Bolthole Index

Suffolk County, New York

Zoning, building permits and septic rules in the Village of Old Field, New York

The Village of Old Field, in Suffolk County, New York, runs its own zoning and requires a village building permit for most construction12. The whole village is one residence district with a minimum of two acres per dwelling34. Living in a camper or mobile home is prohibited5. Septic approval comes from Suffolk County's Office of Wastewater Management, not the village6.

At a glance

Building permit
Required from the village for most construction; a structure of 100 square feet or less with no foundation is exempt2
Zoning
Village zoning ordinance; one residence district covers the whole village13
Minimum lot size
Two acres per dwelling4
Septic
Suffolk County Office of Wastewater Management approval for new homes6
RV living
Prohibited; storage only in a garage or screened rear yard5
Mobile homes
Occupancy prohibited7
Short-term rentals
Rentals under six consecutive months need Board of Trustees permission8
Flood zones
Floodplain development permit with a $500 application fee9

Who to call

Building permits

Village of Old Field Building Department

Building permits, site plans and zoning applications inside Old Field village

631-941-9449

buildingdept@oldfieldny.org

Septic permits

Suffolk County Department of Health Services - Office of Wastewater Management

Permits to construct, alter or repair onsite sewage disposal (septic) systems countywide under Article 6 of the Suffolk County Sanitary Code

(631) 852-5800

360 Yaphank Avenue, Suite 2B, Yaphank, NY 11980

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 23, 2026.

Off-grid gear

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

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Does Old Field, NY have zoning, and what does it mean for lot size and setbacks?

The Village of Old Field adopted its own zoning ordinance, and the entire village is a single district for residences and compatible uses13. Suffolk County itself has no direct zoning power, so the village, not the county, decides what can be built on a lot in Old Field10.

Because there is only one district, the same numbers apply village-wide. Each dwelling needs at least two acres of lot area, which excludes land in or opposite streets and submerged or tidal land4. A street-fronting dwelling needs a front yard of at least 60 feet, a rear yard of at least 75 feet, and side yards totaling at least 75 feet with neither under 25 feet11. Buildings may cover no more than 10% of the lot12, and a main building may not exceed 35 feet in height, or 25 feet for accessory buildings13.

Creating a new lot is a separate step: the Old Field Planning Board must approve a subdivision before any part of it is sold14.

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

Yes. The Village of Old Field enforces the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code, and a village building permit is required for construction, enlargement, alteration, removal, relocation or demolition of a building152. The one stated exception is a structure of 100 square feet or less with no foundation or permanent attachment, which still needs a survey or plot plan, and plumbing still needs a permit2.

Permits come from the village, not Suffolk County. Applications go to the Village of Old Field Building Department, which accepts new applications on Mondays between 12 Noon and 3 PM and on Saturdays by appointment, and the Board of Trustees approves permits at its monthly meetings16. Applications are written on a Village Clerk form, must be signed by the owner, and need plans prepared by a New York State registered architect or professional engineer17. Fees are set by Board of Trustees resolution and double if work starts before the permit is issued18.

The work is inspected at stages from foundation through final, and a certificate of occupancy or compliance follows permitted work1920.

How do septic permits work in Old Field?

Septic permits are not issued by the village. Suffolk County's Department of Health Services, through its Office of Wastewater Management, requires a permit for a new home or business anywhere in the county6. For a new or modified home inside Old Field, the county's residential permits page says approval may be needed to confirm the system meets the Suffolk County Sanitary Code21.

The county grants approval to construct first, then an inspection must be requested before the system is used22. New or expanded single-family residences may be required to install an innovative/alternative onsite system under Article 623. Permits are good for three years after approval to construct24.

Soil matters too: only about 1.2% of Suffolk County soils rate as not limited for a conventional drain field, so expect a site evaluation and possibly an engineered system25. Call the Office of Wastewater Management26. We could not confirm whether the village has a separate rule for private wells; ask the Building Department.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Old Field?

No. The Village of Old Field prohibits the use of campers and automobile trailers designed for human habitation, and mobile homes, on any part of a lot57. Storage or parking is allowed only inside a private garage or behind a Board of Trustees-approved screening enclosure in the rear yard, and that exception does not allow anyone to live in the unit5.

We could not confirm how the village treats tiny homes: its code does not define them, so a tiny home would have to meet the zoning and building permit rules for a dwelling, including the two-acre lot requirement4. Ask the Building Department before buying. Rentals are also tight: leases shorter than six consecutive months need Board of Trustees permission, granted only for severe, non-self-created financial hardship8.

