Town of Queensbury, New York Building Permit Guide

In the Town of Queensbury, the town’s Buildings and Codes Enforcement office at 742 Bay Road (518-761-8256) issues building permits, septic permits and certificates of occupancy for the whole town; there are no incorporated villages, and Warren County’s Building Codes office has no enforcement role here. Permits last 12 months, and zoning approval from the town’s Zoning Administrator comes first.

What requires a building permit in Queensbury?

Chapter 88B, the town’s building code administration law adopted in May 2023, requires a building permit for any work that has to comply with the Uniform Code or the Energy Code: building, enlarging, altering, improving, removing, relocating or demolishing a building or structure, and installing a wood or other solid-fuel stove, chimney or flue.

An exemption is not permission to break the code: work that needs no permit must still meet the Uniform Code and Energy Code, and land use development generally needs a town zoning permit, unless the zoning law exempts it, whether or not a building permit is needed.

What the town decides and what the state holds

The state Uniform Code and Energy Code are the construction standards, and the Code Enforcement Officer issues a permit only when the work also meets the town Zoning Law. The Town Board makes Queensbury’s own rules alongside the state code: zoning (Chapter 179), freshwater wetlands, flood damage prevention, sewage disposal standards with extra limits near Lake George, the electrical inspection law, short-term rentals, and the permit fee schedule, which it sets by resolution. A construction standard stricter than the state code would need Code Council approval.

Queensbury building department: who handles permitting

The Director of Building and Code Enforcement runs the town office that enforces the building code, acts as the floodplain administrator, enforces the sewage disposal rules for the Town Board sitting as the local Board of Health, and enforces the electrical and short-term rental laws. The Census counts 29,049 residents and no incorporated villages, so the town office covers every parcel. Warren County’s Building Codes office, which handles permits for many other towns in the county, states that it has no enforcement responsibility in Queensbury or the City of Glens Falls, which has its own department.

Queensbury permit types and filing

The application is signed by the owner or the owner’s authorized agent and must describe the location, nature and scope of the work, give the tax map number, street address and occupancy classification, include a statement of special inspections where the code requires one, and come with at least two sets of construction documents. Documents that do not show code compliance, egress, the thermal envelope and the structural design are not accepted as part of the application. The accepted set is stamped, one copy goes back to the applicant, and the permit must stay visibly posted at the site until the work is done.

Residential permits

House projects follow the same rules, plus the inspections for manufactured and factory-built homes where they apply. A house on a private septic system needs a town disposal system permit with a percolation test before the system is built, and the soil, shoreline setback and holding-tank limits below apply near Lake George and other waters. Short-term rental owners must give every neighbor within 100 feet a contact who can answer complaints within one hour, and the Director may inspect the property.

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Commercial permits

Commercial projects usually need site plan review or a special use permit from the Planning Board before the building permit. Under Article 18 of the zoning law, the Adirondack Park Agency reviews the Class A regional projects listed in the law’s appendix, and may approve one only after consulting the Planning Board, which reports within 30 days whether the project meets the town land use plan.

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

What comes before the building permit

Every land use application starts with the Zoning Administrator. The zoning permit application, filed with its fee, includes a plan drawn to scale showing the real dimensions of the lot and the size and location of every building on it. The Administrator issues zoning permits and decides within 20 business days of a complete application whether the project complies, is refused, or needs Planning Board or ZBA approval first. A town-issued sign must stay posted on the property during review, and a zoning permit lapses if the project has not started within a year (one renewal is allowed). Work within 100 feet of a freshwater wetland needs a town wetlands permit from the Planning Board, which mails notice to adjoining owners and known water-rights claimants at least 15 days before its hearing; the application and maps are open for public inspection at the Town Clerk’s office, and the board may attach conditions to any permit.

Queensbury permit fees

Under section 88B-20 the Town Board sets the fee schedule by resolution and amends it by resolution. Building permit fees are paid when the application, an amendment or a renewal is filed; inspection fees before or at each inspection; and certificate fees when the certificate is applied for. A few fees are fixed in the code itself:

A permit that expires after 12 months, or lapses because work did not start, is renewed only on application, payment of the renewal fee and the officer’s approval.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical. Queensbury’s Electrical Law covers all wiring for light, heat, power and signal systems of 50 volts or more. No one may install, alter or repair wiring until a written application for inspection has been filed with an electrical inspector licensed by the town, and nothing may be connected to power until that inspector issues at least a temporary certificate of compliance. Inspection agencies are approved by the Town Board, carry $1 million of personal injury liability insurance, staff an office with toll-free phones at least eight hours a business day, and send compliance certificates to the Director. The town code licenses those inspection agencies, not electricians, and has no licensing chapter for electricians, plumbers or home improvement contractors.

