Bolthole Index

Nassau County, New York

Zoning, building permits and septic rules in the Village of Farmingdale, NY

The Village of Farmingdale in Nassau County, New York has its own zoning ordinance1 and requires a village building permit for any work that must meet the state uniform code2. A certificate of occupancy follows permitted work3. Septic approvals sit with the Nassau County Department of Health, not the village4.

At a glance

Building permit
Required for work that must meet the state uniform code, issued by the village25
Zoning
Village zoning ordinance with published use districts16
Certificate of occupancy
Required for permitted work and for changes of use3
Inspections
Required during construction, with a final inspection7
Septic
Nassau County Department of Health; village sewer status unconfirmed4
Small sheds
One-story detached sheds under 144 sq ft are exempt from a building permit2

Who to call

Building permits

Village of Farmingdale Building Department

Building permits, inspections, zoning compliance, pool permits and sign permits inside the village

516-249-0093

361 Main Street, Farmingdale, NY 11735

Septic permits

Nassau County Department of Health, Bureau of Environmental Engineering

On-site sewage disposal plan approval and SPDES permits for Nassau County, plus sewer-connection and cesspool abandonment rules where public sewer is available

516-227-9692

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

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Village of Farmingdale means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Does the Village of Farmingdale have zoning, and what does it cover?

Yes. The Village of Farmingdale adopted its own zoning ordinance, Chapter 600 of the village code1. The village divides land into named use districts: senior citizen housing, Residence AA, AAA, A, B, BB, C and CC, office-residence, Business D and Industrial I, with downtown mixed-use and workforce housing districts in later articles6. Boundaries are on the use district map, which the village makes available at its offices6.

Setbacks depend on the district. In Business D and Industrial I, the minimum street setback is shown on the use district map, and where no line is shown, no setback or front yard is required8. We could not confirm yard dimensions, minimum lot size or minimum house size for the residence districts, nor the village's rules on RVs, tiny homes or accessory dwellings. Ask the Village of Farmingdale Building Department5 before you buy.

Do you need a building permit in the Village of Farmingdale, and who issues it?

Yes. The Village of Farmingdale requires a building permit for any work that must conform to the state uniform code or the energy code2. The village administers and enforces those codes itself9, so the permit comes from the Village of Farmingdale Building Department at 361 Main Street, phone 516-249-00935.

Some small work is exempt, including one-story detached sheds and playhouses under 144 square feet, playground equipment and above-ground pools under 24 inches deep2. The department also issues pool permits and sign permits, and the Board of Trustees handles special use permits5.

Permitted work is inspected, and construction must stay accessible and exposed until inspected and accepted7. A certificate of occupancy is required for permitted work and for a change of use3. We could not confirm the village's building permit fee schedule; ask the department.

How do septic permits work in the Village of Farmingdale?

Septic approvals in Nassau County, including inside the Village of Farmingdale, come from the Nassau County Department of Health, not the village building department4. The department has jurisdiction over septic systems for new realty subdivisions of 5 lots or more; for a home outside a new subdivision, or a renovation, the county tells applicants to contact the local building department for septic approval requirements4. For Farmingdale, that local office is the village Building Department5.

Where public sewer serves an area, residential and commercial facilities must connect to it10. We could not confirm which Farmingdale addresses are sewered or whether any private wells are allowed. Call the county Bureau of Environmental Engineering at 516-227-969210 and the village building office before assuming a septic system is an option.

Building a home in the Village of Farmingdale: the steps, in order

  1. Confirm the zoning district of the lot on the village use district map and read the district rules in Chapter 6006.
  2. Ask the village Building Department about yard dimensions, lot size and any sign or special use approvals5.
  3. Apply to the village for a building permit for work that must meet the uniform code2.
  4. Confirm sewer or septic with the Nassau County Department of Health10.
  5. Keep work exposed for each required inspection, through the final inspection7.
  6. Obtain the certificate of occupancy before use3.

What stays with Nassau County, and what to check before you buy in Farmingdale

The county, not the village, handles septic approvals and health review of new residential subdivisions of 5 lots or more4. Nassau County's building and zoning permit page says local building permits come from the applicable city, town or village, and that work on county-owned roads also needs the county Department of Public Works11. For land outside the village, see the Nassau County page. Typical home value in the county is about $859,54412, and the effective property tax rate is 1.5%13. Both are county-level figures.

Watch-outs

  • The village's residence-district yard, lot-size and house-size rules were not confirmed; get them from the village Building Department before you offer on a lot5.
  • RVs, tiny homes, accessory dwellings, private wells and sewer connection inside the village were not confirmed; ask the village Building Department and the Nassau County Department of Health5.
  • Do not use the Town of Hempstead's building office for a Village of Farmingdale address; the village issues its own building permits2.

