Building permits, zoning and septic rules across New York

At a glance

Residential building permits

0 counties with none; 1 limited; 61 required²⁷⁸

Building permit fee

State schedule (August 2022): $200 for the first 1,500 square feet, $100 per additional 1,000; local fees may differ⁹

Zoning

31 counties without countywide zoning; cities, towns and villages hold zoning authority⁴³

Septic approval

State or county health official; 41 counties list a county office, 14 a state agency, 7 a health district⁵¹⁰

RV and tiny-home living

No county has its own RV answer; 1 tiny-home answer (Ulster, limited); ask the municipal zoning office⁶¹¹

Owner-builder

No state home-improvement-contractor license, but permits and inspections still apply¹²

Driveway on a state highway

NYSDOT permit required for a residence on a State highway¹³

Property tax

Median county effective rate 2.2%; median county bill $3,968 a year¹⁴

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 13, 2026.

Which New York counties don't require a building permit?

None. Of the 62 New York counties we checked, 61 require a residential building permit in unincorporated areas and 1 requires one only in some cases.⁸⁷² Washington County is the limited entry, which does not mean a home there can go up without a building permit.⁷

The Uniform Code applies everywhere outside New York City, and the local authority enforces it; a municipality can exempt listed work such as a detached shed of 144 square feet or less.¹¹⁵ If a municipality opts out of enforcing the code, the county takes over, and the state does if the county opts out too.¹⁶

A permit application must give the tax map number and street address, the occupancy classification and construction documents.¹⁵ The Department of State's August 2022 fee schedule lists $200 for the first 1,500 square feet of a one- or two-family home and $100 for each additional 1,000; local authorities may add their own fees.⁹ The lack of a state contractor license is not an exemption from permits; see the owner-builder county pages.¹²

Which New York counties have no zoning?

Of the 62 New York counties we checked, 31 have no countywide zoning, and these counts describe unincorporated land.⁴ The highest-scoring are Lewis, Franklin, Steuben, Allegany, Washington, Cattaraugus, Clinton and Schoharie.⁴ See the New York no-zoning county list.

New York gives zoning power to cities, towns and villages, not counties.³ A municipality chooses whether to adopt zoning, every city has, and towns and villages may; the district map comes from the municipality itself.¹⁷ Another 30 counties are listed with county-level zoning, led by St. Lawrence and Warren, so confirm which body zones a given parcel.¹⁸ The zoning answer for Cayuga County is unconfirmed; ask the county planning office.¹⁹

Who issues septic permits in New York?

New systems must meet the statewide Appendix 75-A standards, and the State or county health department official having jurisdiction reviews and approves plans for alternative systems before construction.⁵²⁰ By county, 41 list a county office, 14 a state agency and 7 a multi-county health district, with the New York State Department of Health the state agency named most.¹⁰

A sewage-only discharge to groundwater under 1,000 gallons per day is exempt from a DEC SPDES permit, but city, county or district health-department approval may still be required before construction.²¹²² Alternative systems also need design-professional supervision and certification afterward.²³

Can you live in an RV or tiny home on your land in New York?

We could not confirm a statewide rule on living in an RV on private New York land, and none of the 62 counties has its own reviewed RV answer.⁶ Ask the municipal zoning office about residential use and the health authority about wastewater.²²

State campground rules, such as the 14-night camping permit limit at DEC campgrounds, apply only there and do not answer living on your own land.²⁴

Ulster County is the only county with a tiny-home answer, limited by its building-code enforcement role; the other 61 are unanswered, not allowed or prohibited.¹¹ A home covered by the state codes still needs a building permit and a certificate of occupancy.¹²⁵

Where are the best New York counties for a bolthole?

Lewis County leads the Bolthole Index's New York scores at 74, then Franklin and Steuben at 71, Allegany and Washington at 70, and Cattaraugus, Clinton and Schoharie at 69.²⁶ All eight have no countywide zoning and require building permits, except Washington's limited classification; septic is county-level except Franklin (state) and Steuben (health district).²⁶

The median county farmland value is $4,402 per acre, and Lewis County's is $2,328; these are farmland statistics, not asking prices for buildable parcels.²⁷ The median county effective property tax rate is 2.2% and the median bill $3,968 a year, which does not estimate tax on a vacant tract.¹⁴

What should you check about New York wells, driveways and farmland?

Small domestic water uses are exempt from region-specific water permitting, but we could not confirm the residential well-construction permit rules; ask the health authority having jurisdiction before drilling.²⁸ Suffolk and Nassau counties sit inside special groundwater regimes.²⁸ DEC requires the well contractor to give notice before drilling and file a completion report.²⁹

A residence on a State highway needs a NYSDOT permit to build or modify a driveway; the owner or contractor applies online, and homeowners doing their own work are exempt from insurance requirements.¹³ Fees are in NYSDOT's permit fee matrix.³⁰ Ask the NYSDOT resident engineer.³¹ A driveway onto a local road is not covered by that state rule.¹³

In mapped flood hazard areas, private development needs a local floodplain development permit.³² Farms in an agricultural district are protected from unreasonable local restrictions, but the rule is not a blanket exemption.³³

What happens if you split off a lot in New York?

