Yates County, New York Building Permit Guide

There is no county building permit in Yates County. The county’s civil service title of Code Enforcement Officer (County) covers only County buildings: reviewing and approving permits for their construction and inspecting them. Private projects are permitted by the town where the land lies, or by the Village of Penn Yan or the Village of Rushville inside those villages. Septic work around Keuka Lake is checked by town watershed inspectors working with the Yates County Soil & Water Conservation District, and some towns issue septic permits only with state Health Department approval.

What requires a building permit in Yates County?

Each municipality sets the list through its own code and fee schedule. Penn Yan’s 2026 schedule shows how much is covered in the county seat: new homes, additions, remodels and porches, sheds of every kind, decks, fences, pools and hot tubs holding 24 inches of water or more, roofs, solid fuel appliances, electrical work and demolition. Middlesex requires a permit for any accessory structure over 80 square feet, naming barns, garages, decks and storage sheds, as well as stand-alone roofing, driveway and pool projects. Milo prices accessory structures, alterations, roof replacements, relocated buildings and utility work at a flat $25. Rushville’s code officer lists permits for repairs and replacements as well as new work, in all zoning districts.

What the towns decide and what the state holds

Every office applies the same 2025 Uniform Code and Energy Code; what differs is the local law layered on top. The lakeshore towns publish steep slope rules (Middlesex adopted its steep slope law in December 2014), dock and mooring laws and short-term rental permits, Penn Yan has a Historic Preservation Commission, and each town and village keeps its own zoning map and use tables. Fees also differ widely: the same 2,000-square-foot house is priced by floor area in Penn Yan and Middlesex, while Milo sets new principal buildings case by case.

Yates County building department: who handles permitting

The table lists every town and village the Census Bureau counts in the county, including the part of Rushville that crosses from Ontario County. A town’s office stops at the line of a village that runs its own.

Penn Yan spreads across three towns: most of the village is in Milo, with smaller parts in Benton and Jerusalem, and the village office covers all of it. Milo’s Department of Development Services is also on Main Street in Penn Yan but handles only the town outside the village. Dundee lies in Starkey and Dresden in Torrey; for those two villages, ask the village clerk which code officer covers the parcel before drawing up plans.

What Yates County itself does

• County buildings: the county code enforcement officer’s class specification covers review and approval of permits for the construction of County buildings, inspections during construction and regular operational inspections of existing County buildings.
• Soil & Water Conservation District: at 417 Liberty Street, Penn Yan, 315-536-5188, it serves as contract manager for the Keuka Watershed Improvement Cooperative, inspects septic installations and offers deep-hole testing and septic design help, as the Town of Jerusalem’s page explains.
• GIS: the county GIS portal hosts the zoning map Penn Yan links for its village.

Yates County permit types and applications

Residential permits

Penn Yan takes applications in person, by mail or email, or through its online permit portal, and wants a plot plan or survey, a scope of work with drawings, and workers’ compensation and disability certificates or a CE-200 exemption with every file; fees are paid by check or cash. It posts deck and wall specification worksheets for homeowners. Middlesex posts its building application with forms for Planning Board review, special use permits, steep slope areas and dock and mooring permits, and Benton posts a combined building and zoning application with a permit checklist.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial work usually passes through the town or village planning board for site plan review before a building permit. Penn Yan’s commercial rows run from new construction at $0.30 per square foot to fire alarm and sprinkler systems, hoods, rooftop units and generators at $100 each, and it requires an operating permit for food trucks, fireworks and tents. In Middlesex, site plan and zoning fees are paid at the code enforcement office before the applicant appears before any board.

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: the town or village zoning officer, Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals; Penn Yan adds its Historic Preservation Commission for some projects.
• Steep slopes and shoreline: steep slope permits in Middlesex and Torrey, and dock and mooring permits on the lakes.
• Septic: deep-hole testing and design review for a new system; in Middlesex the town’s septic permit is issued only with New York State Department of Health approval, and the state also approves alternative systems in Jerusalem.
• Utilities: in Penn Yan, an electric service application to the village’s municipal electric department for a new or changed service; in Milo, sewer and water taps at $1,650 and $1,575.

Building permit fees in Yates County

There is no county fee schedule for private construction; each town and village adopts its own. Three published schedules show the range.