Building a home in Old Field: the steps, in order

  1. Confirm the lot has at least two acres of qualifying area and fits the setbacks411.
  2. If the lot is new or being split, get Planning Board subdivision approval first14.
  3. Check whether the lot is in a special flood hazard area; if so, a floodplain development permit with a $500 application fee is also required9.
  4. Start septic review with Suffolk County's Office of Wastewater Management626.
  5. Have a New York State registered architect or professional engineer prepare plans, then file the application with the Village Clerk form through the Building Department1716.
  6. Wait for Board of Trustees approval at its monthly meeting16.
  7. Keep work exposed until each inspection is passed, then request the certificate of occupancy1920.

What stays with Suffolk County, and what to check before you buy in Old Field?

The village decides zoning, building permits and subdivisions inside its limits. Suffolk County decides septic approval and subdivision water-supply and sewage review627. For land outside the village, see the Suffolk County page, because the village's rules do not apply there.

Before buying, check these:

  • Lot area counts only buildable land, so submerged or tidal ground does not count toward the two acres4.
  • Flood maps decide whether a floodplain permit is needed9.
  • Suffolk County's effective property tax rate is 1.9% and its median property tax bill is $10,001 per year2829.
  • Typical home values in Suffolk County are about $726,69230.

Watch-outs

  • Contractors and applicants should confirm timing: the Board of Trustees approves building permits at monthly meetings, so a complete application can still wait for the next meeting16.
  • Old Field's two-acre minimum, 10% lot coverage cap and 75-foot rear yard make small or odd-shaped lots hard to build on, so confirm buildable area before closing41211.
  • We could not confirm an owner-builder exemption, a private-well permit rule, or tiny-home treatment inside the village; ask the Old Field Building Department at 631-941-944916.

Sources

  1. Article I: General Provisions - Village of Old Field, NY (Village of Old Field), quoted and re-checked
  2. Article X: Administration, Permits and Enforcement - Village of Old Field, NY (Village of Old Field), quoted and re-checked
  3. Article I: General Provisions - Village of Old Field, NY (Village of Old Field), quoted and re-checked
  4. ecode360.com (Village of Old Field), quoted and re-checked
  5. Article II: Permitted and Prohibited Uses - Village of Old Field, NY (Village of Old Field), quoted and re-checked
  6. Wastewater Management, quoted and re-checked
  7. Article II: Permitted and Prohibited Uses - Village of Old Field, NY (Village of Old Field), quoted and re-checked
  8. Article II: Permitted and Prohibited Uses - Village of Old Field, NY (Village of Old Field), quoted and re-checked
  9. Chapter 44: Flood Damage Prevention - Village of Old Field, NY (Village of Old Field), quoted and re-checked
  10. Suffolk County Planning Commission Minutes: November 5, 2003, quoted and re-checked
  11. ecode360.com (Village of Old Field), quoted and re-checked
  12. Article IV: General Area Requirements - Village of Old Field, NY (Village of Old Field), quoted and re-checked
  13. ecode360.com (Village of Old Field), quoted and re-checked
  14. Chapter 95: Subdivision of Land - Village of Old Field, NY (Village of Old Field), quoted and re-checked
  15. Article I: General Provisions - Village of Old Field, NY (Village of Old Field), quoted and re-checked
  16. Village of Old Field Building Department (oldfieldny.org)
  17. Article X: Administration, Permits and Enforcement - Village of Old Field, NY (Village of Old Field), quoted and re-checked
  18. Article X: Administration, Permits and Enforcement - Village of Old Field, NY (Village of Old Field), quoted and re-checked
  19. Article X: Administration, Permits and Enforcement - Village of Old Field, NY (Village of Old Field), quoted and re-checked
  20. NYS Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code: What Elected Officials Need to Know, quoted and re-checked
  21. Suffolk County Department of Health Services — Residential Permits (Village of Old Field), quoted and re-checked
  22. Wastewater Management, quoted and re-checked
  23. Suffolk County Sanitary Code Article 6, quoted and re-checked
  24. Wastewater Management, quoted and re-checked
  25. 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
  26. Suffolk County Department of Health Services - Office of Wastewater Management (suffolkcountyny.gov)
  27. suffolkcountyny.gov, quoted and re-checked
  28. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  29. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
  30. Typical home value (Zillow): Bolthole Index county data

Written October 23, 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 Old Field

Village of Old Field’s own rules

  • Building permitRequired

    Work inside Old Field village that must conform to the Uniform Code, Energy Code, and Chapter 121, including construction, enlargement, alteration, improvement, removal, relocation, demolition, and specified solid-fuel equipment.

