Southampton, NY Building Safety: Building Inspections (2026)

Section 123-6 gives the Building Inspector, or a Deputy Building Inspector acting for him, the core inspection powers behind every Southampton building project: receiving applications, issuing permits, examining premises before and after issuance, and making all inspections necessary to carry out those duties, while allowing certified reports from other recognized inspection bureaus in lieu of a duplicate site visit. The same section authorizes notices or orders to remove illegal or unsafe conditions and to require safeguards during construction, and lets the inspector demand field testing by professionals or accredited labs when compliance is in doubt.

Section 123-7 requires the office to keep permanent, publicly inspectable records of every application, permit, fee and inspection report, and to submit an annual written summary of that activity to the Town Board. Section 123-15 gives any building official the right, on showing credentials, to enter a building, structure or premises at any reasonable hour, and bars anyone from interfering with that entry. Before a building can be occupied, § 123-16 requires a certificate of occupancy, separate from any zoning certificate, and § 123-18 obligates the Town to issue it within 30 days of a complete application; missing that deadline automatically deems the application approved and lets the building be occupied as though the certificate had issued. Electrical and plumbing work each need their own certificate of compliance before use under § 123-16E and F.