Building permits, zoning and septic rules in the Village of Cedarhurst, New York

At a glance

Building permit

Required for work covered by the NYS Uniform Code; issued by the village Building Department³²

Zoning

Yes, village zoning under Chapter 265, with a Board of Zoning Appeals¹

Building code

Village administers the NYS Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code⁵

R-2 height limit

2.5 stories and a 30-foot ridge above curb⁶

Septic

Nassau County Department of Health for subdivisions of 5 or more lots; ask the village Building Department about a single home⁷

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 14, 2026.

Does Cedarhurst have zoning, and what does it mean for height and lot rules?

Yes. The Village of Cedarhurst has its own zoning, and a Board of Zoning Appeals under Chapter 265 of the village code hears variances¹. Nassau County does not zone for the village: zoning in Nassau County is set by each city, town and village, and the county Planning Commission only reviews referred zoning actions and recommends⁸.

One rule we could confirm: in the R-2 residential district, a building may not be higher than two and a half stories above the curb level, and the top of the ridge may not be more than 30 feet above the curb⁶. We could not confirm the village's other districts, setbacks, lot sizes, accessory dwellings, RV parking or tiny-home rules, so ask the village Building Department, which lists a building zone map for the village².

Do you need a building permit in Cedarhurst, and who issues it?

Building permits in Cedarhurst come from the village, not from Nassau County or the Town of Hempstead. The Cedarhurst Building Department inspects projects built inside the Incorporated Village of Cedarhurst². The village has adopted a chapter administering and enforcing the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code⁵.

State rules require building permits for any work that must conform to the Uniform Code, with limited exemptions a local authority may adopt³. A certificate of occupancy or compliance is required for all work that needed a building permit⁹. We could not confirm the village's own permit fees or exact exemptions; call the Building Department at 516-295-5770².

How do septic permits work inside Cedarhurst?

Septic and sewer approvals do not come from the village Building Department alone. Nassau County's Department of Health has jurisdiction over septic systems for realty subdivisions of 5 or more lots; for a single home or a renovation, the county directs applicants to the local building department for septic approval requirements⁷.

Where public sewer is available, the county requires residential and commercial facilities to connect to it⁴. A discharge of sanitary waste into the ground needs a SPDES permit from the county Department of Health¹⁰. Whether a given Cedarhurst lot is sewered, and who approves an on-site system there, we could not confirm: ask the Village Building Department first, then the county Bureau of Environmental Engineering at 516-227-9692⁴.

Building a home in Cedarhurst: the steps, in order

1. Confirm the lot's zoning district and any height or lot rules with the village Building Department¹.
2. Apply for a building permit with the village, which administers the state Uniform Code⁵.
3. Ask the Building Department, and then Nassau County's Department of Health, how sewage disposal is approved for your lot⁷.
4. If the project needs a variance, it goes to the village Board of Zoning Appeals¹.
5. Keep work accessible until inspected, then obtain the certificate of occupancy or compliance⁹.

What stays with Nassau County, and what should you check before you buy?

Nassau County handles septic and sewage-plan review through its Department of Health⁷, and county Department of Public Works contact is required when construction touches a county-owned road¹¹. The Nassau County page for land outside the village is Nassau County, but its unincorporated-area rules do not apply inside Cedarhurst.

For a bolthole-style search, note that this is a dense suburban setting: Nassau County's population density is about 4,856 people per square mile¹², and the county's typical home value is about $859,544¹³. County-level property taxes run at an effective rate of 1.5%¹⁴.

Watch-outs

• Cedarhurst's village code chapters on building construction, sewers, flood damage prevention and rentals exist, but we could not confirm their details; ask the Building Department before relying on any assumption about permits, fees or flood rules².
• Information that points to the Town of Hempstead's building department does not apply inside the Incorporated Village of Cedarhurst, which runs its own Building Department².
• RV living, tiny homes, accessory dwellings and minimum lot sizes inside the village are unconfirmed; do not assume they are allowed. The Building Department at 516-295-5770 can answer².

Sources

1. Village of Cedarhurst, NY Code (eCode360) table of contents (Village of Cedarhurst), quoted and re-checked
2. Village of Cedarhurst Building Department (cedarhurst.gov)
3. Part 1203 Uniform Code and the Energy Code: Minimum Standards for Administration and Enforcement (New York statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
4. Nassau County Department of Health, Bureau of Environmental Engineering (nassaucountyny.gov)
5. Village of Cedarhurst, NY Code (eCode360) table of contents (Village of Cedarhurst), quoted and re-checked
6. Village of Cedarhurst Board of Zoning Appeals legal notice 10/23/2025 (Village of Cedarhurst), quoted and re-checked
7. On Site Sewage Disposal, quoted and re-checked
8. Zoning Review, quoted and re-checked
9. Legal Memorandum LG03: NYS Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code: What Elected and Other Government Officials Need to Know, quoted and re-checked
10. On-Site Sewage Disposal System and SPDES Permit, quoted and re-checked
11. Building and Zoning Permits, quoted and re-checked
12. Population density: Bolthole Index county data
13. Typical home value (Zillow): Bolthole Index county data
14. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 14, 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.