    • A structure of 100 square feet or less with no foundation or permanent attachment is exempt, but a survey or plot plan is required.
    • A permit remains required for plumbing, and electrical work requires certification from an authorized electrical inspection agency.
    • The exemption does not authorize work that violates the Uniform Code, Energy Code, or Chapter 121.

    small-structure exception area: <= 100 square feet (Only where the structure has no foundation or permanent attachment to the ground.)

    “Except as otherwise provided in Subsection B of this section, a building permit shall be required for any work which must conform to the Uniform Code, the Energy Code, and the provisions of this chapter, including, but not limited to, the construction, enlargement, alteration, improvement, removal, relocation or demolition of any building or structure or any portion thereof or the installation of a solid-fuel-burning heating appliance, chimney or flue in any dwelling unit.”
  • Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

    Construction regulated inside Old Field village.

    • The Village code defines the Uniform Code as the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code as currently effective and as amended.
    “The Village of Old Field enforces the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code as the Building Code of the Village.”
  • InspectionsRequired

    Permitted construction inside Old Field village.

    • Work must remain accessible and exposed until inspected and accepted.
    • The permittee must notify the Building Inspector when an applicable element is ready for inspection.
    • Applicable inspections include the work site, foundation, slab preparation, framing, systems, fire-resistant work, solid-fuel equipment, Energy Code compliance, and final inspection.
    “Work shall remain accessible and exposed until inspected”
  • Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

    Land inside the Incorporated Village of Old Field.

    • All buildings and land uses in the Village must conform after the chapter's effective date, subject to its nonconforming-use provisions.
    “Zoning Ordinance of the Incorporated Village of Old Field”
  • Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

    All land inside Old Field village limits.

    • The single residence-and-compatible-uses district is coextensive and coterminous with Village boundaries, including land wholly or partly submerged or subject to tidal action.

    number of Village zoning districts: 1 district

    “For the purposes of this chapter, the Village of Old Field is constituted as one district for residence and compatible uses, the boundaries of which are and shall be coextensive and coterminous with the boundaries of such Village, including such lands within such boundaries which may be wholly or partly submerged or subject to tidal action.”
  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    The Village's single residence-and-compatible-uses district, which is coterminous with Village boundaries; each dwelling.

    • Lot area excludes land within or opposite public streets, highways, or private rights-of-way except a single-use driveway.
    • Lot area excludes submerged land, land subject to tidal action, and specified marshy or boggy land.

    minimum lot area per dwelling: 2 acres

    “The minimum lot area per dwelling shall be two acres.”
  • SetbacksSpecified

    The Village's single residence-and-compatible-uses district, which is coterminous with Village boundaries; dwellings.

    • A water-fronting lot has a 75-foot front-yard depth from mean high water.
    • For a dwelling, two side yards aggregate at least 75 feet and neither is less than 25 feet.
    • Larger side-yard formulas apply to lots over two acres with a dwelling over 10,000 square feet.

    front yard, street-fronting dwelling: >= 60 feet · front yard, water-fronting dwelling: >= 75 feet (Measured from mean high water.) · rear yard, dwelling: >= 75 feet · aggregate side yards, dwelling: >= 75 feet (No one side yard may be less than 25 feet.)

    “the front yard shall be not less than 60 feet”
  • Lot coverageSpecified

    The Village's single residence-and-compatible-uses district, which is coterminous with Village boundaries.

    • For main buildings for conditionally permitted uses, the Board of Appeals may determine maximum occupied area, subject to a 15% overall coverage cap.

    maximum building lot coverage: <= 10 percent of lot area (Conditionally permitted main buildings may be subject to a maximum of 15%.)

    “The total building lot coverage of the main building and accessory buildings on a lot shall not be more than 10% of the area of a lot.”
  • Building heightSpecified

    The Village's single residence-and-compatible-uses district, which is coterminous with Village boundaries.

    • Exceptions permit specified architectural features, a chimney no more than five feet above the highest main-roof point, and certain approved antenna towers.

    maximum main-building height: <= 35 feet · maximum accessory-building height: <= 25 feet

    “No main building or structure hereafter erected, enlarged or altered shall exceed 35 feet in height. No accessory building or structure hereafter erected, enlarged or altered shall exceed 25 feet in height.”
  • Living in an RVProhibited

    Use of campers and automobile trailers designed for human habitation on lots inside Old Field village.

