Building Safety in Hempstead, NY (2026)
8 verified building safety rules for Hempstead, New York, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Elevator Maintenance
Town of Hempstead Chapter 89 requires every building owner with a passenger or freight elevator to register it and file an inspection report with the Building Department each January and July, backed by a $500 fine or 15 days in jail for a willful violation.
Hempstead Elevator Inspection Requirements
Some RestrictionsHempstead Code § 89-3
It shall be the duty of the owner or agent of a building which has a passenger or freight elevator therein contained to register and provide the Department of Buildings of the Town of Hempstead with an inspection report which shall be obtained from a recognized elevator repair or installation company or from an insurance company. The necessary inspection and testing of passenger and freight ele...
Fire Sprinkler Requirements
Hempstead does not require a blanket sprinkler system in every dwelling. Instead, § 88-12I lets a pre-1952 multiple residence install an automatic sprinkler system on each story as an alternative to fire-retarding the entrance hall and stairs, but only when the building's occupancy is increased by adding rooms or apartments.
Hempstead Multiple-Residence Sprinkler Rules
Light RestrictionsHempstead Code § 88-12I
Increase in occupancy. If the number of rooms or apartments in any multiple residence erected prior to July 1, 1952, is altered as to increase the occupancy of such building, the entrance hall, stair shall and their ceilings shall be fire retarded. In lieu of such required fire retarding, there may be installed an automatic sprinkler system, equipped on each story with heads in such number and ...
Door Locking Hardware
In Town of Hempstead nursing, rest, convalescent and old-age homes, every required exit door must carry panic hardware or nonlockable hardware so it can always be opened from the inside, and no lock may be installed on a patient-room door except in a mental institution under conditions the enforcing officer allows.
Hempstead Panic Hardware on Exit Doors
Some RestrictionsHempstead Code § 88-15I(7)
All required exit doors shall be provided with panic hardware or nonlockable hardware so as to permit such doors to be readily opened from the inside. Exit doors shall open outwardly and there shall be no obstructions to such doors at any time. There shall be an exterior light fixture at each exit and shall be kept lighted between sunset and sunrise.
Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Every rental dwelling in the Town of Hempstead with a fuel-burning appliance must have a working carbon monoxide alarm installed next to each bedroom, per Town Code § 99-17, and owners must certify installation to the Code Enforcement Official before a rental permit issues or renews.
Hempstead Carbon Monoxide Alarms in Rentals
Some RestrictionsHempstead Code § 99-17(B)(1), (2)(a)
Every rental dwelling, which contains a fuel-burning appliance or equipment, which shall be defined as any appliance capable of burning organic materials in accordance with this provision, shall have installed and shall maintain, in good working condition, the required number of carbon monoxide alarms, which shall have a battery backup if electrically operated... In every rental dwelling, a car...
Building Permits
In unincorporated Hempstead, no one is permitted to erect, alter, enlarge, demolish, remove or convert a building or structure, or install an elevator or heat-producing appliance beyond an ordinary stove, without first filing an application with the Building Inspector and obtaining a permit under § 86-9A. Only ordinary, non-structural repairs are exempt.
When Hempstead Requires a Building Permit
Some RestrictionsHempstead Code § 86-9A
No person, firm or corporation shall commence the erection, construction, enlargement, alteration, removal, improvement, demolition or conversion of any building or structure or part thereof, or change the nature of the occupancy of any building or structure, or cause same to be done, or to install in or in connection with a building or structure an elevator or heating or heat-producing applian...
Electrical Permits
The Town of Hempstead requires a master electrician's license before anyone may install or wire electrical apparatus commercially, under Code § 84-5. All work must follow the current National Electric Code under § 84-11, and no wiring may be used until a certified inspection agency issues a final compliance certificate.
Hempstead Master Electrician License Rules
Some RestrictionsHempstead Code §§ 84-5, 84-11
Except as otherwise permitted in § 84-10 herein, no person shall engage in the installation and wiring of electrical apparatus in the Town of Hempstead in a professional capacity until such person shall apply for and obtain a master electrician's license to engage in such electrical work as herein provided. ... Except as may be provided otherwise in duly adopted rules and regulations, the regul...
Plumbing Permits
No plumbing, drainage or sewage disposal work may begin in unincorporated Hempstead without a permit from the Department of Buildings under § 86-10A. The rule covers new installations, alterations, extensions, and any rehabilitation, reconstruction or replacement of an existing sewage disposal system, and it stays unlawful to maintain that work without a duly issued permit.
Hempstead Plumbing Permit Requirements
Some RestrictionsHempstead Code § 86-10A
A person, firm or corporation shall not install or cause to be installed any new plumbing or drainage work in a building or structure, or extend or alter or cause to be extended or altered any existing plumbing, or install a new sewage disposal system, or alter, rehabilitate, reconstruct or replace an existing sewage disposal system without first obtaining a permit from the Department of Buildi...
Building Inspections
Before issuing a certificate of occupancy, certificate of completion, or certificate of approval of plumbing or drainage work, the Building Inspector must examine or have examined every building, structure, site and related work covered by the application, under § 86-21A, and may inspect again at any point during construction.
Hempstead Pre-Certificate Building Inspections
Some RestrictionsHempstead Code § 86-21A
Before issuing a certificate of occupancy, a certificate of completion, or a certificate of approval of plumbing or drainage work, the Building Inspector shall examine or cause to be examined all buildings, structures, sites and work for which such application has been filed; and he may conduct such inspection as he deems appropriate from time to time during and upon completion of the work.
Looking for Nassau County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Hempstead city rules.
Building Safety in Nassau County →