Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Village of East Hampton, New York

Village of East Hampton’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Erection, alteration, demolition, conversion of buildings or structures inside East Hampton village

  • Exception: ordinary repairs that are not structural in nature or otherwise required by the NYS Uniform Code.
  • Fee doubled (100% increase) if work starts before permit.
  • Permit valid one year; up to three one-year extensions.

  “no person, firm or corporation shall commence the erection, construction, enlargement, alteration, removal, improvement, demolition, conversion or change in the nature of the occupancy of any building or structure, or cause the same to be done, without first obtaining a building permit from the code enforcement officer”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Construction inside East Hampton village

  • Village may adopt more stringent local laws; more restrictive zoning is not repealed by the chapter.

  “the village of east hampton accepts the applicability of the new york state uniform fire prevention and building code and shall enforce said code.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Buildings and sites with a building permit inside East Hampton village

  • Final examination is required before a certificate of occupancy; interim inspections are discretionary ("may").

  “before issuing a certificate of occupancy, the code enforcement officer shall examine or cause to be examined all buildings, structures and sites for which an application has been filed for a building permit”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  New buildings, changes of ownership, and altered buildings inside East Hampton village

  • Occupancy after completed permitted work limited to 30 days without a CO.
  • Change in use or type of occupancy requires a CO.
  • Temporary CO available (§ 104-14).
  • Posted address number is a prerequisite.
  • Fees set by board resolution.

  “no building or structure hereafter enlarged, extended or altered, or upon which work has been performed which required the issuance of a building permit, shall continue to be occupied or used for more than 30 days after the completion of the alteration or work unless a certificate of occupancy shall have been issued by the code enforcement officer.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside the Incorporated Village of East Hampton (Suffolk County, NY)

  • Administered by the Village code enforcement officer; variances and special permits through the board of appeals (§ 278-7).

  “chapter 278 zoning [history: adopted by the board of trustees of the village of east hampton 5-19-1925; amended in its entirety 6-15-1990 by l.l. no. 6-1990”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Residence districts R-160, R-80, R-40, R-20 in East Hampton village (lots created after the chapter's effective date)

  • Applies to lots created after the effective date of the chapter.
  • Minimum building line width: 160 ft for R-160 and R-80; 100 ft for R-40 and R-20.

  R-160 minimum lot: >= 160000 sq ft · R-80 minimum lot: >= 80000 sq ft · R-40 minimum lot: >= 40000 sq ft · R-20 minimum lot: >= 20000 sq ft

  “no lot or parcel of land created after the effective date of this chapter shall be smaller in size than the following: district size (square feet) residence district r-160 160,000 residence district r-80 80,000 residence district r-40 40,000 residence district r-20 20,000”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Principal buildings on residential lots inside East Hampton village; setbacks scale with actual lot size

  • Relief for lots nonconforming to building line width (§ 278-3a(6)).
  • Accessory structure setbacks, ocean dune and wetland setbacks are separate tables.
  • Wetland setbacks: building 150 ft, septic system 200 ft.

  front yard, lot under 10,000 sq ft: >= 25 ft · front yard, lot 40,000 to under 80,000 sq ft: >= 50 ft · front yard, lot 160,000 sq ft or more: >= 80 ft · side/rear yard, lot under 10,000 sq ft: >= 20 ft · side/rear yard, lot 40,000 to under 80,000 sq ft: >= 34 ft · side/rear yard, lot 160,000 sq ft or more: >= 55 ft

  “lot size (square feet) distance (feet) less than 10,000 25 10,000 or greater but less than 20,000 30 20,000 or greater but less than 30,000 35 30,000 or greater but less than 40,000 40 40,000 or greater but less than 80,000 50 80,000 or greater but less than 160,000 70 160,000 or greater 80”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  All structures on lots in residential districts inside East Hampton village

  • Lots under 40,000 sq ft: 20% of lot area plus 500 sq ft.
  • Driveways, walkways over dunes and a postman's walkway are exempt.
  • Commercial/manufacturing-industrial 60%; core commercial 80%.

  maximum residential coverage: <= 20 % of lot area (plus 500 sq ft if lot under 40,000 sq ft)

  “the maximum permitted coverage for all structures on any lot or parcel of land in a residential district shall be 20% of lot area, except lots whose size is less than 40,000 square feet, which may have a maximum permitted coverage of 20% of lot area plus 500 square feet.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Residential buildings inside East Hampton village; table of heights scales with lot size (read as feet)

  • Table appears in § 278-3 height provisions; its introductory heading was not captured, so the figures are by lot-size band and need confirmation of which roof type they govern.
  • Low-pitch roof area within nine feet of the maximum permitted roof height limited to 15% of first-floor gross floor area.

  height limit, lot 40,000 to under 80,000 sq ft: <= 34 ft · height limit, lot 160,000 sq ft or more: <= 36 ft

  “(a) no principal residence or dwelling shall have a height exceeding the following limits: parcel size (square feet) height a (feet) less than 10,000 29 10,000 or greater but less than 20,000 30 20,000 or greater but less than 30,000 32 30,000 or greater but less than 40,000 33 40,000 or greater but less than 80,000 34 80,000 or greater but less than 160,000 35 160,000 or greater 36”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory dwelling units permitted under § 278-2b(7)(d) inside East Hampton village

  • Must meet principal-building front, side and rear yard setbacks.
  • Conditions of § 278-2b(7)(d) itself not read.

  “accessory dwelling units permitted pursuant to § 278-2b(7)(d) shall comply with principal building front yard setback requirements.”

• Who permits septicMixed (with conditions)

  Sanitary systems inside East Hampton village: Village building permit and I/A rules, with Suffolk County Department of Health Services standards

  • Also subject to NYS DEC and Village wetland setbacks and other local, county and state siting rules.

  “whenever the installation of an i/a system is required pursuant to the provisions of this chapter or any other chapter of the code of the village of east hampton, the property owner shall be required to obtain a building permit from the code enforcement office.”

• Septic permitLimited

  Where an innovative/alternative (I/A) system is required inside East Hampton village (new or reconstructed residences, system replacement/expansion, 25% floor-area increase, added bedrooms)

  • Village building permit from Code Enforcement Office required for I/A installation; fee set by Village board resolution.
  • ZBA may grant variance on showing of good cause.
  • County health permit requirements not separately verified.

  I/A nitrogen design: <= 19 mg/l total nitrogen

  “whenever the installation of an i/a system is required pursuant to the provisions of this chapter or any other chapter of the code of the village of east hampton, the property owner shall be required to obtain a building permit from the code enforcement office.”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Building and tent permit fees inside East Hampton village

  • Fee amounts are in a schedule fixed by board resolution; the schedule was not read.
  • Fee increased 100% if work starts before permit.
  • Fee waived for mobility-access modifications.

  “fees shall be payable to the village treasurer in accordance with a schedule of fees which shall from time to time be fixed by resolution of the village board of trustees.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building permit applications inside East Hampton village

  • Application on department forms with plans including plot plan; code enforcement officer may waive plans where work shows compliance.
  • Approval or disapproval within a reasonable time.

  “application for the building permit shall be made to the code enforcement department on forms provided by the department”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Village of East Hampton or Suffolk County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders inside East Hampton village
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside East Hampton village
• Living in an RV — RV occupancy inside East Hampton village
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping inside East Hampton village
• Tiny homes — Tiny homes inside East Hampton village

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.