    • Storage or parking is permitted only in a private garage or behind a Board-approved screening enclosure in the rear yard; this exception does not permit residential use or occupancy.
    “Use, storage or parking of automobile trailers designed to be used for human habitation, mobile homes and campers, commercial trucks or trailers on any part of any lot, except that storage or parking thereof shall be permitted in a private garage or behind a screening enclosure approved by the Board of Trustees and located in the rear yard.”
  • Manufactured homesProhibited

    Mobile-home occupancy on lots inside Old Field village.

    • Storage or parking is permitted only in a private garage or behind a Board-approved screening enclosure in the rear yard; this exception does not permit mobile-home occupancy.
    “Use, storage or parking of automobile trailers designed to be used for human habitation, mobile homes and campers, commercial trucks or trailers on any part of any lot, except that storage or parking thereof shall be permitted in a private garage or behind a screening enclosure approved by the Board of Trustees and located in the rear yard.”
  • Septic permitLimited

    New or modified residential sewage-disposal systems inside Old Field village.

    • Suffolk County Department of Health Services Office of Wastewater Management approval may be needed.
    • The County page publishes permit applications for new single-family dwellings, additions, remodeling, conversions, sanitary upgrades, accessory apartments, and permit extension, renewal, or transfer.
    “If you are constructing a new home or modifying an existing home, you may need Department of Health Services Office of Wastewater Management approval to confirm the proposed or sewage disposal system will meet the requirements of Suffolk County’s Sanitary Code.”
  • Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

    Subdivision and development within Old Field village territorial limits.

    • Planning Board approval is required before sale of part of a subdivision or development.
    • Lots created by gift or donation that do not conform to subdivision requirements cannot receive building permits or certificates of occupancy.
    “No person, firm or corporation proposing to make or who shall have made a subdivision, as defined herein, within the territorial limits of the Village of Old Field, as above provided, shall make any contract for the sale of or shall offer to sell or shall sell any part less than the whole thereof by single sale or shall proceed with any development, as defined herein, until he or it has obtained approval of the proposed subdivision and/or development from the Planning Board of the Village of Old Field pursuant to the procedure outlined in this chapter.”
  • Building in a floodplainRequired

    Construction and other development in Old Field village areas of special flood hazard.

    • The requirement applies to areas of special flood hazard shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map enumerated in § 44-7.
    • Application uses forms furnished by the local administrator and may require scaled plans showing nature, location, dimensions, elevations, structures, fill, materials storage, and drainage.
    • The application fee is $500, plus reimbursement of additional review, inspection, and approval costs exceeding $500; the local administrator may require a deposit not exceeding $500.

    application fee: 500 USD (Additional review, inspection, and approval costs may be reimbursable; deposit may not exceed $500.)

    “A floodplain development permit is hereby established”
  • Short-term rentalsLimited

    Leasing or renting a single-family dwelling or dwelling unit inside Old Field village.

    • Leases or rentals shorter than six consecutive months require Board of Trustees permission.
    • The owner must demonstrate severe financial hardship that is not self-created, and the Trustees have sole discretion.
    • Leasing less than an entire dwelling or unit is prohibited regardless of duration.

    minimum ordinary lease term: >= 6 consecutive months (An owner may seek Trustee permission based on severe non-self-created financial hardship.)

    “less than six consecutive months each time”
  • Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

    Building permits and renewals issued by Old Field village.

    • Fees are set by Board of Trustees resolution and payable in advance.
    • Fees double when construction begins before the application is filed or permit issued.
    “Fees for all building permits and renewals”
  • Permit processPublished (with conditions)

    Building-permit applications inside Old Field village.

    • Application must be written on a Village Clerk form.
    • The owner must sign and provide a work description, tax-map number, street address, occupancy classification, special-inspection statement, and required plans.
    • Plans must be prepared by a New York State registered architect or professional engineer.
    “Applications for a building permit shall be made in writing on a form provided by the Village Clerk and shall include such information as required by the Village Clerk, Building Inspector and Village Engineer as sufficient to permit a determination that the intended work complies with all applicable requirements of the Uniform Code, the Energy Code, and the provisions of this chapter.”

Still unanswered

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

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Old Field village.
  • Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Old Field village.
  • Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Old Field village.
  • Septic inspection — Residential on-site sewage-disposal systems inside Old Field village.
  • Off-grid sanitation — Off-grid sanitation for residences inside Old Field village.
3 more unanswered
  • Well permit
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption

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 Old Field publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Suffolk County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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