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

At a glance

Building permit

Required; issued by the Town of Mendon Building Department¹

Building code

NYS Uniform Code, applied by the town²

Zoning

Town zoning under Chapter 260 of the town code; Monroe County does not zone³⁵

Septic

Monroe County Department of Public Health⁴

Permit fees

Set by the town's current fee schedule, paid at the clerk's office⁶

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 the Town of Mendon, NY?

Yes. The Town of Mendon requires a building permit for construction, and the application goes to the town's own Building Department¹⁷. The town reviews plans against the NYS Uniform Code², and New York State requires a certificate of occupancy for work that needed a permit⁸.

State rules let a town exempt small items, such as a one-story detached shed or playhouse up to 144 square feet, but exempt work must still meet the code⁹. Whether Mendon exempts any category is not something we could confirm, so ask the Building Department before you skip a permit on an accessory structure.

Who issues building permits in Mendon, and how do you apply?

The Town of Mendon Building Department issues building permits, from the first floor of Mendon Town Hall at 16 West Main St, Honeoye Falls⁷. The department's published steps ask for the permit application plus 2 wet-sealed copies of the design specifications⁷.

The town's plan review period varies with the size and complexity of the plan¹⁰. After acceptance, the town quotes a fee from its current fee schedule, and payment is made at the clerk's office⁶⁷. Call the department at (585) 624-6066 for the current fee schedule and checklist⁷.

Does the Town of Mendon have zoning?

Yes. The Town of Mendon has its own zoning code, Chapter 260 of the town code, and a Zoning Board of Appeals that hears area variances³. Monroe County has no zoning authority of its own, so the town, not the county, decides what can be built where inside Mendon⁵.

The RS-30 district is confirmed for Mendon; in that district, apartment houses and multiple dwellings need a minimum lot area of 5 acres, and less needs an area variance¹¹. The single-family lot size, setbacks and the remaining districts were not confirmed, so ask the Building Department which district a parcel is in. The Building Department also publishes environmental protection overlay (EPOD) maps, and work in a designated area needs an EPOD permit¹²⁷.

How do septic permits work in the Town of Mendon?

Septic permits in Mendon come from Monroe County, not the town⁴. The Monroe County Department of Public Health reviews plans, issues approvals for onsite wastewater treatment systems and inspects installations¹³. A representative must inspect new installations and repairs, and no part may be backfilled until it is inspected¹⁴. The county says inspections are completed within 48 hours of request¹³.

The town's own permit steps assume you already have an approved building lot with an approved septic system⁷. Plan the septic approval before you apply to the town. Where public sanitary sewer is available and accessible, a new private system generally cannot be built¹⁵. Monroe County soils are often a poor match for conventional drain fields, so expect a site evaluation and possibly an engineered system¹⁶.

Building a home in Mendon: the steps, in order

1. Confirm the parcel's zoning district and any EPOD overlay with the Town of Mendon Building Department⁷¹².
2. Get septic plan approval from the Monroe County Department of Public Health¹³.
3. If the lot is part of a larger subdivision, check the county's Article III subdivision rules before selling or building¹⁷.
4. Submit the town's permit application with 2 wet-sealed copies of the design specifications⁷.
5. Pay the fee from the current schedule at the clerk's office⁶.
6. Keep work exposed for inspections and get a certificate of occupancy before moving in¹⁸⁸.

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

The Town of Mendon handles building permits and zoning; Monroe County handles septic permits, and its planning department reviews certain municipal actions that are referred to it³⁴¹⁹. A driveway entering a county road needs a permit from the county highway permits section²⁰. Land near the Genesee River, Honeoye Creek and several other waterways falls in the county's advisory review area²¹.

For land outside the town, see the Monroe County page. Property taxes are county-level figures: Monroe County's effective property tax rate is 2.8%²², and the typical home value is about $297,573²³.

Watch-outs

• We could not confirm whether the Town of Mendon allows RV occupancy, tiny homes, accessory dwellings or short-term rentals, or its setbacks and minimum dwelling size; ask the Building Department at (585) 624-6066 before you buy⁷.
• The town's building page expects an approved building lot with an approved septic system before the permit process continues, so a lot that has not passed county septic review may not be buildable¹⁰.
• We could not confirm Mendon's certificate-of-occupancy procedure or whether the town has an owner-builder process; New York State still requires a certificate of occupancy for permitted work⁸.

Sources

1. Town of Mendon Building Department (Town of Mendon), quoted and re-checked
2. Town of Mendon Building Department (Town of Mendon), quoted and re-checked
3. Town of Mendon legal notice, ZBA public hearing December 14, 2023 (Town of Mendon), quoted and re-checked
4. Monroe County Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems, quoted and re-checked
5. Monroe County, NY - Plan Forward: Why Plan?, quoted and re-checked
6. Town of Mendon Building Department (Town of Mendon), quoted and re-checked
7. Town of Mendon Building Department (townofmendonny.gov)
8. Part 1203 Uniform Code and the Energy Code: Minimum Standards for Administration and Enforcement (New York statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
9. Part 1203 Uniform Code and the Energy Code: Minimum Standards for Administration and Enforcement (New York statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
10. Town of Mendon Building Department (Town of Mendon), quoted and re-checked
11. Town of Mendon legal notice, ZBA public hearing December 14, 2023 (Town of Mendon), quoted and re-checked
12. Town of Mendon legal notice, ZBA public hearing December 14, 2023 (Town of Mendon), quoted and re-checked
13. Monroe County Department of Public Health, Bureau of Public Health Engineering (monroecounty.gov)
14. Monroe County, NY - Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems, quoted and re-checked
15. Monroe County Sanitary Code, Article II-A, Private Sewage Disposal Systems, quoted and re-checked
16. 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
17. Monroe County Sanitary Code Article III, Realty Subdivisions, quoted and re-checked
18. Part 1203 Uniform Code and the Energy Code: Minimum Standards for Administration and Enforcement (New York statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
19. Plan Forward: Why Plan?, quoted and re-checked
20. Monroe County, NY - Highway and Bridge Engineering, quoted and re-checked
21. Development Review Guide, quoted and re-checked
22. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
23. Typical home value (Zillow): 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.