Bolthole Index

Orange County, New York

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

The Village of Highland Falls, New York (Orange County) has its own zoning law, and no building permit is issued unless the plans conform to it12. Orange County itself does not zone land, so the village is the zoning authority here3. Septic review for Orange County goes through the county health department, though we could not confirm how it applies inside the village4.

At a glance

Building permit
Required; issued only if plans conform to the village zoning chapter2
Zoning
Yes, village-adopted zoning with residential and business districts15
Certificate of occupancy
Required for new, altered or changed-use buildings6
Mobile homes
Mobile home courts are a special exception use on a lot of at least 5 acres7
Septic
County health department reviews sewage-disposal plans; village rule unconfirmed4
County zoning
None; each of the county's municipalities zones for itself8

Who to call

Building permits

Village of Highland Falls (Village Hall)

Village government; ask here which village official issues building permits and handles zoning questions

845-446-3400

303 Main Street, Highland Falls, N.Y. 10928

Septic permits

Orange County Department of Health, Sanitary Engineering

Sewage-disposal-system plan review in Orange County; ask what review an individual residential system needs

845-360-6600

124 Main, Suite 3, Goshen, NY 10924

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

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Village of Highland Falls means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Does Highland Falls, NY have zoning, and what does it mean for RVs, tiny homes and mobile homes?

Yes. The Village of Highland Falls adopted its own zoning chapter, and the village regulates building height, lot coverage, yard sizes and open space1. Orange County does not zone, so the village is where zoning questions go3.

The village's districts run from residential districts through an apartment-motel district and a mobile home court district, plus three business districts, with boundaries shown on the adopted zoning map5.

Mobile home courts are a special exception use: the court needs a lot of at least 5 acres and an engineer-prepared site plan7. Whether a single mobile home may sit on its own lot outside a court was not confirmed; ask the village before buying. We also could not confirm village rules on RV living, camping or tiny homes, so get the answer in writing from the village before planning any of them9.

Do you need a building permit in Highland Falls, and who issues it?

Yes. The village zoning chapter bars building permits for erecting, altering, repairing or moving a building unless the plans conform to the zoning law2. New York's Uniform Code also requires building permits for covered work, with certain exceptions, and local governments administer it10.

A certificate of occupancy is required for new, altered or changed-use buildings, and it is issued only if the construction and use conform to the zoning chapter6. Any use other than a single-family residence and its accessory uses also needs planning board site plan approval before a permit or certificate issues11.

We could not confirm the village's building-code chapter or fee schedule. Call Village Hall at 845-446-3400 to ask which official takes building permit applications12.

How do septic permits work inside Highland Falls?

We could not confirm how septic permits work inside the village limits. The village code has a sewers chapter we did not verify, so ask Village Hall whether your lot is on public sewer12.

Where a private system is proposed, Orange County's health department reviews sewage-disposal plans, and individual residential systems generally follow the state's Appendix 75-A standards13. Statewide, approval may be required from the county health department before construction14. The county's Sanitary Engineering bureau is at 124 Main, Suite 3, Goshen, and answers at 845-360-660015.

Building a home in Highland Falls: the steps, in order

  1. Confirm the zoning district of the lot on the village zoning map, which is on file with the village clerk5.
  2. Check whether the village requires planning board site plan approval; single-family homes and their accessory uses are the exception11.
  3. Settle sewer or septic with Village Hall and the Orange County Department of Health1215.
  4. Apply for a building permit; none is issued unless the plans conform to the zoning chapter2.
  5. Finish with a certificate of occupancy before use6.

What stays with Orange County, and what to check before you buy in Highland Falls?

Zoning does not come from the county, since each municipality in Orange County has its own zoning code and map8. The county's health department handles sewage-disposal review, and the county's subdivision review is separate from village approval16. Subdividing land inside the village is also regulated by the village's subdivision chapter17.

For land outside the village, see the Orange County page. Orange County's effective property tax rate is 2.3%18, so budget for it.

Watch-outs

  • We could not confirm whether the village allows RVs, tiny homes or temporary camping; ask Village Hall before buying for that purpose7.
  • Building-code procedures and the village's septic and water rules were not confirmed; call Village Hall and the Orange County Department of Health1215.
  • Orange County's rules for unincorporated land do not apply inside the village limits3.

