Zoning, building permits and septic rules in the Town of Greenville, New York

At a glance

Building permit

Required for work covered by the NYS Uniform Code; issued by the Town of Greenville Building Department³²⁶

Zoning

Yes: Town of Greenville Zoning Code, Chapter 205¹

Minimum building lot

At least 2 acres as a general floor; conservation subdivisions may use lots of 1 acre or more⁷

Septic

Orange County Department of Health reviews individual sewage treatment systems⁵

RV, tiny home, minimum house size

Not confirmed; ask the Building Department⁶

Subdivision

Regulated by the town Planning Board⁸

Who to call

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

Does the Town of Greenville have zoning, and what does it mean for your lot?

The Town of Greenville, Orange County, New York zones its own land under Chapter 205 of the town code, which says a use is prohibited unless the code permits it or the planning board approves it on special application¹. Orange County itself has no countywide zoning, so the town code is the one that applies inside Greenville⁴.

The code sets a general floor of 2 acres for a building lot, with conservation subdivision lots allowed down to 1 acre⁷. Setbacks, minimum house size and district-by-district lot sizes sit in the code's use and bulk tables, and we could not confirm them; ask the Building Department before you buy⁶.

Whether you can live in an RV or tiny home on a parcel in Greenville is also unconfirmed, so get an answer from the Building Department in writing first⁶.

Do you need a building permit in the Town of Greenville, and who issues it?

Yes. New York requires building permits for work that must conform to the state Uniform Code, and no town can opt out of that code⁹³. The Town of Greenville enforces the code under Chapter 79 of its own town code².

The Town of Greenville Building Department issues the permits and also enforces the town zoning code⁶. The department asks you to contact its office before starting work to find out whether your project needs a permit⁶. A certificate of occupancy is required for work that needed a building permit¹⁰.

We could not confirm the town's permit fees or whether any owner-builder exemption applies inside Greenville; ask the Building Department.

How do septic permits work inside the Town of Greenville?

Septic review in Orange County runs through the Orange County Department of Health, which reviews individual sewage treatment systems and specified realty subdivisions under the State Sanitary Code⁵. Individual residential systems generally follow state Appendix 75-A and the NYSDOH Design Handbook¹¹.

The county adds its own separation distances: 100 feet from an absorption field to the high water line of a wet pond, and 50 feet to intermittent streams, culverts and similar drainage features¹¹. New construction must also set aside 50 to 100 percent additional usable area for future expansion or replacement¹¹.

Waterless toilets such as composters are generally not acceptable for new construction under the county's design policy¹². We could not confirm any extra Greenville-specific septic rule; call the Sanitary Engineering office¹³.

Building a home in the Town of Greenville: the steps, in order

1. Call the Town of Greenville Building Department to confirm your parcel's zoning district, setbacks and whether your project needs a building permit⁶.
2. Check the 2-acre building lot floor, and whether a conservation subdivision applies⁷.
3. If you are dividing land, apply to the Planning Board; subdivision application fees start at $200.00 plus $50.00 per lot proposed¹⁴⁸.
4. Submit septic plans to the Orange County Department of Health⁵¹³.
5. Get the building permit and schedule inspections with the Building Department⁶.
6. Obtain a certificate of occupancy before moving in¹⁰.

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

Septic and the other health-department reviews stay with the Orange County Department of Health, not the town⁵. For land outside the town, see the Orange County page.

A driveway onto a New York State highway needs a New York State Department of Transportation permit, applied for online¹⁵. Development in a FEMA-mapped flood hazard area needs a local floodplain permit, usually handled by the building inspector or code enforcement official¹⁶.

Orange County's effective property tax rate is 2.3%¹⁷. Only 0.8% of the county's soils are rated not limited for a conventional septic drain field, so expect a site evaluation and possibly an engineered system¹⁸.

Watch-outs

• We could not confirm the Greenville rules for RVs, tiny homes, minimum house size, setbacks, permit fees or mandatory sewer connection; ask the Building Department before you buy⁶.
• Septic plans reviewed by the county do not replace the town's building permit⁵⁶.

Sources

1. Town of Greenville Code, Ch. 205 Zoning, Art. IV District Regulations (Town of Greenville), quoted and re-checked
2. Town of Greenville Code, Ch. 79 Building Code Administration (Town of Greenville), quoted and re-checked
3. Part 1203 Uniform Code and the Energy Code: Minimum Standards for Administration and Enforcement (New York statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
4. Map Resources | Orange County, NY, quoted and re-checked
5. Environmental Health- a division of the Health Department, quoted and re-checked
6. Town of Greenville Building Department (greenvilleny.org)
7. Town of Greenville Code, Ch. 205 Zoning, Art. IV District Regulations (Town of Greenville), quoted and re-checked
8. Town of Greenville Code, Ch. 205 Zoning, Art. V Supplementary Regulations for Residential Uses (Town of Greenville), quoted and re-checked
9. Legal Memorandum LG03: NYS Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code: What Elected Officials Need to Know (New York statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
10. Administration and Enforcement of the Uniform Code, quoted and re-checked
11. OCHD Design Policy & Standards – Appendix 75-A & 2012 Design Handbook, quoted and re-checked
12. OCHD Design Policy & Standards – Appendix 75-A & Design Handbook, quoted and re-checked
13. Orange County Department of Health, Sanitary Engineering (orangecountyny.gov)
14. Town of Greenville Planning Board (greenvilleny.org)
15. Residential Driveway Permits (New York statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
16. Floodplain Management - NYSDEC (New York statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
17. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
18. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: 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.