East Hampton, New York Building Department 2026: Permits, Inspections & Services

First: Town of East Hampton or Village of East Hampton?

This distinction can save you from preparing an application for the wrong government. An East Hampton mailing address does not by itself prove that the Town Building Department is your permit authority.

The Town Building Department serves Town jurisdiction that includes communities such as East Hampton, Springs, Amagansett, Montauk and Wainscott, subject to municipal boundaries and any incorporated-village jurisdiction.

If you are unsure, give the property address to the appropriate office before paying for plans or submitting a permit application.

East Hampton Town Building Department Contact & 2026 Hours

The Town posted an office-hours update effective October 26, 2026.

Some older Town PDF forms still show Suite 104. The current Building Department webpage lists Suite 110, so use the current department page when visiting or mailing something.

How to Apply for an East Hampton Building Permit Online

The Town says Building Department applications are now submitted digitally through OpenGov. Counter payment is not accepted, so the online process is important even if you plan to visit the office for a question.

1. Confirm the permit jurisdiction. Make sure the parcel is under the Town of East Hampton rather than the Village or another municipality.
2. Open the official portal. Go directly to the Town of East Hampton OpenGov portal.
3. Create an OpenGov account. Choose Sign Up, then use the secure-portal registration option. The Town’s current account instructions say the password must contain at least eight characters, including an uppercase letter, lowercase letter and digit.
4. Complete your profile. After logging in, open My Account → Profile and enter your name, phone number and address. The saved profile can be reused for later Town OpenGov applications.
5. Select the Building Department application you need. The Town currently accepts online applications including building permits, rental registration, rental tenant updates, updated Certificates of Occupancy and Letters of Buildability.
6. Upload the project documents. Your exact checklist depends on the work. Surveys, plans, insurance, construction-cost information and outside approvals may be required.
7. Submit the application and watch the portal. OpenGov sends notices to the email attached to your profile when payment is due, a permit is issued, or a reviewer leaves a comment.
8. Reply inside OpenGov. The Town specifically instructs applicants to answer reviewer comments through the comment boxes in the application rather than replying to the automatic notification email.
9. Pay the assessed fee online. The Town currently states that counter payments are not accepted.
10. Wait for the actual permit before starting regulated work. The Town’s building-permit instructions state that work covered by the application cannot begin before the building permit is issued.

You can also read the Town’s official OpenGov account instructions.

What to Prepare Before You Submit

A complete package reduces avoidable back-and-forth. The Town’s published permit application and Building Department FAQ identify several documents commonly required for building work.

Use the official Building Permit Application and Instructions together with the live OpenGov application. Older PDF instructions can contain legacy submission details, so the current portal should control when the two differ.

Projects shown on the Town’s building application

The Town’s application covers work such as new residential or commercial construction, additions, interior alterations, porches, decks, attached or detached garages, accessory structures, sheds, swimming pools, spas/hot tubs and fireplaces. Your project’s exact permit and approval requirements depend on its scope, zoning district and property conditions.

East Hampton Building Permit Fees

The Town’s current Building Department page continues to reference the amended fee schedule adopted through Resolution 2024-1310. The amounts below are useful for budgeting, but always check the assessed amount in OpenGov before paying because project-specific calculations can change.

View the Town’s official fee resolution.

How online payment works

The Building Department currently states that payments are not accepted at the counter. Published online processing charges are:

• Credit card: 2.99% plus $0.99.
• E-check: $2.25 flat fee.

What Building Inspections Should You Expect?

The inspection sequence depends on what you are building. East Hampton’s official Building Department FAQ gives the following examples for residential work:

This is an example sequence, not a universal checklist. Your approved plans and permit record determine which inspections apply.

How to avoid a failed or wasted inspection visit

• Do not cover work that still needs to be inspected.
• Keep the issued permit and approved project information available at the site.
• Make sure the inspector can safely access the work.
• Complete prerequisite inspections before requesting a later-stage inspection.
• Resolve reviewer or inspector comments rather than assuming the next inspection closes them automatically.
• Plan the final inspection early. The Town’s posted permit instructions advise applicants to plan ahead for final inspections.

How to Get Old Permits, COs, Surveys or Property Records

If you are buying a house, selling a property, planning a renovation or trying to legalize old work, existing Building Department records can be as important as a new permit.

