Schenectady County, New York Building Permit Guide

Schenectady County runs no building department. Permits come from the City of Schenectady, the towns of Duanesburg, Glenville, Niskayuna, Princetown and Rotterdam, and the villages of Scotia and Delanson, each inside its own boundary. The county steps in on three things: Public Health Services approves septic system plans and issues their construction permits, the Department of Engineering & Public Works issues highway work permits for driveways and other work in a county road right-of-way, and the Economic Development and Planning department reviews local development proposals.

What requires a building permit in Schenectady County?

Each municipality’s code and forms set the list. Princetown, the smallest town, still keeps separate applications for fences, swimming pools, accessory structures, handicap ramps, signs, demolition and residential or commercial plumbing. Glenville repealed its shed exemption in 2023 and requires permits for all fences and pools; Rotterdam exempts one-story sheds of 144 sq ft or less at a one- or two-family home; Niskayuna issues a combined building and zoning permit for any new structure, addition, alteration or change of use. In the City of Schenectady almost all work needs a permit, painting being one of the few exceptions outside historic districts, though owners can use a Certificate of Ordinary and Reasonable Repair for small repairs. The Village of Scotia’s list is among the broadest: kitchen and bath work, replacement windows, porch and rail replacement, foundation repair, any gas piping (CSST in particular), any solid-fuel appliance, and sheds over 96 sq ft all need a village permit.

What the municipalities decide and what the state holds

All eight enforce the 2025 Uniform Code and Energy Code, and none may tighten them without state approval. What varies is local: zoning and setbacks, how a fee is measured (floor area in Niskayuna and Rotterdam, construction value in Glenville), whether a town runs its own electrical or plumbing program, and office hours that range from weekday counters to Princetown’s Tuesday evening session. Schenectady County is not among the twelve counties the Department of State lists as having opted out of the enforcement of the Uniform and Energy codes.

Schenectady County building department: who handles permitting

The table covers every city, town and village in the county. A town office stops at the village line: Scotia lies inside Glenville and Delanson inside the southern part of Duanesburg. Rotterdam, Niskayuna and Princetown contain no villages, and the city is not part of any town.

Delanson is the one place where a village leans on its town. The village directory lists building permits under its Planning Board contact at the village number and names the Town of Duanesburg’s code enforcement officer as building inspector, so start with a call to the village clerk, whose office now works by appointment. For Duanesburg itself, call Town Hall. Mailing addresses mislead here too: a “Schenectady” address does not mean the city (Princetown’s own Town Hall uses one), so check the parcel on the county’s SIMS map viewer.

What Schenectady County itself does

• Public Health Services, Environmental Health (107 Nott Terrace, Suite 300; 518-386-2818): engineering plan approval and construction permits for new and repaired septic systems, review of individual, commercial and realty subdivision plans, percolation tests, and free bacteria testing of private wells. It also runs the Septic System Replacement Program, set up under the state’s Clean Water Infrastructure Act of 2017, which reimburses up to 50% of an eligible replacement, to a maximum of $10,000, where a failing system harms a designated waterbody.
• Engineering & Public Works (100 Kellar Avenue; 518-356-5340): reviews and permits development and utility work along the county highway system through a highway work permit.
• Economic Development and Planning (518-386-2225): reviews local development proposals with zoning, subdivision and environmental review, and keeps the SIMS GIS map service.

Schenectady County permit types and applications

Residential permits

Every office has its own forms and filing routine. Scotia takes new applications by mail or in person at Village Hall and accepts later documents for a pending permit by email to the inspector. The City of Schenectady takes applications online, by mail or by fax but no longer by email, and when a contractor is hired the contractor must apply. Glenville uses three 2024 forms (general, accessory structure, non-structural). Rotterdam takes the application, a stamped site plan and insurance certificates without payment and collects the fee in cash or by check when the permit is ready. Princetown attaches an informational form to every application.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial jobs add site plan review by the local planning board or commission and plans from a New York design professional. Rotterdam asks for three stamped plan sets plus a PDF on a flash drive; in the city, the Planning Commission reviews all new commercial and multi-unit construction and changes of tenancy. A commercial driveway onto a county road needs a county highway work permit with a $50 or $200 plan review depending on its size.

