Building permits in the City of Long Beach

City Hall, third floor

Nassau County lists Long Beach with Glen Cove as its two cities, next to the three towns. In Long Beach, the Building Department is on the third floor of City Hall, in Room 304, and it is responsible for issuing building permits and certificates of occupancy for buildings. Its email is lbbuilding@longbeachny.gov.

Work you must apply for in Long Beach

The City's general answer is that building permits are required for new construction and most remodeling projects, and that roofing, siding, decks, fences, pools and sheds are among the permits most often pulled. The Building Department's own list says you must apply for a permit to:

• Install or replace a roof, or install siding
• Build a new fence or replace an existing one
• Repave or replace a driveway or curb cut, or improve or replace a sidewalk
• Install or repair central heating and central air conditioning, oil and gas systems included
• Add decks and porches, or swimming pools, hot tubs and saunas
• Install bulkheading or docks
• Place a roll-off container or dumpster on the street
• Cut away a wall, remove or cut beams or supports, or remove, change or close a stairway or required exit
• Build new structures, additions or alterations, or install fireplaces, chimneys and wood burning stoves
• Do any plumbing work

Who may pull the permit

Only a City of Long Beach licensed contractor or the homeowner can obtain a building permit, and a licensed contractor must complete an affidavit stating that they alone are doing the work. Electrical and plumbing work must be done by a City-licensed electrician or plumber, and the City says homeowners may not do either themselves.

Applications are made at the Building Department in City Hall. We could not find online filing: when we checked, the Building Permit link on the City's Apply For page led to a page that could not be found.

The whole city is in a flood zone

The City says FEMA's floodplain maps designate all of Long Beach a flood zone as of September 11, 2009, and that the higher risk AE zone covers virtually the entire city, so a lender will require flood insurance on a home there. Because Long Beach takes part in FEMA's Community Rating System, eligible policyholders get a 15% discount on flood insurance premiums.

Construction materials and debris cannot go out at the curb for sanitation pickup, and a roll-off container or dumpster placed on the street needs its own permit. Plan for debris removal before the job starts.

Zoning appeals in Long Beach

You need a denial letter from the Building Department before you can apply to the Zoning Board of Appeals. The board meets at 7:00 pm, and when we checked, its page set the next regular meeting for November 19, 2026, and listed the rest of the 2026 schedule and the 2027 schedule with application deadlines. Agendas are available in the Building Department, Room 304, on the Friday before each meeting. The results posted online are only a synopsis of the votes; for an official decision, contact the board's secretary at (516) 705-7215.

Gaps in the City's pages

The City prints no permit fees and tells you to call for current prices. The pages we read also do not say which documents an application needs, whether plans must be sealed, how inspections are scheduled or what a certificate of occupancy requires. Call the Building Department at (516) 431-1005 before you budget or file.

Settle on the call: license, filing and flood

Use the free call to decide who will pull the permit, you or a City-licensed contractor, and confirm that the electrician and plumber each hold a City of Long Beach license. Ask each contractor how debris will leave the site and whether the design takes the flood zone into account.