Building permits in the City of Glen Cove

A city, with its own building department

Nassau County describes itself as divided among three towns and two cities, Long Beach and Glen Cove. In Glen Cove, the Building Department's job is to see that every building and structure in the City meets or exceeds the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code and complies with the land use regulations, and it issues certificates of occupancy. It asks residents to consult it before they build or change a use.

Reach the department at (516) 676-4448 or buildingdepartment@glencoveny.gov. Its page prints no street address or hours of its own. The City's site lists 9 Glen Street, weekday hours of 9 am to 5 pm, and other departments by appointment only, so call before you go.

Glen Cove's list of permit work

Under the question of which activities require a permit, the department lists:

• Additions, including garages, porches and decks
• Interior work that requires structural changes
• Finishing a basement
• Swimming pools over 18 inches deep, with a half in-ground pool counted as an in-ground pool
• Sheds, prefabricated ones included, as well as barns, garages and greenhouses
• Wood and gas stoves, and fireplaces
• Roofing, siding and replacement windows
• Signs, demolition, and electrical service changes and repairs
• Air conditioning units and generators
• PODS storage units, and home occupations

What a Glen Cove application includes

The Building page links the City's forms, among them the Building Permit Application and its checklist, a Building Permit Zoning Analysis, and applications for fences, residential pools, residential fire sprinklers, solar, tree removal and a Certificate of Existing Use. The Building Permit Application and its checklist, which is marked revised November 2020, ask for:

• Two sets of construction drawings, wet signed and sealed by a licensed architect or professional engineer, plus the proposed work as a PDF, sent by email or link or on a thumb drive
• A current survey that accurately shows the property as it is now
• A blank check made out to the City of Glen Cove for the permit fees
• The contractor's current Nassau County Home Improvement License for the proposed work
• For plumbing, a plumbing application filed with the construction application and completed only by a City of Glen Cove licensed plumber

The checklist also cites a law requiring an architect's or engineer's seal on all plans, except for residential buildings under 1,500 square feet of living area and alterations costing under $20,000. Since the application itself asks for two signed and sealed sets, ask the department whether that exception covers your job.

The permit clock and site rules

• The application becomes a building permit only when it comes back with the department's red-inked approval stamp, and construction may not begin until the permit is issued.
• A permit lasts up to two years, but work must start within one year of issue. A permit not activated in its first year is void, and the owner must reapply and pay an additional fee.
• Any open permits on the property must be closed before new work is considered.
• Work may not start before 7:00 am on weekdays or 9:00 am on Saturdays, and on either day it may not run past 6:00 pm.
• An excavation needs a 6 foot chain link fence around the work area from the start, and before digging the contractor must call 811 or 1-800-272-4480 for a utility mark out.
• The application asks whether the property is in a flood zone, and the checklist says flood zone regulations apply there.

Inspections, then the certificate

The owner or contractor has to contact the Building Department at least 48 hours before an inspection is wanted. All electrical work must be done by a licensed electrician and inspected at the rough and final stages, and a UL certificate for it must be submitted before a certificate of occupancy is issued.

Where a certificate of occupancy is required, the structure may not be occupied until it is issued. Before it is released, the City wants a new or updated survey showing all the new construction, and all outstanding balances paid in full.

Unpermitted work, and selling the house

Anyone legalizing, or maintaining, a dwelling must file for a Certificate of Existing Use. The City's application for one lists a $250 non-refundable fee for a residential dwelling, two original surveys signed and sealed by a professional surveyor within the last 12 months, and an inspection of the premises before the certificate is issued. Work done without a permit that does not conform to the zoning code may also need Zoning Board of Appeals approval.

The department connects permits to resale. When a property is sold through a multiple listing association, the owner must disclose improvements and repairs and whether permits and inspections were obtained, and many lenders will not finance a purchase without proof of a final inspection. To sell a home with modifications made without a permit, the City says you will have to hire an architect or engineer, take out a permit for that work and get it inspected.

Area and use variances

The City asks applicants to read the Zoning Board Rules and Procedures, linked from its Zoning Board forms page, before filling out the area variance or use variance application. The rules, as amended April 21, 2016, call for:

• Filing with the Secretary, or Clerk, of the Zoning Board of Appeals on the form the Secretary supplies, with ten copies of the Building Department's rejection letter
• One original and nine copies of a survey prepared or updated within one year, by a licensed surveyor or licensed professional engineer, with a seal
• Mailed notice to every owner, occupant and contract vendee within 300 feet, by registered or certified mail with return receipt for those within 100 feet
• A sign on the property, posted at least 10 days before the hearing

After the board votes, its written decision must be signed by the chairman and filed with the Secretary within 62 days.

Fees on the City's schedule

The Building page links the fee schedule with the label "Effective 03/18/25", but the schedule's own title says it was amended 12/23/2024. The two dates differ, so confirm the current amounts with the department. The schedule lists:

What to confirm before you hire in Glen Cove

Use the free call to sort out whether the job is structural, whether open permits or unpermitted work on the property must be closed or legalized first, and whether your drawings need a seal. Then ask each contractor for a current Nassau County home improvement license, who will file, and which City-licensed plumber will handle any plumbing. Our guide to checking a Nassau County license shows the lookup.