A town board may authorize its planning board to review subdivisions outside villages, and what counts as a subdivision is defined by local law.³⁴ A conditionally approved final plat does not authorize building permits until the conditions are met and the plat is signed and recorded.³⁵ Community water or sewers may be required when public services are available, groundwater is poor or the site is unsuitable for onsite wastewater treatment.³⁶ Ask the town planning board before buying a piece of a larger parcel.

Watch-outs

• County counts describe unincorporated land; New York cities, towns and villages hold zoning authority and enforce building codes inside their limits.³¹
• A small sewage-only system's exemption from a DEC SPDES permit does not remove possible health-department approval before construction.²¹
• Building-permit applications must comply with the 2025 Uniform Code beginning December 31, 2025; confirm the applicable code and inspection schedule with the enforcing office.¹³⁷
• A conditionally approved subdivision plat does not authorize building permits until it is signed and recorded.³⁸
• We could not confirm the residential well-construction permit rules; ask the health authority before drilling.²⁸

Sources

1. New York: Part 1203 Uniform Code and the Energy Code: Minimum Standards for Administration and Enforcement, quoted and re-checked
2. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 62 New York counties, as of October 10, 2026: New York counties that do not require a residential building permit in unincorporated areas
3. New York: documents.dps.ny.gov, quoted and re-checked
4. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 62 New York counties, as of October 10, 2026: New York counties with no county-wide zoning
5. New York: NYS Register March 18, 2015 Rule Making Activities — Part 75 authority and scope, quoted and re-checked
6. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 62 New York counties, as of October 10, 2026: New York counties' answers on living in an RV on your own land
7. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 62 New York counties, as of October 10, 2026: New York counties that require a residential building permit only in some cases (for example floodplain or certain structures)
8. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 62 New York counties, as of October 10, 2026: New York counties that require a residential building permit in unincorporated areas
9. New York: Department of State Administration and Enforcement Fee Schedule, quoted and re-checked
10. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 62 New York counties, as of October 10, 2026: Who issues septic permits across New York's counties: a state agency, a multi-county health district, or the county
11. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 62 New York counties, as of October 10, 2026: New York counties' answers on living in a tiny home on your own land
12. New York: Consumer Alert: NYS Department of State’s Division of Consumer Protection Provides New Yorkers with Tips for Avoiding Home Improvement Scams, quoted and re-checked
13. New York: Residential Driveway Permits, quoted and re-checked
14. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 62 New York counties, as of October 10, 2026: Median of New York's county effective property tax rates and median county property tax bills
15. New York: Administration and Enforcement of the Uniform Code, quoted and re-checked
16. New York: New York State Executive Law § 381, quoted and re-checked
17. New York: Adopting Zoning for the First Time, quoted and re-checked
18. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 62 New York counties, as of October 10, 2026: New York counties with county zoning
19. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 62 New York counties, as of October 10, 2026: New York counties whose building-permit or zoning answer we could not confirm
20. New York: NYS Register March 18, 2015 Rule Making Activities — Part 75 authority and scope, quoted and re-checked
21. New York: State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) Permit Program, quoted and re-checked
22. New York: State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) Permit Program, quoted and re-checked
23. New York: NYS Register March 18, 2015 Rule Making Activities — Standards for Individual Onsite Water Supply and Individual Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems, quoted and re-checked
24. New York: Campground Rules and Regulations, quoted and re-checked
25. New York: Part 1203 Uniform Code and the Energy Code: Minimum Standards for Administration and Enforcement, quoted and re-checked
26. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 62 New York counties, as of October 10, 2026: The 8 highest-scoring New York counties on the Bolthole Index (off-grid and homestead land score out of 100), with each one's building-permit, zoning and septic answers
27. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 62 New York counties, as of October 10, 2026: Median farmland value per acre across New York's counties (USDA census, the middle county's value; USD/acre), with the five least expensive counties
28. New York water rights and groundwater management: National Agricultural Law Center and Bolthole Index groundwater review
29. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation — Bureau of Water Resource Management (dec.ny.gov)
30. New York: Residential Driveway Permits, quoted and re-checked
31. New York State Department of Transportation — Residential Driveway Permits (dot.ny.gov)
32. New York: Floodplain Management - NYSDEC, quoted and re-checked
33. New York: New York Agriculture & Markets Law § 305-a — Coordination of local planning and land use decision-making with the agricultural districts program, quoted and re-checked
34. New York: New York Town Law § 276 — Subdivision review; approval of plats; development of filed plats, quoted and re-checked
35. New York: New York Town Law § 276: Subdivision review; approval of plats; development of filed plats, quoted and re-checked
36. New York: Realty Subdivisions: Frequently Asked Questions, quoted and re-checked
37. New York: Part 1203 Uniform Code and the Energy Code: Minimum Standards for Administration and Enforcement, quoted and re-checked
38. New York: Town Law § 276: Subdivision review; approval of plats; development of filed plats, quoted and re-checked

Written October 13, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.