Tompkins County, New York Building Permit Guide

Tompkins County does not issue building permits. The City of Ithaca, each of the nine towns and the villages run their own code offices, and four of them, the city and the Towns of Ithaca, Dryden and Lansing, have finished guides on this site. The county’s role is concentrated in two places: Environmental Health issues the construction permit for every new or replacement septic system and usually designs it, and the Highway Department permits any work within 25 feet of the centerline of a county highway.

What requires a building permit in Tompkins County?

The local code office decides, under its own building law, and the county’s larger municipalities publish detailed lists. The finished guides show the range: the City of Ithaca names roofs, windows, water heaters and fences among the jobs that need a permit; the Town of Ithaca exempts a shed only if it meets five conditions together; Lansing lets fences up to 6 feet stand as of right; and Dryden requires zoning sign-off and county septic approval before it issues a building permit.

The county’s septic rules shape what can be built: a lot needs at least one acre of usable area, large enough to hold a 150-foot circle, for an on-site system permit unless a design professional supports a waiver. Routine owner maintenance of a driveway needs no county permit.

What the city, towns and villages decide and what the state holds

The 2025 Uniform Code and Energy Code apply everywhere, and two municipalities add to them: the City of Ithaca and the Town of Ithaca both enforce their own energy code supplements for new buildings and major work. Zoning, fees, rental laws and floodplain rules are local as well; the Towns of Dryden, Ithaca and Lansing all require new buildings in flood areas to sit 2 feet above the base flood elevation.

Tompkins County building department: who handles permitting

The table lists the city and every town and village the Census Bureau counts in the county. Villages are permitted by the village, not the town: the Town of Dryden’s code expressly leaves out the Villages of Dryden and Freeville, and Cayuga Heights, which lies partly in the Town of Ithaca and partly in Lansing, runs one code office for the whole village.

The Town of Groton’s Codes and Building Department also offers consultations on a building project, though not engineering or architectural design. In Freeville the village tells residents to check with its code official before any new construction or demolition of any size.

What Tompkins County itself does

• Environmental Health (Whole Health), 55 Brown Road, Ithaca (607-274-6688): septic construction permits, with staff designing most systems as part of the permit; plan review when a design professional prepares the design; an online application and payment system; and a public map search of existing septic permits and certificates of completion.
• Highway Department (607-274-0300): highway work permits for anything within 25 feet of a county highway’s centerline, driveway permits for new or replaced entrances, and hauling permits; it takes checks, money orders and cashier’s checks, not cash.
• Planning and Sustainability, 121 East Court Street, Ithaca (607-274-5560): the county planning department; local boards refer certain zoning actions near county roads and municipal boundaries to the county under General Municipal Law 239-m.

Tompkins County permit types and applications

Residential permits

Building applications go to the local office, several of which use online portals: the Town of Ithaca files through ViewPoint Cloud and the Town of Lansing through OpenGov. The county septic permit has its own forms: one for a new, replacement or converted system and one for a septic tank or pump chamber only, both also available through the online application.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial projects usually go through the local planning board’s site plan review, and those near county roads or municipal boundaries are referred to the county. When a design professional prepares the septic design instead of county staff, the county charges a plan review fee set by the system’s daily design flow, from $200 below 500 gallons a day to $600 at 2,000 gallons or more.

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

• Septic: the county construction permit, before the local building permit in towns such as Dryden; an incomplete septic application is returned, and nothing happens until the fee is paid.
• Zoning: local zoning permits, variances, site plan or special permits.
• County highway: a highway work or driveway permit for frontage on a county road.
• Flood: every municipality takes part in the flood insurance program; new FEMA maps took effect on June 18, 2025, everywhere except the Village of Cayuga Heights, which FEMA lists as having no special flood hazard area.
• Energy: the City and Town of Ithaca energy code supplements for new buildings and major work.

Building permit fees in Tompkins County

Local building permit fees are set by each council or board. Two examples from the finished guides: the Town of Lansing charges $0.50 per sq ft for a house and $0.20 for an attached garage, so a 2,000 sq ft house with a 500 sq ft garage pays $1,100, while the City of Ithaca applies one rate to the whole valuation, so a $30,000 kitchen renovation pays $300. The county’s own charges, effective January 1, 2026, are below.

