Building permits, zoning and septic rules in the Town of Ontario, New York

At a glance

Building permit

Required; issued by the Town of Ontario Building Dept & Code Enforcement²⁵

Zoning

Yes, the town administers its own Chapter 150 Zoning¹

Minimum lot (septic)

25,000 sq ft for residential lots; 12,800 sq ft for single-family on public sewer⁶

Rear setback

40 feet; more on the lake side of Lake Road⁷

Septic

Not confirmed for the town; county or state health office approval may be required⁸

County driveway culvert

$400 per 20-foot length of pipe on county roads⁹

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 Ontario have zoning, and what does it mean for lot size and setbacks?

Yes. The Town of Ontario administers its own Chapter 150 Zoning, with Schedule I setting lot and bulk requirements¹. The town's districts include RR, SR, UR, B, BT, I and AE/I, plus a cannabis overlay¹⁰. Wayne County does not set zoning; each town and village does³.

Residential lots in the town need at least 25,000 square feet, except that a single-family lot on public sewer may be 12,800 square feet⁶. Rear setbacks are 40 feet, but the lake side of lots on Lake Road counts as the rear yard and needs 50 feet or 20 times the average annual erosion rate, whichever is greater⁷. Schedule I also lists a minimum primary structure size of 1,200 square feet plus a one-car garage in some districts and 1,100 square feet in others, so confirm your district's figure with the town¹¹. Whether RVs, tiny homes or accessory dwellings are allowed on a lot we could not confirm; ask the Code Enforcement Officer.

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

Yes. The Town of Ontario Building Dept & Code Enforcement reviews permit applications for compliance with the New York State building codes and town regulations². State law requires building permits for work that must conform to the Uniform Code, with limited exemptions such as one-story detached sheds up to 144 square feet that a locality chooses to exclude¹². New York's Uniform Code applies in every town outside New York City¹³.

The town asks for two sets of prints with the permit application, one carrying a wet-seal stamp and signature, and plans should be submitted two weeks before construction starts⁵. We could not locate the town's building permit fee schedule, so ask the Building Department. Wayne County itself does not issue building permits¹⁴.

Who inspects construction in the Town of Ontario?

The town's Building Dept & Code Enforcement performs construction inspections as mandated by the permit, along with zoning inspections and code enforcement¹⁵. Keep work accessible and exposed until inspected, and tell the office when work is ready¹⁶. A certificate of occupancy or compliance is required before a building with a permit can be used or occupied¹⁷. The office is at¹⁸ and takes calls at 315-524-7170 ext. 300 for the Code Enforcement Officer.

How do septic permits work in the Town of Ontario?

We could not confirm which office approves septic systems inside the Town of Ontario. Statewide, approval may be required from the city health department, county health department or a district office of the New York State Department of Health before construction, depending on where the property sits⁴. A state discharge permit is not required for sewage systems under 1,000 gallons per day, but that does not remove the local health approval⁸.

Start with Wayne County Public Health¹⁹. Soils matter too: only about 11% of Wayne County soils rate not limited for a conventional drain field, so expect a site evaluation and possibly an engineered system²⁰.

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

1. Confirm your zoning district and its lot, setback and dwelling-size rules with the town¹.
2. Call Wayne County Public Health about septic or sewer approval before you finalize a design⁴.
3. Submit the building permit application with two sets of stamped prints to the Building Dept & Code Enforcement⁵.
4. If the driveway meets a Wayne County road, request approval from the Highway Department; the culvert fee is $400 per 20-foot length of pipe⁹.
5. Call for inspections as work proceeds¹⁵.
6. Obtain the certificate of occupancy before moving in¹⁷.

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

Septic and well questions, county-road driveways and county planning referrals sit outside the town's building office. Wayne County's Planning Board only reviews referrals sent by local municipalities and charges no fee²¹. The county's Wayne County page covers land outside the town. Property taxes are county-level in our data: Wayne County's effective rate is about 2.6%²². Check whether the parcel is in a FEMA flood hazard area; local floodplain permits are required there²³. Lake Road lots also face the erosion-based setback noted above⁷.

Watch-outs

• Lots on the lake side of Lake Road face a 50-foot or erosion-rate rear setback, whichever is greater⁷.
• The town's building permit fee schedule, RV and tiny-home rules, and septic authority were not confirmed; call the Building Dept & Code Enforcement at¹⁸ and Wayne County Public Health at¹⁹ before you commit.
• Work on a Wayne County road needs county approval; unapproved driveway work may be removed and reinstalled at the owner's cost⁹.

Sources

1. Town of Ontario Chapter 150 Zoning, Attachment 3, Schedule I: Lot and Bulk Requirements (Town of Ontario), quoted and re-checked
2. Town of Ontario Building Dept & Code Enforcement (Town of Ontario), quoted and re-checked
3. waynecountyny.gov, quoted and re-checked
4. State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) Permit Program (New York statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
5. Town of Ontario Building Dept & Code Enforcement (Town of Ontario), quoted and re-checked
6. Town of Ontario Chapter 150 Zoning, Attachment 3, Schedule I: Lot and Bulk Requirements (Town of Ontario), quoted and re-checked
7. Town of Ontario Chapter 150 Zoning, Attachment 3, Schedule I: Lot and Bulk Requirements (Town of Ontario), quoted and re-checked
8. State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) Permit Program (New York statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
9. Driveway Installation and Replacement Policy, quoted and re-checked
10. Town of Ontario Chapter 150 Zoning, Attachment 3, Schedule I: Lot and Bulk Requirements (Town of Ontario), quoted and re-checked
11. Town of Ontario Chapter 150 Zoning, Attachment 3, Schedule I: Lot and Bulk Requirements (Town of Ontario), quoted and re-checked
12. Part 1203 Uniform Code and the Energy Code: Minimum Standards for Administration and Enforcement (New York statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
13. Legal Memorandum LG03: NYS Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code: What Elected Officials Need to Know (New York statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
14. Wayne County Department of Planning (2026 county census)
15. Town of Ontario Building Dept & Code Enforcement (Town of Ontario), quoted and re-checked
16. Part 1203 Uniform Code and the Energy Code: Minimum Standards for Administration and Enforcement (New York statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
17. Part 1203 Uniform Code and the Energy Code: Minimum Standards for Administration and Enforcement (New York statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
18. Town of Ontario Building Dept & Code Enforcement (ontariotown.gov)
19. Wayne County Public Health (waynecountyny.gov)
20. 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
21. Planning Board, quoted and re-checked
22. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
23. Floodplain Management - NYSDEC (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.