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

At a glance

Zoning

Yes: the town's own Chapter 210, with nine district classes¹

Building permit

Required for work covered by the NYS Uniform Code; issued by the town Building Department⁴²

Who issues building permits

Town of Highlands Building Department²

Subdivision

Planning board approves plats under Chapter 173⁵

Septic

Orange County Department of Health reviews submissions; the town's own septic role is unconfirmed⁶

Driveway on a state highway

NYSDOT permit required⁷

RV, tiny home, minimum lot size

Set by the town's Schedule I and II tables; not confirmed, ask the Building Department¹

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 Highlands have zoning, and what does it mean for RVs, tiny homes and lot size?

Yes. The Town of Highlands adopts and enforces its own zoning under Chapter 210 of the town code, which divides the town into nine classes of districts¹. The residence districts are R-1-R, R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-5, R-6 and R-MHC (a mobile home court), plus a business district B⁸. Uses must conform to a use table (Schedule I) and a dimensional table (Schedule II), and the zoning map is on file with the town clerk¹.

We could not confirm what Schedule I and Schedule II say about RV occupancy, tiny homes, accessory dwellings, minimum lot size or setbacks in each district, so do not assume any of them is allowed. Orange County itself does not zone; its municipalities adopt their own zoning codes⁹, which means the county has no rule that fills this gap. Ask the Building Department which district a parcel is in and what the tables allow there.

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

Building permits are required statewide for work that must conform to the NYS Uniform Code or Energy Code, with limited exceptions such as certain detached sheds of 144 square feet or less⁴. In the Town of Highlands, the Building Department is responsible for building inspections, building permits, code enforcement and zoning administration². The same department serves the Village of Highland Falls².

A certificate of occupancy or certificate of compliance is required for work that needed a building permit¹⁰. We could not confirm the town's own permit fee schedule or whether Highlands exempts additional categories of work, so ask the Building Department before starting. The state's published fee schedule lists $200 for the first 1,500 square feet of a one- or two-family home, with local fees possibly separate¹¹.

How do septic permits work in the Town of Highlands?

Septic review for Highlands comes through Orange County, not the town's building office. The Orange County Department of Health acts under the New York State Sanitary Code¹², and its Sanitary Engineering bureau reviews sewage disposal plans submitted by localities⁶. Individual residential systems generally must follow state Appendix 75-A and the NYSDOH Design Handbook¹³.

The county's published materials do not establish that every individual residential system needs a county permit, so we could not confirm the exact permit step for a single lot in Highlands¹⁴. Call the Orange County Department of Health³. Soil matters here: only about 1% of the county's soils rate as not limited for a conventional drain field¹⁵, so expect a site evaluation and possibly an engineered system.

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

1. Ask the Building Department which zoning district the parcel is in and what Chapter 210's use and dimensional tables allow¹².
2. If you are dividing land, the planning board approves subdivision plats under Chapter 173⁵; its applications go through the Building Department¹⁶.
3. Contact the Orange County Department of Health about septic design and review³.
4. Apply for the building permit through the Building Department².
5. Keep work exposed until inspected, since permit holders must keep work accessible until inspections are accepted¹⁷.
6. Obtain the certificate of occupancy before moving in¹⁰.
7. If the driveway connects to a state highway, apply to NYSDOT⁷.

What stays with Orange County, and what to check before you buy in the Town of Highlands?

Orange County does not set zoning for Highlands⁹, but it does review septic submissions⁶ and certain municipal planning referrals¹⁸. For rules on land outside the town, see the Orange County page.

Before buying, check the zoning district, septic feasibility, and floodplain status: private development in FEMA-mapped flood areas needs a local floodplain permit¹⁹. County figures give context: the typical home value is about $469,575²⁰ and the median property tax bill is about $8,463 per year²¹ in Orange County.

Watch-outs

• The Town of Highlands Building Department also covers the Village of Highland Falls, so confirm which set of codes applies to your parcel².
• We could not confirm the town's rules on RV occupancy, tiny homes, accessory dwellings, minimum lot size, setbacks or permit fees; ask the Building Department².
• West Point Military Academy land is outside the jurisdiction of the town's Building Department².
• A conditionally approved subdivision plat does not authorize building permits until it is signed and recorded²².

Sources

1. Town of Highlands Code, Chapter 210 Zoning, Article II Districts and Boundaries (Town of Highlands), quoted and re-checked
2. Town of Highlands Building Department (highlands-ny.gov)
3. Orange County Department of Health, Sanitary Engineering (orangecountyny.gov)
4. Part 1203 Uniform Code and the Energy Code: Minimum Standards for Administration and Enforcement (New York statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
5. Town of Highlands Code, Chapter 210 Zoning, Article II Districts and Boundaries (Town of Highlands), quoted and re-checked
6. Sanitary Engineering, quoted and re-checked
7. Residential Driveway Permits (New York statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
8. Town of Highlands Code, Chapter 210 Zoning, Article II Districts and Boundaries (Town of Highlands), quoted and re-checked
9. Map Resources | Orange County, NY, quoted and re-checked
10. Part 1203 Uniform Code and the Energy Code: Minimum Standards for Administration and Enforcement (New York statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
11. Department of State Administration and Enforcement Fee Schedule (New York statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
12. Environmental Health- a division of the Health Department, quoted and re-checked
13. Sanitary Engineering | Orange County, NY, quoted and re-checked
14. Sanitary Engineering | Orange County, NY, quoted and re-checked
15. 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
16. Town of Highlands Planning Board (highlands-ny.gov)
17. Part 1203 Uniform Code and the Energy Code: Minimum Standards for Administration and Enforcement (New York statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
18. Municipal GML 239 Referrals, quoted and re-checked
19. Floodplain Management - NYSDEC (New York statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
20. Typical home value (Zillow): Bolthole Index county data
21. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
22. New York Town Law § 276: Subdivision review; approval of plats; development of filed plats (New York statewide rule), quoted and re-checked

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.