Worked example: replacing a failed system on a house costs $335 for the county permit when county staff do the site evaluation, or $175 when the owner’s engineer supplies the plans and no site evaluation is needed. A septic permit or application can be renewed once, or transferred, before it expires for $80. Hauling and construction permits from the Highway Department are paid by check or money order.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Tompkins County’s pages show no county license for electricians, plumbers or home improvement contractors. The City of Ithaca is the exception within the county: it licenses electricians under its own ordinance and recognizes some outside licenses for a fee, as the city guide explains. In Dryden and Lansing, electrical work is inspected by electrical inspectors the town designates, and plumbing and heating are covered by the building permit. Septic installers work to the county permit and its specifications. Applicants show workers’ compensation and disability coverage, or the state exemption form, before a local permit issues.

How to get a building permit in Tompkins County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The common hold-up is order: a town such as Dryden will not issue the building permit until the county septic approval and the zoning step are complete. Septic design can take longer on small or wet lots that fall short of the one-acre usable area. Send a current survey map with the septic application if you have one, and the approved lot plan if the lot is in an approved subdivision. When percolation tests are called for, the county wants three hand-dug holes, each one foot square and 24 inches deep, at least 100 feet from any well or stream, including those on neighboring lots, and at least five gallons of water for each hole. County highway construction permits expire 60 days after they are issued, with one 30-day extension on written approval, so time them close to the work.

Inspections and certificates

Construction inspections and certificates of occupancy come from the local office; the Town of Ithaca, for example, asks for 24 hours’ notice. The septic system follows the county’s own sequence: after the application and fee, the applicant or contractor calls Environmental Health to book a site visit (the county aims for one week on undeveloped lots and conversions, 48 hours for replacements); a deep test hole, usually 6 feet, is dug by backhoe with a county inspector present, and percolation tests follow only if the inspector asks for them. The permit then sets out the system’s dimensions and materials. Before any part of the installation is covered, the county inspects it on at least 24 hours’ notice, and for new construction the house may not be occupied until the county issues its certificate of completion, which can later be looked up in the online map search. Highway work is checked by the county under its permit.

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

In Tompkins County the city, towns and villages enforce the Uniform Code under their own laws, and the City and Town of Ithaca add their own energy code supplements.

Tompkins County permit FAQ

Does Tompkins County issue building permits?

No. The City of Ithaca and each town and village do. The county issues septic permits and county highway permits.

How much is a septic permit in Tompkins County?

Under the 2026 schedule, $475 for a new system, $335 for a replacement and $110 to replace only a tank or pump chamber, less where an engineer’s plans remove the need for a site evaluation.

Can I put a septic system on a small lot?

The county’s minimum for an on-site system permit is one acre of usable area, enough to fit a 150-foot circle; a design professional can submit a detailed plan to seek a waiver.

I live in Cayuga Heights. Which office issues my permit?

The Village of Cayuga Heights Code Enforcement Office, for the whole village, whether the address is in the Town of Ithaca or the Town of Lansing.

Do I need a county permit for a driveway?

Yes, if it enters a county highway: a driveway permit for a new or replaced entrance, and $25 to pave or resurface a private driveway there. Routine maintenance needs no permit.

Does my electrician need a license?

Inside the City of Ithaca, yes, a city license. The county itself does not license electricians.

How do I find old septic or building records?

Septic permits and certificates of completion are on the county’s online map search; building records are held by the local office, and county records can be requested through the county FOIL page.

Tompkins County permit search and official resources

Search existing septic permits and certificates of completion on the county map; for building permits, use the local portal or ask the city, town or village clerk.

• Tompkins County Environmental Health, septic systems
• Procedure for obtaining a septic construction permit
• Environmental Health fee schedule, 2026
• Septic permit online application
• Search existing septic permits and certificates
• County highway construction and hauling permits
• Tompkins County Planning and Sustainability
• Tompkins County FOIL
• FEMA Community Status Book, New York
• NYS code adoption and enforcement updates

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