Last reviewed October 31, 2026.
A storm peels a row of shingles off a house a few blocks south of Merrick Road. The first roofer up the ladder says the whole slope is tired. Before signing anything, the owner wants to know who hands out the permit. In Amityville, that is the village, not the town. And the village code gets more involved once the house sits in a flood zone or on the landmark registry.
Amityville’s code and the reroof question
The village has not posted a page or handout that names roofing either way. What it does have is Section 49-4 of the village code, the article that took effect January 2, 2010 to enforce the New York State Uniform Code. It requires a building permit “for any work which must conform to the Unified Code and/or the Energy Code,” including the “construction, enlargement, alteration, improvement, removal, relocation or demolition of any building or structure or any portion thereof.” Nobody may start that work without first getting a permit from the Code Enforcement Officer.
The exemption list in the same section covers small sheds, playground equipment, shallow above-ground pools, some fences and retaining walls, and like-for-like equipment swaps. Nothing we could read mentions roof covering. The list ends with conditions about removing load-bearing walls or beams, changing exits and altering building systems. The item those conditions attach to was cut off in the text we could read, though, so we cannot say whether it reaches roof repairs. The full code sits on a site that blocks automated reading, so we could not check every line of that list.
The village FAQ leans the same way. Its list of work that village code says needs a permit opens with “Building (alterations to an existing structure or new construction).” It suggests filing a Building Department Information Request Form with a full project description, so the Building Inspector can say which permits apply. Do that, or call the Building Department at 631-691-1909, before the crew sets up.
Filing with the Building Department on Ireland Place
The Building Department works out of Village Hall at 21 Ireland Place, Amityville, NY 11701. The FAQ lists Village Hall hours as Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., excluding federal holidays. The main line is 631-264-6000.
The FAQ also spells out the workers’ compensation and disability proof the village accepts, by state form number (C-105.2, U-26.3, SI-12, DB-120.1 and others). ACORD certificates do not count. Get the state forms from your roofer before the application goes in.
On October 2, 2026, the village posted a scam alert about fraudulent emails tied to Building Department applications. If one lands in your inbox, the village says not to send money and to call the Amityville Police Department at 631-264-0400.
Fees, time limits and fines in Chapter 49
| Rule | What the village code says |
|---|---|
| Fee schedule | Set by resolution of the Board of Trustees (Section 49-16) |
| Withdrawn or denied application | $100 administrative processing fee |
| Start of work | Permit is invalid if work does not begin within six months of issuance |
| Expiration | 12 months after issuance, renewable with a fee and approval |
| Civil penalty | Up to $200 for each day a violation continues (Section 49-15) |
We found no published dollar amounts for the fee schedule itself, so ask when you call. Section 49-15, last amended in June 2024, also lets inspectors write appearance tickets. Each remedy stacks on top of stop-work orders and state penalties instead of replacing them.
If the roof plan changes mid-job, Section 49-4 requires the permit holder to tell the Code Enforcement Officer right away. A change that calls for a new or amended permit waits until one is issued.
Flood rules for homes near the bay
Suffolk County’s hazard mitigation plan, in its October 2020 Village of Amityville annex, says most properties south of Merrick Road are prone to flooding. Citing FEMA figures from July 2020, it counts 982 flood insurance policies and 245 repetitive loss properties in the village. After Hurricane Sandy, the same annex says, the village raised its required elevation to base flood elevation plus three feet.
Chapter 88, the flood ordinance, defines substantial improvement as work costing 50 percent or more of a structure’s market value before it starts. That includes houses with substantial damage “regardless of the actual repair work performed.” The 2020 annex adds that when a project lands under that line, the applicant is told any future work will be evaluated cumulatively and may push past it. Break Chapter 88 and the fines run up to $250, up to 15 days in jail, or both, with each day a separate offense.
One rooftop detail matters before a solar install. Section 135-1 says a roof carrying panels may have no more than a single layer of roof covering.
Landmarks and business district review
Chapter 15 lets the Board of Trustees designate landmarks, but only with the owner’s consent. Once a house is on the registry, any exterior alteration visible from a public road needs a building permit issued after Planning Board approval. A court can treat a violation as a misdemeanor, with a fine of up to $1,000, up to a year in jail, or both, and order the property restored.
In business zones, Section 183-85 requires Planning Board approval of all exterior construction that needs a building permit, before the permit is issued. So if a reroof on a commercial strip needs a permit, the Planning Board sees it first.
License checks and the Town of Babylon line
Suffolk County lists Amityville, Babylon and Lindenhurst as the three incorporated villages in the Town of Babylon. Homes in the surrounding hamlets file with the town instead, and our Babylon guide covers that process.
The code sections we read set up no separate village contractor license. Suffolk County Consumer Affairs lists roofing as home improvement work and says unlicensed contractors are subject to arrest and prosecution. Our Suffolk license guide shows how to look up a roofer’s number before you sign.
