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

At a glance

Building permit

Issued by the Town of Ogden Building Department¹

Zoning

The town has its own zoning chapter; district rules were not confirmed²

Building code

The New York State Uniform Code, enforced locally⁴

Septic permit

Monroe County Department of Public Health³

Subdivision

Regulated by the town code⁵

Certificate of occupancy

Required for work done under a building permit⁶

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 Ogden, NY?

Yes, for most work. New York State requires each local authority to require a building permit for work that must conform to the Uniform Code, though a town may exclude small categories such as a detached shed of 144 square feet or less⁷. The Town of Ogden's own permit page says permits are required whether you hire a contractor or do the work yourself, and tells applicants to call the Building Department about what a given project needs¹. Because the town may set its own exclusions, confirm with the Building Department before skipping a permit on any structure.

Who issues building permits in the Town of Ogden, and how do you reach them?

The Town of Ogden Building Department issues building permits and certificates of occupancy for land inside the town, and it supports the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals¹. It sits at 269 Ogden Center Road, Spencerport, and takes calls at (585) 617-6195¹. The town adopted a uniform construction codes chapter, and the State Uniform Code applies in every town outside New York City whether or not a town adopts it⁸⁴. Monroe County itself does not issue building permits for town land. The county's planning office reviews certain referred municipal zoning and planning actions⁹.

Does the Town of Ogden have zoning?

Yes. The Town of Ogden's code of ordinances includes a zoning chapter and a separate incentive-zoning chapter². In New York, zoning belongs to the town, village or city, not the county⁹, so Ogden's own code is what governs land use, lot size and setbacks on your parcel. We could not confirm the district rules, including RV, tiny-home, minimum lot size or setback standards, so ask the Building Department which district a parcel is in and what it allows. The town also regulates subdivision of land under its own code chapter⁵.

How do septic permits work in the Town of Ogden?

Septic permits in Monroe County come from the Monroe County Department of Public Health, which reviews plans, issues approvals and inspects installations³¹⁰. Construction of a private sewage disposal system requires a permit from the county's permit-issuing official¹¹. Where a public sanitary sewer is available and accessible, a private system generally may not be built¹². Whether a particular Ogden address has sewer available was not confirmed; ask the county health department, which also schedules the required inspection, with completion stated within 48 hours of request¹³.

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

1. Ask the Town of Ogden Building Department which zoning district the parcel is in and what it allows¹.
2. If you are dividing land, check the town's subdivision chapter first⁵.
3. Get the septic plan approved by the Monroe County Department of Public Health, or confirm that public sewer is available¹¹.
4. Apply to the Town of Ogden Building Department for a building permit¹.
5. Keep the work exposed until it is inspected and accepted¹⁴.
6. Obtain a certificate of occupancy before moving in⁶.

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

Septic permits and subdivision approval for lots on private sewage disposal remain with the county health department³¹⁵. A driveway that needs access to a county road needs a county highway permit¹⁶, and one onto a state highway needs state approval¹⁷. Land in a mapped flood hazard area needs a local floodplain development permit¹⁸. For land outside the town, see the Monroe County page. Monroe County's effective property tax rate is 2.8%¹⁹.

Watch-outs

• We could not confirm the Town of Ogden's zoning district standards, such as lot size, setbacks, RV or tiny-home rules; ask the Building Department before buying².
• The Village of Spencerport lies inside the Town of Ogden, and the town's own permit page lists separate guidance for it, so confirm with the Building Department whether the village or the town handles a parcel¹.
• A permit exemption does not authorize work that violates the Uniform Code or Energy Code⁷.

Sources

1. Town of Ogden Building Department (ogdenny.gov)
2. Town of Ogden, NY Code of Ordinances table of contents (eCode360) (Town of Ogden), quoted and re-checked
3. Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems, quoted and re-checked
4. Legal Memorandum LG03: NYS Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code: What Elected Officials Need to Know (New York statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
5. Town of Ogden, NY Code of Ordinances table of contents (eCode360) (Town of Ogden), quoted and re-checked
6. Part 1203 Uniform Code and the Energy Code: Minimum Standards for Administration and Enforcement (New York statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
7. Part 1203 Uniform Code and the Energy Code: Minimum Standards for Administration and Enforcement (New York statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
8. Town of Ogden, NY Code of Ordinances table of contents (eCode360) (Town of Ogden), 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. Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems, quoted and re-checked
14. Part 1203 Uniform Code and the Energy Code: Minimum Standards for Administration and Enforcement (New York statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
15. Monroe County Sanitary Code Article III, Realty Subdivisions, quoted and re-checked
16. Monroe County, NY - Highway and Bridge Engineering, quoted and re-checked
17. Residential Driveway Permits (New York statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
18. Floodplain Management - NYSDEC (New York statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
19. 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.