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

At a glance

Building permit

Required for most construction, plumbing and electrical work; issued by the village Building Department¹

Who issues it

Village of Freeport Building Department, 46 North Ocean Avenue⁴

Building code

New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code plus village codes⁵

Zoning

Yes: village zoning chapter and site plan review²

Septic

Nassau County Department of Health; much of the county is on public sewer⁶

Who to call

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

Do you need a building permit in the Village of Freeport?

Yes, for nearly all work. The village's Building Department states that most construction, plumbing and electrical work inside Freeport requires a permit from it¹. The village page says "most" without listing the exemptions, so ask the department before assuming a small job is exempt. New York State lets a local authority exempt only listed categories such as detached sheds up to 144 square feet⁷.

Work must meet the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code and the village's own related codes⁵. A certificate of occupancy or compliance is required for work that is the subject of a building permit⁸.

Who issues building permits in Freeport, and how do you apply?

The Village of Freeport Building Department issues building permits inside the village, not Nassau County and not the Town of Hempstead⁹. Applications and requirements are available at Village Hall, 46 North Ocean Avenue, and can also be requested by email⁴. The department answers at 516-377-2242⁹.

Nassau County's own page says local building permits come from the applicable city, town or village, and that construction on county-owned roads also needs a call to the county Department of Public Works¹⁰.

Does Freeport have zoning, and what does it cover?

Yes. The Village of Freeport code includes a Zoning chapter and a Site Plan Review chapter that apply to land inside village limits². Zoning in Nassau County is handled by each city, town and village, with no countywide zoning¹¹.

We could not confirm the village's rules on RVs, tiny homes, accessory dwellings, minimum lot size or setbacks. Those depend on the zoning district of the parcel, so ask the Building Department for the district and its use table before you buy.

How do septic permits work in Freeport?

Septic and sewage-disposal approvals for Freeport addresses come from the Nassau County Department of Health, not the village building office³. A SPDES permit from that department is required before sanitary waste is discharged into the ground from an on-site system¹².

Much of Nassau County is on public sewer⁶, and homes in sewered areas must connect to the sewer and abandon existing septic systems¹³. We could not confirm the village's own sewer-connection rules, so ask the Building Department whether a given parcel is sewered. Call the Bureau of Environmental Engineering at 516-227-9692 for septic questions¹³.

Building a home in Freeport: the steps, in order

1. Ask the Building Department for the parcel's zoning district and whether the use you want is allowed².
2. Confirm whether the parcel is on public sewer with the Nassau County Department of Health¹³.
3. Ask the Building Department about flood hazard status; the village has a certified floodplain manager on staff⁹.
4. File a building permit application with the Building Department⁴.
5. Build to the State Uniform Code and village codes, and get inspections as the work proceeds⁵.
6. Obtain a certificate of occupancy or compliance before use⁸.

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

Nassau County handles septic and sewage disposal for every address in the county, village or not³. Subdivisions of five or more residential lots also need county health review of water supply, sewage and drainage plans¹⁴. For land outside village limits, see the Nassau County page.

Nassau County's effective property tax rate is about 1.5%¹⁵, and the median property tax bill is about $10,001 a year¹⁶. Those are county-level figures, not Freeport-specific.

Watch-outs

• The village page says "most" construction work needs a permit but does not list the exemptions, so confirm with the Building Department before starting any job¹.
• We could not confirm Freeport's rules on RV occupancy, tiny homes, accessory dwellings or lot dimensions; ask the Building Department and request the zoning district's use table².
• Septic rules inside the village were not confirmed beyond the county's role; call the Nassau County Department of Health before relying on an on-site system³.

Sources

1. Building and Zoning Code - Village of Freeport (Village of Freeport), quoted and re-checked
2. Village of Freeport, NY Code (eCode360) table of contents (Village of Freeport), quoted and re-checked
3. On-Site Sewage Disposal System and SPDES Permit, quoted and re-checked
4. Building and Zoning Code - Village of Freeport (Village of Freeport), quoted and re-checked
5. Building and Zoning Code - Village of Freeport (Village of Freeport), quoted and re-checked
6. Nassau County - On-Site Sewage Disposal System and SPDES Permit (2026 county census)
7. Part 1203 Uniform Code and the Energy Code: Minimum Standards for Administration and Enforcement (New York statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
8. Division of Building Standards and Codes Frequently Asked Questions, quoted and re-checked
9. Village of Freeport Building Department (freeportny.com)
10. Building and Zoning Permits, quoted and re-checked
11. Zoning Review, quoted and re-checked
12. On-Site Sewage Disposal System and SPDES Permit, quoted and re-checked
13. Nassau County Department of Health, Bureau of Environmental Engineering (nassaucountyny.gov)
14. On Site Sewage Disposal | Nassau County, NY, quoted and re-checked
15. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
16. Median property tax bill: 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.