building Code Enforcement
• Town Code Chapter 45, Driveway Permit Law
• Code of the Town of Plattekill (eCode360)
• Ulster County Electrical Licensing Law, Chapter 185
• Ulster County Department of Health sewage disposal systems
• NYS Uniform Code adoption notice

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