Town of Warwick, New York Building Permit Guide

In the Town of Warwick, the Building Department at Town Hall, 132 Kings Highway, issues building permits and certificates of occupancy for land outside the Villages of Warwick, Florida and Greenwood Lake, which permit their own properties. Applications go in by mail or in person, never by email or fax, and the town’s checklist prices decks, sheds, pools and fences at $100 plus $10 for every $1,000 of construction cost.

What requires a building permit in Warwick?

The Building Department’s FAQ answers the common question directly: any accessory structure needs a permit, including sheds, chicken coops, fences, decks and pools, and new roofs and new windows need one too. Certificates of occupancy are required for every building in the town.

Chapter 140 treats any pool deeper than 24 inches or with more than 100 square feet of water surface as a structure under zoning. Under the fence law adopted on February 27, 2025 (Chapter 80A), residential fences may be 8 feet high at the side and rear and 4 feet in a front yard, must be uniformly less than 50% solid, and may not use barbed wire, canvas, cloth, electric or turkey wire; a fence permit lasts one year. The department’s permit checklist, posted in January 2025 before the new law, still prints a 6-foot rear limit.

What the town decides and what the state holds

The state Uniform Code sets the construction standards, administered here under Chapter 82 by the Building Inspector and the Fire Marshal, and the town cannot make them stricter without Code Council approval. The Town Board sets the development fee schedule by resolution under Chapter 75 and writes the zoning law (Chapter 164), the fence, pool, flood damage, street opening and tree and grading chapters, and the setbacks the checklist repeats.

Warwick building department: who handles permitting

The town’s Building Department covers the unincorporated part of the Town of Warwick, which the Census puts at 19,332 of the town’s 31,685 residents. Its building inspector, the town engineer and code enforcement staff review the work, and the department also assigns 911 addresses. Projects that need Planning Board approval come to the department only after that approval. The three incorporated villages each run their own permit office:

The village offices work in much the same way but set their own rules and fees. The Village of Warwick takes inspection requests 24 hours ahead by phone or email and publishes its own schedule of fees. Florida accepts applications in person or by mail at the second-floor office of Village Hall, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, does not accept emailed applications, and requires a permit for any accessory structure. Greenwood Lake’s 2026 schedule charges $106 plus $10 per $1,000 of cost for major jobs, $106 plus $6 per $1,000 for minor work such as decks, roofs, siding and windows, $150 plus engineering for a septic permit, and a new-development impact fee of $1,500 to $2,500 depending on the estimated market value. By the Census count, eight Florida village residents live in the small part of the village that lies in the Town of Goshen; it is still village territory. The town department’s mailbox is building@townofwarwick.org, but it will not accept applications by email.

Warwick permit types and filing

Download the forms from the Building Department documents page, then mail them or drop them off at Town Hall; fees are paid in cash, by personal check or by money order. Every checklist item ends the same way: the application must be notarized and carry New York workers’ compensation proof (form U-26.3 or C-105), a CE-200 exemption, or a homeowner’s BP-1 affidavit.

Residential permits

Pools and hot tubs need construction specifications, pump, filter and alarm details, fence, gate, latch and alarm information (or the hot tub make, size and safety cover) and a survey showing the setbacks: 15 feet from the house and property lines and 20 feet from any well or septic system. Accessory buildings must sit 10 feet from the house and 5 feet from side and rear lines, outside the front-yard setback, and need stamped plans if they use trusses. Decks need footing and framing plans and 5 feet to the side and rear lines. A finished basement needs a stamped architectural plan showing every room, egress, lighting and ventilation, and bathroom plumbing details. The department also posts lists of local architects, engineers and surveyors and of energy-testing consultants.

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

Commercial permits

New commercial buildings are charged by floor area at the same $1.00 per square foot as houses, plus the $100 base. The town carries out periodic fire and life safety inspections of commercial, educational, institutional and multi-family buildings, at $125 for buildings under 5,000 square feet and $225 above, with one free reinspection within 30 days. Short-term rentals register for $150, then renew for $50.

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

Site plans and subdivisions go to the Planning Board and variances to the five-member Zoning Board of Appeals ($150 residential, $250 commercial). Whether a lot is buildable depends on engineer’s soil tests approved by the Town Engineer. Driveways need a permit with a $1,500 refundable deposit, and tree removal, topsoil removal, grading or excavation beyond a quarter acre needs a permit under Chapter 150 ($250 plus a bond). The town is a regulated MS4 stormwater community, and flood-zone letters cost $50.

Warwick building permit fees

The Town Board sets fees by resolution under Chapter 75 and amends the schedule from time to time, most recently at its January 2, 2026 reorganization meeting. The copy posted on the town’s fee page is headed January 2, 2019; Chapter 75 records later amendments in 2021, 2022, 2023 and on January 2, 2026 (Resolution R2026-63), and the 2026 resolution raised the septic engineering fee and septic retest fee to $550 each. The February 9, 2023 amendment was listed on that meeting’s agenda as a change to Town Board fees, but the 2021 and 2022 resolutions are not posted, so confirm a building fee with the department before budgeting on the 2019 figures below.

