Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Oswego, New York

Oswego’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Erection, construction, alteration, demolition and similar work on buildings inside the City of Oswego

  • Exception for ordinary repairs that are not structural in nature (text continues past quoted excerpt in § 126-11).

  “no person, firm, corporation, association or other organization shall commence the erection, construction, enlargement, alteration, improvement, removal or demolition of any building or structure or any portion thereof”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Building construction inside the City of Oswego; city administers the NYS Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code

  “this article shall provide the method for administration and enforcement of the building construction provisions of the new york state uniform fire prevention and building code in the city of oswego”

• InspectionsRequired

  Work under a building permit inside the City of Oswego

  • Owner, applicant or agent must notify the inspector and schedule inspections.

  “construction work for which a building permit has been issued shall be inspected for approval prior to enclosing or covering any portion thereof”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  New, altered or change-of-use buildings subject to the Uniform Code inside the City of Oswego

  • Temporary CO up to six months, max two six-month extensions (§ 126-17(c)).
  • Certificate of compliance for fences, decks, pools etc. (§ 126-17(e)).

  “no building hereafter erected subject to the uniform code shall be used or occupied in whole or in part until a certificate of occupancy shall have been issued by the department.”

• Local zoningPresent

  All land inside the City of Oswego (Oswego County)

  • Chapter 280 applies to all land in the city; where it conflicts with other law the more restrictive provision controls (§ 280-5).

  “the city of oswego is hereby divided into the following zoning districts: tn1 traditional neighborhood 1 tn2 traditional neighborhood 2 sr suburban residential ur urban residential td traditional downtown tb traditional business cb commercial business wa waterfront mh maritime heritage in industrial pd planned development”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts in the City of Oswego

  • Zoning map is on file with the City Clerk (§ 280-7).
  • Dimensional standards per district not retrieved.

  districts: TN1, TN2, SR, UR, TD, TB, CB, WA, MH, IN, PD

  “the city of oswego is hereby divided into the following zoning districts: tn1 traditional neighborhood 1 tn2 traditional neighborhood 2 sr suburban residential ur urban residential td traditional downtown tb traditional business cb commercial business wa waterfront mh maritime heritage in industrial pd planned development”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Oswego or Oswego County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption inside Oswego city
• Minimum dwelling size — SR and other residential districts, Oswego city
• Minimum lot size — SR and other residential districts, Oswego city
• Setbacks — SR and other residential districts, Oswego city
• Lot coverage — SR and other residential districts, Oswego city

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.