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

• Zoning: the local zoning board of appeals for variances and the planning board for site plans, subdivisions and special uses; Delanson posts its sketch plan, site plan and special use applications online.
• Historic districts: exterior work on a city landmark or in a city historic district needs a Certificate of Approval from the Historic Resource Commission.
• Septic: on an unsewered lot, county plan approval before the building permit, and in Glenville a town septic disposal permit as well.
• Well: Rotterdam wants its well regulation form with a certified lab test for a new private well.
• County road: the highway work permit for any work in a county right-of-way.
• Flood zones: all eight municipalities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, so local flood-damage rules apply to mapped flood land.

Building permit fees in Schenectady County

No county building fee exists; each municipality bills under its own schedule. The table gives the main rule where the finished guide for that place sets it out, plus the county road permit.

For a new 2,000 sq ft house, Niskayuna’s rate gives 2,000 times $0.30, or $600. Rotterdam charges $500 for the first 1,000 sq ft and 1,000 times $0.40 for the rest, $900 in all. Glenville prices the same house by its construction value rather than its size. Septic plan review and perc test fees are paid separately to the county through its Citizen Engagement Portal by card or e-check.

Trade permits and who may pull them

The county’s permits page lists no contractor or trade license, so trade rules come from the municipalities. Glenville has issued its own electrical permits since November 2024 under Chapter 102. Rotterdam requires a third-party electrical inspection agency for wiring, and its building inspectors give final approval only once the agency has. Niskayuna requires plumbers to register with the town, and the City of Schenectady has its own Plumbing Inspector in City Hall, Room 22 (518-382-5091). Scotia’s inspector covers both building and plumbing work in the village. Every office asks for current proof of workers’ compensation and disability coverage, or the state exemption form for an owner doing the work, before a permit issues.

The city also requires pool companies to pull both the building and the electrical permit for every pool they install, and a hired contractor, not the homeowner, files the permit for any city job.

How to get a building permit in Schenectady County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Glenville processes most applications in about 10 days and Rotterdam residential ones within about 20 business days. The usual hold-ups are a septic design that the county has not yet approved, an expired insurance certificate (Rotterdam keeps none on file), plans without a design professional’s stamp where one is needed, and a zoning variance still pending. In Princetown, with one evening session a week, a missing document can cost a full week.

Inspections and certificates

Inspections are booked with the office that issued the permit: Glenville through its Building Department line, Rotterdam through its building inspectors, Princetown with the inspector on Tuesday evenings or by appointment. A new septic system is inspected under its county construction permit, and in Glenville the town also inspects it before a certificate is issued. Electrical work in Rotterdam is inspected by the agency, not the town. The last step everywhere is a certificate of occupancy for new buildings or a certificate of compliance for smaller work. A county highway work permit runs for 90 days.

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

Schenectady County permit FAQ

Does Schenectady County issue building permits?

No. The City of Schenectady, the five towns and the villages of Scotia and Delanson issue them; the county approves septic systems and permits work on county roads.

Who issues permits in the Village of Scotia?

The village’s own Building and Code Enforcement Department at 4 N. Ten Broeck Street. The Glenville town office covers only the town outside Scotia.

Who handles a building permit in Delanson?

The village lists building permits under its Planning Board contact at 518-895-2199 and uses the Duanesburg code enforcement officer as its building inspector; call the clerk for an appointment.

How do I get a septic system approved?

Through Schenectady County Public Health Services: request the percolation test and submit the design for plan review on the county’s Citizen Engagement Portal, then obtain the construction permit. Glenville adds a town septic permit.

Do I need a county permit for a driveway?

Only if it meets a county road. The highway work permit for a new single-dwelling driveway costs $35 and is valid for 90 days; town and state roads have their own permits.

Do electricians or plumbers need a license here?

Not from the county. Rotterdam relies on approved third-party electrical agencies, Glenville issues its own electrical permits, and Niskayuna requires plumbers to register with the town.

How do I look up an old permit?

Ask the city, town or village that issued it; records are not kept by the county. Glenville takes records requests through its online FOIL portal, and septic approvals can be requested from county Public Health.

Schenectady County permit search and official resources

Each municipality keeps its own permit files and certificates; a Freedom of Information Law request to its clerk gets copies. County Public Health holds septic plan approvals, and DPW holds highway work permits.

• Schenectady County drinking water and wastewater (septic) page
• Schenectady County Citizen Engagement Portal (plan review, perc tests)
• Schenectady County permits list
• Schenectady County highway work permit application
• Schenectady County Engineering & Public Works
• Schenectady County Economic Development and Planning
• Village of Delanson planning applications
• NYS Department of State Code Inspection Unit (opted-out counties)
• FEMA Community Status Book, New York
• NYS code adoption and enforcement updates

Simplify Schenectady County 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 Schenectady County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.