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

At a glance

Building permit

Required from the Town for work covered by the NYS Uniform Code, including new homes¹

Zoning

Town zoning with a Use Table and Bulk Table by district²⁵

Septic

Plan approval from the Rockland County Commissioner of Health; no new septic where public sewer is available⁴⁶

Certificate of occupancy

Required after a Town inspection of permitted work⁷

RV, tiny home, ADU

Not confirmed; depends on the district Use Table, so ask the Town Zoning Department⁵

Property tax (county)

Rockland County's effective rate is 1.8%⁸

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 24, 2026.

Do you need a building permit in Stony Point, NY?

Yes. The Town of Stony Point requires a building permit before work starts on anything that must meet the New York State Uniform Code or Energy Code, including new residential construction¹. The Town code lists its exempt categories, and state rules allow a town to exempt small items such as a one-story detached shed of 144 square feet or less⁹. An exemption never excuses work that violates the code.

The application is made in writing on a form from the Code Enforcement Officer and signed by the owner or the owner's agent¹⁰. Since August 2026 the Town adds administrative fees on top of the standard fee when work starts without a permit¹¹. Major changes to a building with a septic system may also need Health Department approval, and site-plan approval or a zoning variance may come first¹.

Who issues building permits in Stony Point, and how do you reach them?

The Town of Stony Point Building Department issues building permits, runs inspections and issues certificates of occupancy for land inside the Town¹¹¹. Town Hall is at 74 East Main Street, Stony Point, NY 10980, phone (845) 786-2716¹¹. Rockland County does not issue building permits for Stony Point land; the Town enforces the state Uniform Code itself¹.

Permitted work must stay exposed until the Code Enforcement Officer or an authorized inspector accepts it, and the permit holder must call for each inspection¹². A certificate of occupancy is required once the work is finished, after a Town inspection, and new buildings and major additions also need an as-built map⁷.

Does Stony Point have zoning, and what does it mean for RVs, tiny homes, lot size and setbacks?

Yes. The Town of Stony Point has its own zoning chapter with a Use Table and a Bulk Table, and every use must comply with both². New York counties have no power to adopt conventional zoning, so Rockland County does not zone Stony Point land; the Town does³.

Uses are sorted by district: some need Planning Board approval, some need a Town Board special permit, and special and conditional uses also need site-development-plan approval⁵. Minimum lot size, setbacks and lot coverage all depend on the district and use group in the Bulk Table, so no single number applies town-wide¹³¹⁴¹⁵. New manufactured homes are limited to the Town's MHC District and need Planning Board site-plan approval¹⁶.

We could not confirm Stony Point's rules on RV occupancy, tiny homes, accessory dwellings or minimum house size. Ask the Zoning Department before buying¹⁷.

How do septic permits work in Stony Point?

Septic approval comes from the county, not the Town. In Rockland County, a plan for a new or altered private sewage-disposal system must be approved by the Commissioner of Health before work begins, and the system cannot be used until it is inspected and a certificate of approval is issued⁴. The Rockland County Department of Health reviews system plans and inspects installations¹⁸.

Where a public sewer is available and accessible, the county code bars a new subsurface system⁴, and Stony Point's own code makes it unlawful to build or repair a septic tank, cesspool or leach field when public sewers are available⁶. Check sewer availability first.

Soil is a further hurdle: only about 4.3% of soils in Rockland County rate as not limited for a conventional drain field, so expect a site evaluation and possibly an engineered system¹⁹. We could not confirm a Town-level rule for private wells.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home on your land in Stony Point?

We could not confirm it. Stony Point's zoning Use Table decides which dwelling types are allowed in each district, and the table was not available for us to read, so the answers for long-term RV living, temporary camping, tiny homes and accessory dwellings are open⁵. The state's rule on camping covers DEC campgrounds, not private land²⁰.

Call the Town Zoning Department at 845-786-2716 and ask about your specific parcel and district before you plan to live in anything other than a permitted, code-compliant house¹⁷. The one dwelling type the Town code addresses is manufactured housing, which is confined to the MHC District¹⁶.

Building a home in Stony Point: the steps, in order

1. Ask the Zoning Department which district your parcel is in and whether the use you want is allowed or needs Planning Board or Town Board approval⁵¹⁷.
2. Confirm whether public sewer reaches the lot; if it does, a new septic system is not allowed⁶.
3. If no sewer, file septic plans with the Rockland County Department of Health⁴¹⁸.
4. Get any site-plan approval or variance, then apply in writing to the Building Department for a building permit¹⁰¹.
5. Call for inspections as the work reaches each stage, and keep it exposed until accepted¹².
6. Obtain the certificate of occupancy before moving in⁷.

What stays with Rockland County, and what to check before you buy in Stony Point

Rockland County handles septic approval, subdivision review of three or more lots, and stream and floodplain permits¹⁸²¹. Work in or near a county-regulated stream needs a Stream Control Act permit, and development in a FEMA flood hazard area needs a floodplain permit²²²³. For land outside the Town, see the Rockland County page.

County-level numbers frame the cost: Rockland County's effective property tax rate is 1.8% and the median bill is $10,001 a year⁸²⁴.

Watch-outs

• We could not confirm Stony Point's rules on RV living, tiny homes, accessory dwellings, driveway permits, short-term rentals or owner-builder work; call the Town Building and Zoning Departments before you commit¹¹¹⁷.
• A parcel with public sewer available cannot get a new septic system, so confirm sewer availability before planning a septic design⁶.
• Starting work without a permit triggers administrative fees on top of the standard permit fee¹¹.

Sources

1. Chapter 77: Building Code Administration and Enforcement (Town of Stony Point), quoted and re-checked
2. Article IV: Use Requirements (Town of Stony Point), quoted and re-checked
3. documents.dps.ny.gov (New York statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
4. Rockland County Sanitary Code, Article IV – Waste Facilities and Disposal, quoted and re-checked
5. Article IV: Use Requirements (Town of Stony Point), quoted and re-checked
6. Article II: Disposal of Wastes; Connection to Public Sewer (Town of Stony Point), quoted and re-checked
7. Chapter 77: Building Code Administration and Enforcement (Town of Stony Point), quoted and re-checked
8. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
9. Part 1203 Uniform Code and the Energy Code: Minimum Standards for Administration and Enforcement (New York statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
10. Chapter 77: Building Code Administration and Enforcement (Town of Stony Point), quoted and re-checked
11. Town of Stony Point Building Department (stonypointny.gov)
12. Chapter 77: Building Code Administration and Enforcement (Town of Stony Point), quoted and re-checked
13. Article V: Bulk Requirements (Town of Stony Point), quoted and re-checked
14. Article V: Bulk Requirements (Town of Stony Point), quoted and re-checked
15. Article V: Bulk Requirements (Town of Stony Point), quoted and re-checked
16. Article V: Bulk Requirements (Town of Stony Point), quoted and re-checked
17. Town of Stony Point Zoning Department (Zoning Board of Appeals) (stonypointny.gov)
18. Rockland County Department of Health, Environmental Health (rocklandcountyny.gov)
19. 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
20. Campground Rules and Regulations (New York statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
21. Rockland County Sanitary Code, Article VII — Realty Subdivisions, quoted and re-checked
22. Stream Control Act Permit Application, quoted and re-checked
23. Floodplain Management, quoted and re-checked
24. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 24, 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.