Deck Permit requirements across New York
By Mario Bailey Last checked
- Always required
- 3
- of 5 jurisdictions
- Conditional
- 2
- depends on size or scope
- Not required
- 0
- exempt outright
Requirements and size thresholds for deck permits vary by locality. The table below compares what each New York county or city requires. Always confirm with the local office before starting.
Comparing states? See deck permit rules across every locality we cover.
The application steps and inspection sequence for deck permits come from the model code rather than from New York law, so they read the same wherever you build. We keep that walkthrough in one place: how a deck permit application and its inspections work, start to finish. What changes between New York jurisdictions is below: who requires a permit, what they charge, and which office you file with.
Swipe sideways to see thresholds and confidence.
| Locality | Permit required? | Typical threshold | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo | Yes | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| New York City | Yes | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| Rochester | Conditional | height of the deck surface above grade | Confirmed on official page |
| Town of Brookhaven | Conditional | deck rising more than eight inches above grade at any point | Confirmed on official page |
| Town of Hempstead | Yes | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| No localities match your filter. | |||
What a deck permit costs in New York
4 New York jurisdictions we cover publish a fee figure for this work. Each line is quoted from that office's own schedule and linked to its citation. The figures are not comparable to one another: some are flat minimums, some a percentage of job value, some charged per fixture, so what you pay depends on which schedule applies and on your job's valuation.
Residential building permit fee schedule: additions, alterations and repairs to residential structures are charged at $5 per $1,000 of construction cost with a $50.00 minimum, on top of the $25.00 application fee, plus a plan review fee of 20% of the permit fee with a $25.00 minimum if the work requires plans. EFFECTIVE 7/1/2025.
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Filed as an alteration on form PW1. Table 28-112.2 item 11 (Alteration work permit: One-, two- or three-family dwelling) sets a minimum filing fee of $170.00 for Alteration Type 1 and $130.00 for Alteration Type 2 or Type 3, being the "Minimum filing fee for the first $5,000, or fraction thereof, of the cost of alteration; plus $2.60 for each $1,000, or fraction thereof, of cost of alterations in excess of $5,000." Renewal is $130.00 per work type. DOB's PW3 fee-structure sheet (Rev. 04/25) confirms that alteration work types are priced on construction cost and require a PW3 statement of cost.
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Deck Fees, published on the city's building permit fees page: "Deck up to 144 sq. ft." $75.00, "Deck 145 to 400 sq. ft." $160.00, "Deck over 400 sq. ft." $235.00. The fee page carries the notice "Fees for licenses, building, electrical, and plumbing permits, as well as for certificates of occupancy, will change effective July 1, 2026."
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Charged as a building permit under Town Code 86-11C(1) as amended by Local Law No. 20-2024 (effective 4-2-2024): $200 for residential work with an estimated cost up to $1,000, then $200 plus $18 for each additional $1,000 or fraction thereof of estimated cost. A deck built before the permit was issued is charged under 86-11C(2) at $400 plus $36 per additional $1,000. A $100 residential certificate of completion fee is payable when the permit is issued (86-11L).
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Jurisdictions not listed publish no dollar figure we could quote. Absence does not mean a permit is free.
Ready to move on your deck permit?
Hire it out
Before you sign, ask the contractor:
- Who pulls the permit, you or me, and is the permit fee included in the bid?
- Which inspections will this job need, and who meets the inspector on site?
- Is your contractor license active in this locality, and under which business name?