Glen Cove, NY Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

Section 111-9 of the Glen Cove City Code bars anyone from commencing the erection, construction, enlargement, alteration, removal, improvement, demolition, conversion or occupancy change of any building or structure without first obtaining a separate building permit from the Building Department Administrator for each structure. The only exemptions are ordinary nonstructural repairs and an open or temporary shed no more than 12 feet high costing no more than $100 to build. Applications must include duplicate ink or blueprint drawings and specifications, floor loads, occupancy details and, when required, a real estate survey, and must comply with § 280-10 of the Zoning chapter; every fact in the application must be sworn under oath.

For residential construction, § 111-9(G) additionally requires the contractor's Nassau County home improvement license number, proof of active New York workers' compensation coverage, and personal and property liability insurance of at least $300,000 per occurrence and $600,000 aggregate before the application can even be deemed complete. A homeowner who wants to do the work personally can be tested by the Building Department Administrator on construction technology and code knowledge under § 111-9(H). Under § 111-10, building without a permit does not excuse the requirement: the city instead charges triple the standard processing fee once caught.

Permits issued under § 111-11 expire after two years if construction and a certificate of occupancy are not completed, with one one-year extension available from the City Council for extenuating circumstances, and lapse entirely if no work begins within one year.