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

At a glance

Building permit

Village Building & Code Enforcement issues them; most construction projects require one²

Zoning

Village zoning chapter applies inside village limits; districts are published on the village zoning map¹⁴

Building code

Village construction code adopted alongside the NYS Uniform Code⁵

Septic

Monroe County Department of Public Health³

RV or trailer storage

Not in a driveway; ask the code office about other storage²

Subdivision

Regulated by a village subdivision chapter⁶

Who to call

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

Do you need a building permit in Fairport, NY?

Yes, in most cases. The Village of Fairport's Building & Code Enforcement office states that most construction projects require a permit², and the village has adopted its own construction code chapter⁵. Applications are reviewed against local and state codes, and the same office issues permits and performs inspections while work is under way². Statewide, New York lets a local code program exclude some small work, such as certain detached sheds of 144 square feet or less, but excluded work must still meet the code⁷. Ask the village office before assuming a shed or similar structure is exempt.

Who issues building permits in the Village of Fairport?

The Village of Fairport's Building & Code Enforcement Department handles building permits, plan review and inspections inside village limits². Call 585-421-3207 or write to [email protected]². A certificate of occupancy or compliance is required for work covered by a building permit under state rules⁸. The Monroe County planning department does not issue building permits or set local zoning; it reviews certain referred municipal actions⁹.

Does Fairport have zoning, and what does it mean for RVs and lot rules?

Yes. The Village of Fairport's code includes a zoning chapter¹, and the village's zoning map shows general neighborhood, industrial, residential neighborhood and residential transitional neighborhood districts⁴. Check your parcel's district on that map before you plan a use, setback or lot split; we could not confirm district-by-district lot sizes or setbacks. For RVs, the village code office says boats, trailers, RVs and unlicensed vehicles may not be stored in a driveway, though some other storage on the property may be allowed if it complies with village code². Living in an RV on a lot is not addressed there, so ask the code office.

How do septic permits work in Fairport?

Septic is not a village function. The Monroe County Department of Public Health runs the onsite wastewater program under the Monroe County Sanitary Code³¹⁰. Construction of a private sewage disposal system requires a county permit¹¹. Where public sanitary sewer is available and accessible, the county code generally bars a new private system¹², which covers much of a village like Fairport, so confirm sewer availability for your address first.

Building a home in Fairport: the steps, in order

1. Look up your parcel's zoning district on the village zoning map⁴.
2. Ask the Building & Code Enforcement office what permits and plans your project needs².
3. If subdividing, check the village subdivision chapter⁶.
4. Confirm sewer availability; if none, apply to the county health department for a septic permit¹¹.
5. Get the building permit, keep work exposed for inspection and obtain the certificate of occupancy¹³⁸.

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

Septic permits and inspections stay with Monroe County³. County planning has advisory review of land use and subdivision within a quarter mile of Lake Ontario and Irondequoit Bay and in listed 100-year floodplains such as Black Creek and Oatka Creek¹⁴; confirm with the village whether your parcel falls in one. Monroe County's effective property tax rate is 2.8%¹⁵. For land outside village limits, see the Monroe County page.

Watch-outs

• The village code table of contents lists zoning, construction code and subdivision chapters, but we could not confirm the district-level rules such as lot sizes, setbacks and tiny-home or RV occupancy; ask the Village Building & Code Enforcement office¹².
• The village states RVs and trailers may not be stored in a driveway, so plan parking before you buy a lot with an RV in mind².
• Village limits matter: Monroe County's rules for unincorporated land do not replace the village's permit and zoning offices⁹.

Sources

1. Village of Fairport, NY Code of Ordinances (eCode360) table of contents (Village of Fairport), quoted and re-checked
2. Village of Fairport Building & Code Enforcement Department (fairportny.com)
3. Monroe County Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems, quoted and re-checked
4. Village of Fairport zoning map 2026 (Village of Fairport), quoted and re-checked
5. Village of Fairport, NY Code of Ordinances (eCode360) table of contents (Village of Fairport), quoted and re-checked
6. Village of Fairport, NY Code of Ordinances (eCode360) table of contents (Village of Fairport), quoted and re-checked
7. Administration and Enforcement of the Uniform Code, quoted and re-checked
8. Administration and Enforcement of the Uniform Code, quoted and re-checked
9. Plan Forward: Why Plan?, quoted and re-checked
10. Monroe County Department of Public Health, Bureau of Public Health Engineering (monroecounty.gov)
11. Monroe County Sanitary Code, Article IIA, Private Sewage Disposal Systems, quoted and re-checked
12. Monroe County Sanitary Code, Article II-A, Private Sewage Disposal Systems, quoted and re-checked
13. NYS Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code: What Elected Officials Need to Know, quoted and re-checked
14. Development Review Guide, quoted and re-checked
15. Effective property tax rate: 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.