Village of Port Chester, New York Building Permit Guide

The Village of Port Chester Building Department issues building, electrical, plumbing and related permits for every property in the village from Village Hall, 222 Grace Church Street (914-939-5203). Since November 5, 2024 most applications have been filed electronically through the village’s Accela Citizen Access portal. Under the fee schedule adopted September 9, 2022, one- and two-family work costs a $200 base fee plus $20 for every $1,000 of construction cost, and the base fee is not refundable.

What requires a building permit in Port Chester?

Chapter 151 of the Village Code, adopted by Local Law 3 of 2009, requires a permit for work governed by the Uniform Code and the Energy Code and lists what is exempt. The village’s fee schedule and application packages show the permit types in use:

An exemption is not permission to break the code or the zoning law, so setbacks and height limits still apply to a shed or fence.

What the village decides and what the state sets

The state Uniform Code and Energy Code set the technical rules. The Board of Trustees sets the local process in Chapter 151 (applications, inspections, certificates and a fire safety and property maintenance inspection program) and fees by schedule, and adds village law on zoning (Chapter 345), flood damage prevention (Chapter 181), electrical installations (Chapter 44), trees and shrubbery (Chapter 304) and waterfront consistency review (Chapter 332). A stricter local construction standard would need state Code Council approval.

Port Chester building department: who handles permitting

Port Chester’s 32,303 residents (Census 2025 estimate) are all served by the village Building Department, headed by Building Inspector Steven Velardo, with assistant building inspectors and a zoning inspector. The village lies in the Town of Rye, but the Census counts no Town of Rye land outside its villages (Port Chester, Rye Brook and part of the Village of Mamaroneck), so there is no town building office to deal with; Rye Brook, at 938 King Street, has its own department.

Board agendas and hearing notices for the Board of Trustees, the Planning Commission and the Zoning Board of Appeals are posted on the village’s CivicClerk portal, reached from the Public Notices page.

Port Chester permit types and filing rules

Residential permits

Create an account on Accela Citizen Access, connect it to the property and pick the matching package from the Applications page; most were revised in July 2025, including separate packages for alterations to one- and two-family homes, new one- and two-family homes, above-ground pools, re-roofing, solar panels and generators, and demolition. An owner using an agent signs the agent authorization form, and an affidavit of final construction cost is required on any permit over $10,000.

The plan submission requirements (revised December 30, 2025) require plans sealed and signed by a New York professional engineer or registered architect, with a code page naming the edition used, the building’s date of construction, occupancy classification and construction type, every room’s use and ceiling height, light and ventilation calculations, egress and rescue openings, fire-rated assemblies, energy code compliance, HVAC load calculations and smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. The portal page links the village’s use and construction-type classification sheets and a zoning district map.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial and multi-family work (including mixed-use buildings) pays a $400 base fee plus $20 per $1,000. Separate packages cover new commercial buildings, tenant fit-outs, building shells and vacant spaces, grease traps, cranes and hoists, telecommunications facilities, occupant load signs and seasonal outdoor assembly areas, and the special inspections program follows Chapter 17 of the state building code. New construction reviewed by a third-party plan reviewer pays $20 per $1,000 up to $20 million and $10 per $1,000 above that.

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 check: find the district on the village zoning map; projects that do not comply go to the Zoning Board of Appeals.
• Planning Commission and Architectural Review Board: ask the Building Department whether your project must go before either board; their notices are posted on CivicClerk.
• Waterfront: Chapter 332 of the Village Code sets a waterfront consistency review; ask whether it applies to a site near the water.
• Flood zones: a floodplain development permit costs $100 for a one- or two-family property and $200 for others; FEMA lists Port Chester as participating, on the county map effective September 28, 2007.
• Septic: any new septic system needs a Westchester County Department of Health permit.

Port Chester building permit fees

The Building Department fee schedule adopted September 9, 2022 is the one the July 2025 application packages cite; the older February 2021 file still linked in the building page sidebar is out of date. The same permit rates are codified in Chapter 175 of the Village Code, whose Building Department table was last amended on March 17, 2025 (Local Law 5 of 2025) and July 7, 2025, so the 2022 rates below are still the adopted ones. Base fees are not refundable.

Worked example: a $40,000 renovation of a two-family house pays the $200 base fee plus 40 × $20 ($800), or $1,000; separate electrical and plumbing permits are priced on their own lines. Expedited municipal searches cost $200.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical. Under Chapter 44 the Building Inspector issues electrical permits only to licensed electrical contractors, and the July 2025 electrical package must be signed by the licensed contractor. It needs a copy of the application filed with a Westchester County licensed electrical inspection agency (the scope must match the permit), the contractor’s county electrical license and workers’ compensation and disability coverage. The village’s copy of the county agency list is attached to the package; the Building Inspector may endorse the agency’s certificate of approval, and no installation may be connected to power before that approval.