Sources

  1. Village of Highland Falls Code Chapter 240 Zoning (downloaded from eCode360 2024-08-03, posted on village site) (Village of Highland Falls), quoted and re-checked
  2. Village of Highland Falls Code Chapter 240 Zoning (downloaded from eCode360 2024-08-03, posted on village site) (Village of Highland Falls), quoted and re-checked
  3. Map Resources | Orange County, NY, quoted and re-checked
  4. Environmental Health- a division of the Health Department, quoted and re-checked
  5. Village of Highland Falls Code Chapter 240 Zoning (downloaded from eCode360 2024-08-03, posted on village site) (Village of Highland Falls), quoted and re-checked
  6. Village of Highland Falls Code Chapter 240 Zoning (downloaded from eCode360 2024-08-03, posted on village site) (Village of Highland Falls), quoted and re-checked
  7. Village of Highland Falls Code Chapter 240 Zoning (downloaded from eCode360 2024-08-03, posted on village site) (Village of Highland Falls), quoted and re-checked
  8. Map Resources | Orange County, NY, quoted and re-checked
  9. Map Resources | Orange County, NY, quoted and re-checked
  10. Part 1203 Uniform Code and the Energy Code: Minimum Standards for Administration and Enforcement (New York statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  11. Village of Highland Falls Code Chapter 240 Zoning (downloaded from eCode360 2024-08-03, posted on village site) (Village of Highland Falls), quoted and re-checked
  12. Village of Highland Falls (Village Hall) (highlandfallsny.gov)
  13. Sanitary Engineering | Orange County, NY, quoted and re-checked
  14. State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) Permit Program (New York statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  15. Orange County Department of Health, Sanitary Engineering (orangecountyny.gov)
  16. Environmental Health- a division of the Health Department, quoted and re-checked
  17. Village of Highland Falls Code Chapter 240 Zoning (downloaded from eCode360 2024-08-03, posted on village site) (Village of Highland Falls), quoted and re-checked
  18. 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.

Answers from the rulebook for Village of Highland Falls

Village of Highland Falls’s own rules

  • Building permitRequired

    Erection, alteration, repair or moving of buildings inside Highland Falls village

    • Permit issued only if plans conform to Chapter 240.
    • Procedure follows the building code.
    • Site plan approval needed for uses other than single-family residence and its accessory uses (§ 240-70).
    “no building permit shall be issued for the erection, construction, reconstruction, structural alteration, restoration, repair or moving of any building or structures or part thereof”
  • Certificate of occupancyRequired

    New, altered or changed-use buildings and land inside Highland Falls village

    • Issued only if construction and use conform to Chapter 240.
    • Written order from planning board or board of appeals needed for special exception uses and variances.
    “no certificate of occupancy shall be issued for any building, structure, premises, lot or land unless the erection, construction, reconstruction, structural alteration, restoration, repair or moving of such building or structure or part thereof and the intended use thereof are in conformity in all respects with the provisions of this chapter.”
  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Highland Falls village

    • Chapter 240 adopted by the Board of Trustees 8-10-1971 as L.L. No. 5-1971; amended since.
    “an ordinance regulating and restricting the height, number of stories and size of buildings and other structures, the percentage of lot that may be occupied, the size of yards, courts and other open spaces”
  • Zoning districtsPublished

    Zoning districts inside Highland Falls village (R-1 through R-6, R-MHC, B-1 to B-3)

    • Boundaries are shown on the adopted zoning map.
    “(6) r-5a district, apartment, multiple-dwelling and affordable housing. [added 6-14-1994 by l.l. no. 1-1994; 2-16-2016 by l.l. no. 1-2016] (7) r-6 district, apartment-motel residence. (8) r-mhc district, mobile home court residence. b. business districts. (1) b-1 district, village business. (2) b-2 district, highway commercial. (3) b-3 district, commercial business district.”
  • Lot coverageSpecified

    Senior citizens multiple dwellings (conditional use) only; single-family district coverage not verified

    maximum lot coverage, senior citizens multiple dwelling: <= 65 percent

    “the maximum area of the lot which a senior citizens multiple dwelling and accessory structure may cover shall be 65% of the lot.”
  • Building heightSpecified

    Publicly assisted senior citizens multiple dwellings (conditional use) only; single-family district heights not verified

    • Dimensional table (Attachment 2) is garbled in the extracted text.

    maximum height, senior citizens multiple dwelling: <= 70 feet

    “no senior citizens multiple dwelling may exceed a maximum height of 70 feet.”
  • Manufactured homesLimited

    Mobile homes inside Highland Falls village; mobile home courts are a special exception use

    • Court lot at least five acres; engineer-prepared site plan; special exception under § 240-29.
    • Whether individual mobile homes outside courts are permitted was not verified; see chapter 139.

    mobile home court minimum lot area: >= 5 acres

    “mobile home court, licensed. the lot area shall be not less than five acres, and a proposed site development plan for the entire site, prepared by a licensed professional engineer, shall be submitted for approval.”
  • Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

    Subdivision of land inside Highland Falls village (Chapter 207)

    • Chapter 207 text not opened; only the cross-reference was read.
    “subdivision of land — see ch. 207. mobile homes and mobile home parks — see ch. 139.”
  • Permit processPartial

    Building permit and CO process inside Highland Falls village

    • Only the zoning chapter's process provisions were read; chapter 70 not opened.
    “no building permit or certificate of occupancy shall be issued for any building, structure, use or change in use, other than for a single-family residence or its permitted accessory buildings, structures or uses, unless the planning board has previously approved a site plan”

Still unanswered

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

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Highland Falls village
  • Building code adopted — Building code inside Highland Falls village
  • Inspections — Construction inspections inside Highland Falls village
  • Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Highland Falls village
  • Minimum lot size — Minimum lot size by district inside Highland Falls village
16 more unanswered
  • Setbacks
  • Living in an RV
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Who permits septic
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Driveway access
  • Building in a floodplain
  • Short-term rentals
  • Permit fees

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.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Village of Highland Falls publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Orange County’s page lists the county offices to call.

← All of Orange County: county rules, score and offices