Septic. The town, not the county, permits on-site sewage systems. Applications come from the owner, lessee or agent with a percolation test, which the Enforcement Officer may verify. Within 1,000 feet of the Lake George shoreline the leaching area needs at least three feet of usable soil above bedrock, impervious material or seasonal high groundwater; a leaching facility within 200 feet of a lake, pond or stream is barred where soil percolates in three minutes per inch or faster, unless corrective measures are approved; and holding tanks are prohibited without a Board of Health variance. No part of a system may be covered until the Director’s inspection serves as the disposal system use certificate.

Lake George properties. Before a property in the Waterfront Residential zone that uses a septic system changes hands, the town must inspect the system, unless an exemption applies, such as a satisfactory town or Lake George Park Commission inspection within the past five years. The seller arranges a pump-out by a DEC-registered septic hauler and opens every seepage pit and distribution box before the inspector arrives; holding tanks must have 50% and 100% level alarms and a water shut-off, with pump-out records produced at the inspection, and a buyer with an aerobic treatment unit must send the town an updated service contract within 30 days. Where winter weather, a planned demolition or a planned replacement prevents the inspection before closing, a notarized affidavit and a $2,000 escrow check can defer it for up to six months (weather and winter-repair cases end at June 1 if that comes first); missing the deadline forfeits the escrow. A system that leaks dye to the surface or a nearby water body, or needs pumping more than four times a year, fails. In the North Queensbury Wastewater Disposal District around Dunham’s Bay, systems are inspected every five years.

How to apply for a Queensbury building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The Code Enforcement Officer checks the application against the Uniform Code, the Energy Code and the town Zoning Law, and construction documents that do not meet the code’s content list are not accepted. Projects that need Planning Board or ZBA action wait for those boards, and the town zoning sign must stay up until the zoning permit issues. Changes during construction must be reported at once and may need an amended permit. Because a permit expires 12 months after issue, longer projects budget for renewal.

Queensbury inspections and certificates

Notify the office when each stage is ready and leave the work exposed until it is accepted. Chapter 88B lists the work site before the permit issues, footings and foundation, slab preparation, framing, structural, electrical, plumbing, mechanical and fire-protection systems, fire-resistant construction and penetrations, solid-fuel appliances and chimneys, the Energy Code items (insulation, windows, air leakage, controls and equipment sizing), the installation of manufactured homes, and a final. The officer may accept a remote inspection where it gives the same quality as a site visit, and any failure is cited to the specific code section. Work that fails stays exposed until it has been corrected and passes reinspection, and each inspection’s fee is due at or before the visit.

Every permitted job ends with a certificate of occupancy or a certificate of compliance, which needs any special inspection report, flood hazard certifications, Energy Code test results and, for manufactured buildings, the required seals and data plates. A temporary certificate may be issued only once the officer is satisfied the occupied part is safe.

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 Queensbury permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in Queensbury?

The Town of Queensbury Buildings and Codes Enforcement office at 742 Bay Road. Warren County’s Building Codes office does not enforce the code in Queensbury.

Does any village in Queensbury have its own building department?

No. Queensbury has no incorporated villages; the City of Glens Falls is a separate city with its own department.

How long is a building permit good for?

Twelve months from issue; it becomes invalid if work has not started within 12 months, and can be renewed on application and payment of the fee.

Do I need a zoning permit as well as a building permit?

Usually. The town requires a zoning permit from the Zoning Administrator before any land use development or land disturbance unless the zoning law exempts it, and the building permit is issued only for work that meets the Zoning Law.

Who approves my septic system?

The town. The Director of Building and Code Enforcement issues disposal system permits for the Town Board, which acts as the local Board of Health and hears variances.

Do I need a septic inspection to sell a Lake George property?

In the Waterfront Residential zone, yes, unless an exemption applies, such as a satisfactory inspection within the past five years.

Who inspects electrical work?

A private electrical inspection agency licensed by the town; file the inspection application with it before any wiring is installed.

Is Queensbury in FEMA’s flood insurance program?

Yes. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the Town of Queensbury as participating, with a current flood map dated August 16, 1996.

Queensbury permit search and official resources

The Town Clerk is the records access officer for all town records, including building files. Ask for permits, certificates or septic records in writing on the Clerk’s form; copies cost 25 cents a page.

• Town of Queensbury Buildings and Codes
• Buildings and Codes forms and fees
• Town Code Chapter 88B, Fire Prevention and Building Construction
• Code of the Town of Queensbury (eCode360)
• Warren County Building Codes (not Queensbury)
• NYS Uniform Code adoption notice

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