Sources

  1. Village of Farmingdale Code, Chapter 600 Zoning, Article I Title; Use Districts; Map (Village of Farmingdale), quoted and re-checked
  2. Village of Farmingdale Code, Chapter 259 Construction Codes, Uniform (Village of Farmingdale), quoted and re-checked
  3. Village of Farmingdale Code, Chapter 259 Construction Codes, Uniform (Village of Farmingdale), quoted and re-checked
  4. On Site Sewage Disposal, quoted and re-checked
  5. Village of Farmingdale Building Department (farmingdalevillage.gov)
  6. Village of Farmingdale Code, Chapter 600 Zoning, Article I Title; Use Districts; Map (Village of Farmingdale), quoted and re-checked
  7. Village of Farmingdale Code, Chapter 259 Construction Codes, Uniform (Village of Farmingdale), quoted and re-checked
  8. Village of Farmingdale Code, Chapter 600 Zoning, Article I Title; Use Districts; Map (Village of Farmingdale), quoted and re-checked
  9. Village of Farmingdale Code, Chapter 259 Construction Codes, Uniform (Village of Farmingdale), quoted and re-checked
  10. Nassau County Department of Health, Bureau of Environmental Engineering (nassaucountyny.gov)
  11. Building and Zoning Permits, quoted and re-checked
  12. Typical home value (Zillow): Bolthole Index county data
  13. 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.

Answers from the rulebook for Village of Farmingdale

Village of Farmingdale’s own rules

  • Building permitRequired

    Work conforming to the uniform code or energy code inside the Village of Farmingdale

    • Exempt: one-story detached sheds/playhouses under 144 sq ft, playground equipment, above-ground pools under 24 inches deep, retaining walls not supporting surcharge, finish work, and certain repairs and equipment replacement.
    • Multifamily/commercial work over 2,000 sq ft or $20,000 needs a supervising NY engineer or architect (§ 259-1).
    • Permits invalid if work not commenced in 6 months and expire 12 months after issuance.

    shed exemption floor area: < 144 sq ft (one-story detached structure at one- or two-family dwelling)

    “a building permit shall be required for any work which must conform to the uniform code and/or the energy code”
  • Building code adoptedAdopted

    All buildings and structures inside the Village of Farmingdale

    • Adopted under § 10 of the Municipal Home Rule Law; subject to exceptions in the uniform code, other state law, or other sections of the chapter.
    “this chapter provides for the administration and enforcement of the new york state uniform fire prevention and building code (the uniform code) and the state energy conservation construction code (the energy code) in the village of farmingdale.”
  • InspectionsRequired

    Permitted construction inside the Village of Farmingdale

    • Inspected elements apply where applicable: footing/foundation, slab preparation, framing, building systems, fire-resistant construction, energy code compliance, and final inspection.
    • Fee paid prior to or at each inspection per § 259-20.
    “work shall remain accessible and exposed until inspected and accepted by the code enforcement officer or by an inspector authorized by the code enforcement officer.”
  • Certificate of occupancyRequired

    Work under a building permit and buildings changed from one use or occupancy classification to another inside the Village of Farmingdale

    • For engineer/architect-supervised work, a final certificate from the supervising professional must be filed first (§ 259-3).
    “a certificate of occupancy/certificate of compliance shall be required for any work which is the subject of a building permit and for all structures, buildings, or portions thereof which are converted from one use or occupancy classification or subclassification to another.”
  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside the Village of Farmingdale

    • Chapter 600 is divided into 34 articles including district, parking, site plan and board of zoning appeals articles.
    “this chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "zoning ordinance of the incorporated village of farmingdale."”
  • Zoning districtsPublished

    Use districts in the Village of Farmingdale

    • Boundaries are shown on the use district map, available for examination in the village offices.
    • District: senior citizen housing, residence AA, AAA, A, B, BB, C, CC, office-residence, business D, industrial I (downtown mixed-use and workforce housing districts have their own later articles).
    “the incorporated village of farmingdale is hereby divided into the following districts: senior citizen housing district residence aa district residence aaa district residence a district residence b district residence bb district residence c district residence cc district office-residence district business d district industrial i district”
  • SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

    Business D and Industrial I districts street setbacks in the Village of Farmingdale; residential district yard dimensions not yet extracted

    • Where no setback line is shown on the map and no other provision applies, no setback or front yard is required in those two districts.
    • Board of trustees may establish a schedule of regulations per district (§ 600-5).
    “the minimum setback of all buildings and structures from the nearest street lines in business d and industrial i districts shall be shown and designated on the use district map, as amended”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Village of Farmingdale or Nassau County directly.

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption in the Village of Farmingdale
  • Minimum dwelling size — Main single-family residential district in the Village of Farmingdale
  • Minimum lot size — Single-family residence districts in the Village of Farmingdale
  • Lot coverage — Residence districts in the Village of Farmingdale
  • Building height — Residence districts in the Village of Farmingdale
17 more unanswered
  • Living in an RV
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • Manufactured homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Who permits septic
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Subdividing land
  • Driveway access
  • Building in a floodplain
  • Short-term rentals
  • Permit fees

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Village of Farmingdale publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Nassau County’s page lists the county offices to call.

← All of Nassau County: county rules, score and offices