Worked example: a 2,000-square-foot new house costs $400 in the Village of Penn Yan (2,000 × $0.20) and $500 in Middlesex (2,000 × $0.25), where the $50 certificate of occupancy is a separate line. A new house in Milo is priced by the code enforcement officer. Middlesex permits expire a year from issuance; Milo renews permits at $25 a year for up to four years.

Penn Yan’s schedule carries several charges beyond the permit itself: work started without a permit brings a $250 stop work order, truss framing adds $50, a renewal costs 100% of the original fee, and Planning Board site plan review is $100 for an existing building or $250 for new construction. Short-term rentals in the village pay an application fee of $500 when more than half the ownership lives in the village, $1,500 when it lives elsewhere in Yates County and $2,500 for owners outside the county, with renewals of $50, $150 and $250. Apartment buildings and businesses also pay for a fire safety and property maintenance inspection every two years, from $35 up to $250.

Trade permits and who may pull them

The published permit rules in Penn Yan, Milo and Middlesex charge fees for electrical and plumbing work without naming any local license for electricians, plumbers or home improvement contractors. Electrical work is permitted locally: Penn Yan charges $50 for a residential electrical permit and requires both a rough and a final electrical inspection by a certified electrical inspector, plus its own electric service application when the service changes. Plumbing and heating changes are basic alterations in Penn Yan ($50) and alterations in Milo ($25). Penn Yan lists the state workers’ compensation and disability forms, or the CE-200 exemption, as required with every application.

How to get a building permit in Yates County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Office hours are short in several towns: Middlesex’s code officer keeps Wednesday and Friday hours plus appointments, Milo’s office closes at 11 a.m. on Fridays, and Barrington’s town office is closed on Fridays. Penn Yan warns that incomplete applications delay review and that work outside the approved scope needs the code officer’s advance approval. Planning board, historic commission and septic approvals that are still pending hold the building permit.

Inspections and certificates

Inspections are booked with the office that issued the permit. In Penn Yan they are mandatory as listed on the permit, work must be inspected before it is covered, and requests go to 315-536-6397 at least 24 hours ahead. Middlesex includes periodic inspections in the permit fee, charges $50 for a specific inspection such as a fireplace, stove or septic check, and $50 for a certificate of occupancy after an overall site inspection. Milo charges $100 for a wastewater system inspection under its Chapter 331 and $100 to a seller for a late inflow inspection booked within five days of a sale.

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 Yates County that code is applied by separate town and village programs, while the county’s own officer looks after county buildings.

Yates County permit FAQ

Does Yates County issue building permits?

Not for private property. The county code enforcement officer handles only buildings the county controls; homes and businesses are permitted by the town or village.

Who issues permits inside the Village of Penn Yan?

The village Office of Zoning and Building Inspection, open 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays at 315-536-6397, for every part of the village, whether in Milo, Benton or Jerusalem.

How much is a building permit in Penn Yan?

Under the 2026 schedule, $0.20 per square foot for a new house, addition or remodel, with a $75 minimum; decks, fences, pools and roofs are $50.

Who handles septic systems near Keuka Lake?

The town’s watershed inspectors, with installation inspections, deep-hole testing and design help from the Yates County Soil & Water Conservation District; the state Health Department approves alternative systems.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

In Middlesex, yes for any structure over 80 square feet; in Penn Yan a kit shed is $50 and a stick-built one $0.15 per square foot; in Milo an accessory structure permit is $25.

Who handles a Dundee or Dresden address?

Dundee is a village in the Town of Starkey and Dresden a village in the Town of Torrey; the village clerk can say which code officer covers a given parcel.

Is my community in the flood insurance program?

Yes. All thirteen Yates County entries in FEMA’s Community Status Book, including Rushville, are in the participating section.

Yates County permit search and official resources

Permit files are kept by the town or village that issued them. Ask that office’s code officer or clerk, or file a Freedom of Information Law request; Penn Yan and Middlesex both charge $0.25 a page for FOIL copies.

• Village of Penn Yan zoning and building
• Penn Yan permit application portal
• Village of Penn Yan 2026 fee schedule (PDF)
• Town of Milo Department of Development Services
• Town of Milo fee schedule
• Town of Middlesex code enforcement
• Town of Middlesex fee schedule (PDF)
• Town of Jerusalem code enforcement
• Town of Jerusalem watershed and septic contacts
• Town of Benton zoning and code enforcement
• Town of Barrington code enforcement
• Town of Torrey building, planning and zoning
• Yates County code enforcement officer job description (PDF)
• FEMA Community Status Book, New York

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