Plumbing and gas. Plumbing, gas, water service lateral and meter pit work, and sewer, stormwater lateral and sump pump certifications each have their own package. Westchester County licenses plumbers, and the grease trap program has its own certification package.

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

Fire safety program. Chapter 151 runs a fire safety and property maintenance inspection program. Chapter 175 prices the inspections by property type: $250 for a three-unit multiple dwelling, rising $25 a unit to 20 units and then $15 a unit; $350 to $900 for places of public assembly by occupant load; and $350 to $950 for nonresidential and mixed-use buildings by floor area, with a first re-inspection at $100, later ones $125 and a missed appointment $50. The chapter still also prints an older program line ($200, $400 or $550 for the first $10,000 plus $5 per $1,000), so ask which applies.

How to apply for a Port Chester building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The village publishes no review time. Each package lists what a complete filing needs, such as the code data on the plans, the licensed contractor’s signature and, for electrical work, the inspection agency application; a change after issue needs an amendment ($100 plus $20 per $1,000 for a house). A permit expires 12 months after issue if the work is not finished and no certificate has issued; the Building Inspector may renew it one year at a time, twice for work under $5 million and three times for larger jobs, with current workers’ compensation and disability proof.

Port Chester inspections and certificates

To book an inspection, call the Building Department at 914-939-5203; staff schedule it with the next available inspector, and consultations about permits or violations are set up the same way. A failed or repeat inspection costs $100. Section 151-5 lists the stages the inspector checks where they apply: the site when the permit issues, footings and foundation, slab preparation, framing, underground and rough-in building systems, fire-resistant construction and penetrations, solid-fuel appliances, chimneys and gas vents, energy code compliance and a final. Work stays exposed until it passes, and anything that fails stays open until it is fixed and re-inspected.

Completed work ends with a certificate of occupancy or certificate of compliance under Section 151-7, and a change of use always needs a new certificate. Before issuing it the Building Inspector can ask for a structural observation or special inspection report, a statement that the work meets the Uniform Code and Energy Code, an elevation or floodproofing certificate in flood zones, and the final cost affidavit. A temporary certificate of occupancy, applied for with the TCO package and a list of unfinished items, costs the permit’s base fee, lasts up to 60 days at a time and is granted only where the occupied part is safe, its fire protection works and its exits are complete.

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

Port Chester permit FAQ

Does the Town of Rye issue permits in Port Chester?

No. The Village of Port Chester Building Department permits all village property; the Census counts no Town of Rye area outside its villages.

Can I still file on paper?

Most permit applications have been electronic through Accela Citizen Access since November 5, 2024. The building page still describes delivering or mailing applications to Village Hall, so ask the department if your permit type is not in the portal.

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

Not under Section 151-4 for a fence that is not part of a pool enclosure or for a shed of 144 sq ft or less at a one- or two-family home, but both must still meet zoning.

How much does a permit cost for a $40,000 job on a house?

$1,000: the $200 base fee plus $20 for each $1,000 of construction cost.

What if work started before the permit?

The administrative fee is $300 or three times the permit fee, whichever is greater.

Who can pull an electrical permit?

Only a licensed electrical contractor, who signs the application and attaches the county inspection agency filing and county license.

Do I need a permit to replace my roof?

Yes. Re-roofing and re-covering has its own application package, and a house pays the $200 base fee plus $20 per $1,000 of the job’s cost.

Is Port Chester in the federal flood insurance program?

Yes. FEMA lists the village as participating, on the Westchester County flood map effective September 28, 2007. Building in a mapped flood area needs a floodplain development permit ($100 for a one- or two-family property), and the certificate of occupancy can require an elevation or floodproofing certificate.

How long is a permit good for?

Twelve months, renewable one year at a time for the base fee (twice for most jobs); the third renewal costs the full original fee.

Permit search and official resources

Property records and permit status are in Accela Citizen Access once you create an account. For a formal municipal search, deliver or mail the Municipal Record Search Request to the Building Department with a check payable to the Village of Port Chester; expedited searches cost $200.

• Village of Port Chester Building Department
• Citizen Access permitting portal instructions
• Accela Citizen Access
• Applications and permit packages
• Fee schedule adopted September 9, 2022
• Building plan submission requirements (Dec. 30, 2025)
• Electrical systems application package
• Village Code Chapter 151, Building Code Administration
• Village Code Chapter 44, Electrical Installations
• Port Chester zoning map
• Boards and commissions related to the Building Department
• Westchester County plumber and electrician licenses
• Westchester County home improvement license fees
• Westchester County list of local building departments
• FEMA Community Status Book, New York
• NYS code adoption notice

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