Building permits, zoning and septic rules in the Village of Lake Success, New York

At a glance

Building permit

Required for most construction; issued by the village building department²³

Zoning

Village zoning, Chapter 105 of the village code¹

Septic

Nassau County Department of Health handles realty subdivisions; other homes start with the local building department⁴

Driveways

One per dwelling, up to 20 feet wide (adoption of the current text unconfirmed)⁵

Certificate of occupancy

Required for work that needed 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.

Does Lake Success, NY have zoning, and what does it cover?

Yes. The Village of Lake Success adopts and administers its own zoning, codified as Chapter 105 of the village code¹. Nassau County does not zone the village; zoning in Nassau County is set by each city, town and village, and the county Planning Commission only reviews referred zoning actions⁷.

The code refers to Residence AA, A, B-1, B-2 and C districts, but we could not confirm the full district list or map⁸. Lot sizes, setbacks and minimum home size by district also remain unconfirmed, so ask the village building department which district a parcel is in before buying.

One published draft, Bill No. 4 of 2026, would cap front yard coverage at 30 percent and rear yard coverage at 40 percent in residential districts⁹, and limit accessory structures to 10 feet in height unless the chapter says otherwise¹⁰. Whether that bill has been adopted, and when it took effect, was not confirmed.

Do you need a building permit in Lake Success, and who issues it?

Yes, for most construction. The village states that most construction requires a building permit from its building department². New York State requires local building permits for work that must conform to the Uniform Code, with a short list of exemptions a village may adopt, such as one-story sheds up to 144 square feet³.

We could not read the village's own building-code chapter, so whether Lake Success adopted any of those exemptions is unconfirmed. Ask the building department before skipping a permit for a shed or similar structure.

A certificate of occupancy or compliance is required for work that needed a building permit⁶.

How do septic permits work inside Lake Success?

Nassau County's Department of Health has jurisdiction over septic systems for realty subdivisions of 5 lots or more⁴. For a home outside a new subdivision, or an existing home being renovated, the county tells applicants to contact the local building department for septic approval requirements⁴. In Lake Success, that means the village building department first².

Areas served by public sewers must connect to the sewer, and existing septic systems there must be properly abandoned¹¹. The village's own page refers to its sewer lines and public works department, but we could not confirm whether every Lake Success address is sewered².

For questions on sewage disposal plans, call the Nassau County Department of Health, Bureau of Environmental Engineering¹¹.

Can you build a driveway or subdivide a lot in Lake Success?

Driveway limits appear in the village's draft zoning text: one driveway per dwelling with a maximum width of 20 feet, set at least 3 feet from the side property line, and side-entry garages may widen to 30 feet in front of the garage doors⁵. Circular driveways need a building permit and planning board approval and are prohibited in Residence B-2 and C districts⁵. Adoption status of that text was not confirmed.

Subdividing land is regulated by Chapter 93 of the village code¹². Nassau County Planning Commission review applies to subdivisions within 300 feet of a municipal boundary, and the village planning authority must also sign the final map¹³.

Building a home in Lake Success: the steps, in order

1. Call the village office to confirm the zoning district and which rules apply to the parcel².
2. Apply for a building permit through the village building department².
3. Ask the building department how septic or sewer connection works for the address, and contact the Nassau County Department of Health for sewage disposal plans⁴.
4. Keep work accessible and exposed until inspected¹⁴.
5. Obtain a certificate of occupancy or compliance before use⁶.

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

Septic and sewage disposal plan review sit with the Nassau County Department of Health⁴. Work on county-owned roads requires contacting both the municipality and the Nassau County Department of Public Works¹⁵. For land outside the village, see the Nassau County page.

Nassau County's effective property tax rate is 1.5 percent¹⁶, and its median property tax bill is about $10,001 a year¹⁷. Those are county figures, not Lake Success specific.

Watch-outs

• We could not confirm whether the village's draft zoning amendment, Bill No. 4 of 2026, is adopted; ask the village office for the current text of Chapter 105¹.
• Rules for RVs, tiny homes, accessory dwellings and minimum lot sizes inside Lake Success were not confirmed; ask the village building department at².

Sources

1. Village of Lake Success Bill No. 4 of 2026, a local law to amend Chapter 105 Zoning (Village of Lake Success), quoted and re-checked
2. Village of Lake Success Village Office and Building Department (villageoflakesuccess.com)
3. Part 1203 Uniform Code and the Energy Code: Minimum Standards for Administration and Enforcement (New York statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
4. On Site Sewage Disposal, quoted and re-checked
5. Village of Lake Success Bill No. 4 of 2026, a local law to amend Chapter 105 Zoning (Village of Lake Success), quoted and re-checked
6. NYS Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code: What Elected Officials Need to Know, quoted and re-checked
7. Zoning Review, quoted and re-checked
8. Village of Lake Success Bill No. 4 of 2026, a local law to amend Chapter 105 Zoning (Village of Lake Success), quoted and re-checked
9. Village of Lake Success Bill No. 4 of 2026, a local law to amend Chapter 105 Zoning (Village of Lake Success), quoted and re-checked
10. Village of Lake Success Bill No. 4 of 2026, a local law to amend Chapter 105 Zoning (Village of Lake Success), quoted and re-checked
11. Nassau County Department of Health, Bureau of Environmental Engineering (nassaucountyny.gov)
12. Village of Lake Success, NY Code - Table of Contents (eCode360) (Village of Lake Success), quoted and re-checked
13. Environmental Review, 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. Building and Zoning Permits, quoted and re-checked
16. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
17. Median property tax bill: 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.