Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Village of Chatham, New York

Village of Chatham’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Erecting, replacing, altering, enlarging or moving a building, structure or sign, or changing land use, inside Chatham village

  • Permit issued by the building inspector; application must include information needed to show compliance with the zoning chapter.
  • Failure to obtain a permit before work: administrative charge of four times the permit cost, plus the permit cost (§ 110-75 A(3)).
  • Without public sewers, no zoning permit issues without Columbia County Department of Health (or NYS DEC) sewer/septic approval.

  “no building, structure or sign shall be erected, replaced, altered, enlarged or moved and no land shall be changed in use unless a permit for such action is secured from the building inspector.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  New, altered, enlarged or moved buildings and structures, or changed use, inside Chatham village

  • Issued by the building inspector only if construction and intended use conform in all respects with the zoning chapter (§ 110-74 B).
  • Fees set by separate board resolution.

  “it shall be unlawful to use or to permit the use of any building, structure, premises, lot or land or part thereof hereafter erected or altered, enlarged or moved or put into use, in whole or in part, after the effective date of this chapter or of any building, structure, premises, lot or land or part thereof of which the use is changed until a certificate of occupancy has been obtained by the owner from the building inspector.”

• Local zoningPresent

  All land inside Chatham village (Columbia County), NY

  • Administered by the building inspector; enforced by the village police department.

  “the building inspector shall administer the provisions of this zoning chapter, and the village police department shall enforce the provisions of this chapter.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Chatham village

  • District-by-district regulations are in the code book on eCode360 (Ch. 110); not extracted here.

  “the village of chatham zoning law defines various building zones and what is permitted within those zones. a village of chatham zoning map can be viewed here.”

• Septic permitRequired

  One- and two-family dwellings and other structures built without public sewers inside Chatham village

  • Village condition on issuing a zoning permit; approval comes from Columbia County Department of Health or NYS DEC when necessary.
  • Proof of compliance with Chapter 83, Article I, Sewer Use, also required.

  “for construction without public sewers, no zoning permit shall be issued unless approval of the sewer or septic system is received from the columbia county department of health or, when necessary, from the new york state department of environmental conservation and proof of compliance with the provisions of chapter 83, article i, sewer use, of the code of the village of chatham is provided to the building inspector.”

• Permit feesPublished

  Zoning/building permit and certificate of occupancy fees inside Chatham village

  • Fees are set by separate resolution of the village board of trustees; permits issued after a notice of violation cost double (§ 110-75 A(1)).
  • Fee schedule amounts were not opened (linked PDF).

  “fee schedule village of chatham fee schedule (september 2025) examples of jobs that require a building permit”

• Permit processPublished

  Building/use permit applications inside Chatham village

  • Site plan, special use permit and variance applications have separate forms.

  “how to apply for a building permit contact the code enforcement officer and fill out a building/use permit. deliver the completed application to the village of chatham village hall and pay the required fee as instructed by the building inspector.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder work inside Chatham village
• Building code adopted — Building code inside Chatham village
• Inspections — Construction inspections inside Chatham village
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Chatham village
• Minimum lot size — Minimum lot size inside Chatham village

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.