On the checklist’s rates, finishing 800 square feet of basement costs $100 plus $800, or $900. Work found without a permit costs double: the FAQ says the fee doubles, and the schedule adds an administrative fee equal to the original permit fee plus staff time. If a permit is refused before construction starts, all but $50 is refunded. The villages charge their own fees; Greenwood Lake’s 2026 schedule, for example, starts major jobs at a $106 base plus $10 per $1,000 of cost.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical. The town’s FAQ says any electrical work must be done by an Orange County licensed electrician; the county’s Department of Consumer Affairs issues those licenses and lists licensed electricians and inspectors (845-862-9500). The work is inspected by an agency on the town’s approved list, which names fifteen, among them Swanson Consulting, NY Electrical Inspections & Consulting, Electrical Underwriters of NY, Switch-On-Electric, Commonwealth Electrical Inspection Services, Inspections on Time, New York Certified Electrical Inspectors, Tri-State Inspection Services, Z3 Consultants, SAS Electrical Inspection and Middle Department Inspection Agency.

Plumbing and contractors. The Town Code has no chapter licensing plumbers or home-improvement contractors, and Orange County says it requires no license other than for electricians. Plumbing is reviewed through the building permit; bathroom plumbing must be detailed on finished-basement plans. The department will not recommend contractors and leaves the homeowner ultimately responsible for getting permits and making sure inspections happen.

Septic and wells. The Building Department permits private septic systems. New residential work pays the administrative fee plus engineering review, and a system over 1,000 gallons a day must complete its state SPDES permit before the town permit issues. Pools and hot tubs must stay 20 feet from any well or septic system.

How to apply for a Town of Warwick building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Applications that need Planning Board approval do not reach the Building Department until that approval is granted. Missing notarization, insurance forms or the survey stops a checklist application. Under Chapter 82 a permit lasts 12 months and is void if work has not started within a year; the FAQ adds that the owner may ask for two six-month extensions at no charge before a $100 renewal is needed. Violations found during construction trigger a $50 reinspection fee for each extra visit.

Warwick inspections and certificates

Call the Building Department at 845-986-1127 at least 24 hours before each inspection. Electrical work is inspected separately by the approved agency the owner or electrician hires. Under Chapter 82 the town’s Fire Marshal, a code enforcement official alongside the Building Inspector, enforces the fire-safety side of the code and issues fire permits, which must stay posted on the premises while the activity continues.

Every building in the town needs a certificate of occupancy ($75); smaller permits close with a certificate of compliance ($50). Title-search packages with copies of certificates, a street report and a violation letter cost $150, and unsafe or blighted property can be reported on the town complaint form for a code enforcement visit.

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 Warwick permit FAQ

Do I need a permit for a shed, fence or new roof in Warwick?

Yes. The town says any accessory structure needs a permit, including sheds, chicken coops, fences, decks and pools, and new roofs and windows need one as well.

I live in the Village of Warwick. Which office do I use?

The Village of Warwick Building Department at 77 Main Street (845-986-2031 ext. 107). Florida and Greenwood Lake also have their own departments; the town office covers only land outside the three villages.

How tall can my fence be?

Under Chapter 80A, adopted in February 2025, up to 8 feet at the side and rear of the house and 4 feet in the front yard, and less than 50% solid.

Can a handyman do my electrical work?

Only if he or she holds an Orange County electrical license, and the work must be inspected by an agency on the town’s approved list.

Can I email my application?

No. Applications are accepted by mail or in person at Town Hall only.

What happens if I build without a permit?

The permit fee doubles: you pay the original fee plus an administrative fee of the same amount, plus staff time.

Is Warwick in FEMA’s flood insurance program?

Yes. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists both the Town and the Village of Warwick as participating, each with a current flood map dated August 3, 2009.

Warwick permit search and official resources

The Building Department keeps surveys and permit files by parcel and will look one up if you call with the section, block and lot. Formal copies are requested in writing from the Town Clerk, the records access officer for Freedom of Information Law requests; copies cost 25 cents a page.

• Town of Warwick Building Department
• Building Department FAQs
• Building Department forms
• Checklist for permit applications
• Approved electrical inspection agencies
• Schedule of Development Fees (posted copy, January 2, 2019)
• Town Board reorganization minutes, January 2, 2026 (fee resolution R2026-63)
• Code of the Town of Warwick (eCode360)
• Town Clerk (FOIL requests)
• Village of Warwick Building Department
• Village of Florida Building and Planning Department
• Village of Greenwood Lake Building Department
• Orange County electrician licenses

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