The Town provides a Building Department Research Request Form. The form allows requests for items such as:

• final surveys;
• surveys showing well and septic locations;
• property cards / parcel history;
• Certificates of Occupancy;
• open building permits;
• vacant-land buildability information; and
• plans that can be pulled and emailed when available.

Micro-step: submit a property research request

1. Open the official research-request PDF.
2. Enter the Suffolk County Tax Map number if known.
3. Add the owner’s name and property address.
4. Check the exact records you want.
5. Add your contact name, phone number and email.
6. Email the completed request to buildingdepartment@ehamptonny.gov.

The Town’s request form asks users to allow a minimum of three business days for processing. More complicated or older property files may naturally require additional time.

If you are researching another Suffolk County municipality, permitting can be completely different. For example, see our Brookhaven, New York Building Department guide for properties located in the Town of Brookhaven.

Updated Certificate of Occupancy Rules in 2026

This is especially important for East Hampton property sales.

Town Code was amended to require an updated Certificate of Occupancy when ownership changes, subject to specified exceptions. However, the Town placed enforcement of the updated-CO requirement on a temporary stay through December 31, 2026.

According to the Town’s 2026 FAQ, the stay means a person who cannot obtain the updated CO during the pause will not be charged with a violation solely for that updated-CO requirement. Other property violations can still be enforced.

The Town also reported that roughly six out of ten updated-CO applications were requiring additional review because improvements had been made without building permits. That is one reason checking permit and CO history before a closing can save stress later.

If you are selling property in 2026

1. Request the property’s existing COs and open-permit history early.
2. Compare those records with structures and improvements actually on the property.
3. Continue the updated-CO application process where applicable.
4. If an old deck, pool, addition, finished area or other improvement does not match the records, ask the Building Department what legalization process is required.
5. Do not withdraw an already-filed updated-CO application merely because the enforcement stay is in effect.

Read the Town’s official 2026 Updated CO FAQ.

Which Building Code Applies in East Hampton in 2026?

Do not rely on old permit PDFs that still refer to older editions of the New York State code.

For permit applications in 2026, New York State has adopted the 2025 Uniform Code and 2025 Energy Conservation Construction Code. The new statewide code framework became fully effective on December 31, 2025.

The statewide framework includes the 2025 New York State residential, building, plumbing, mechanical, fuel gas, fire, property-maintenance and existing-building codes, together with the applicable Energy Code.

Check the New York Department of State’s current code-adoption page for statewide updates.

East Hampton local zoning still matters

State building-code compliance does not replace East Hampton zoning. Your project may also need to comply with setbacks, lot coverage, building coverage, gross floor area, clearing, environmental restrictions and other local requirements.

One important Town change effective July 1, 2025 concerns maximum gross floor area for a single-family residence. The Town’s Building Department notice describes the maximum as 7% of lot area plus 1,500 square feet, or 10,000 square feet, whichever is less, subject to the complete zoning provisions and definitions applicable to the parcel.

For projects involving flood-hazard areas, wetlands, sanitary systems, significant clearing or other sensitive conditions, additional Planning, Suffolk County, state or environmental approvals may be required before or alongside the building permit.

A Practical East Hampton Permit Checklist

If you want the shortest path from idea to legal construction, use this order:

1. Confirm Town vs. Village jurisdiction.
2. Check existing permits and COs if the project affects an older property.
3. Confirm zoning feasibility before spending heavily on final construction drawings.
4. Prepare the survey and professional plans required for your project.
5. Collect contractor insurance and licensing information.
6. Obtain outside approvals if Health, Planning, ZBA, ARB or another agency is involved.
7. Create your OpenGov account.
8. Submit the complete application digitally.
9. Monitor OpenGov comments and answer reviewer requests inside the application.
10. Pay the assessed fee online.
11. Do not start permit-required work before issuance.
12. Complete inspections in the correct sequence.
13. Request final inspection and close the permit.
14. Keep the final CO/compliance record with your permanent property documents.

East Hampton Building Department FAQs

Before You Submit

For most East Hampton Town projects, the practical path is: confirm jurisdiction → check property history → verify zoning → prepare plans and survey → submit through OpenGov → respond to review comments → pay online → receive the permit → complete inspections → close the project with the required certificate.

Permit procedures, office hours and local rules can change. Use the official East Hampton Town Building Department page and your OpenGov application for the final project-specific instruction.

USBuilding.org is an independent informational resource and is not the Town or Village of East Hampton. Applications, payments, inspections and official determinations must be completed through the responsible government agency.