Last reviewed October 31, 2026.
The old shingles come off a cape near the canals, and the roofer points at a sheet of decking gone dark and spongy along the eave. Swapping that one sheet is a small job. In the Village of Freeport, it is also the job that turns a reroof into a permit.
Freeport draws its reroof line at the plywood
The village Building Department’s FAQ asks the question every homeowner asks, “Do I need a permit to replace my roof?”, and answers it in two sentences: “If you are only replacing the shingles, you do not need a permit. However, if you are replacing any plywood, you do need a Building Permit.” Watch the word “any.” Read plainly, one rotted sheet is enough.
The page shows its age, though. Further down, that same FAQ still lists inspector training dates from 2014. We found no newer written answer on roofing from the village, so treat the FAQ as the department’s published position and confirm it by phone.
The department’s main page casts a wider net. “All construction, plumbing and electrical work requires a permit from the Building Department,” it says, with no carve-out for roofs. It adds that all structural work on residential or commercial property needs a permit application with two sets of signed and sealed architectural drawings, plus a digital set. Whether a few sheets of decking count as structural work for that purpose is never spelled out. Ask before you assume you need plans.
| Roof work on a Freeport house | What the village has published |
|---|---|
| New shingles, plywood stays | No permit, per the FAQ |
| Any plywood replaced | Building permit required |
| Structural work | Permit plus two sets of signed and sealed drawings |
Filing through Freeport’s OpenGov portal
The Building Permits page puts it in capital letters: “FOR ALL PERMITS, PLEASE FILE AND SUBMIT THROUGH OPENGOV.” From the Online Permitting page, residents can submit permits, follow their status, request inspections, look up past permits, message village staff and print the permit at home.
The Building Department sits in Village Hall, 46 North Ocean Avenue, Freeport, NY 11520. Phone 516-377-2242, fax 516-377-2493. The FAQ says inspectors take calls or visits from 8:30 to 10 a.m. and from 4 to 4:30 p.m., but that schedule lives on the same dated page.
Bad plywood often stays hidden until tear-off. So settle it before you sign: ask the roofer what happens if rotten decking turns up, and who files the permit if it does.
Freeport’s fee schedule for a roof job
The village publishes two fee pages, and they disagree on one number. The Permit Fees page lists a residential alteration at $150 for the first $1,000 of construction cost and $22 for each additional $1,000. The Building and Zoning Fees table, organized by code section, lists Section 86-9(A) residential alterations at $150 plus $10 for each additional $1,000 or fraction of it. Ask the department which rate it is charging.
Three other fee lines land directly on a roof job:
| Item | What the village lists |
|---|---|
| Permit issued after work begins | Fees are doubled, per the Permit Fees page |
| Letter of completion | $150 on building permits, except fences and roofs, per the Permit Fees page |
| Processing National Flood Insurance forms | $30, per the code fee table |
Permit deadlines and fines in the village code
Section 86-7 of the village code starts the clock. If no work begins within three months of issuance, the permit expires. The Superintendent of Buildings may allow one more three-month extension on a written request showing good cause. Leave a started project unfinished for two years and the code deems it abandoned. You need a new permit to keep going, and no fees come back.
Section 86-10, in text carrying an October 21, 2024 amendment, covers anyone who knowingly and willfully violates the chapter, or builds, alters or repairs a structure against an approved plan or permit. That is a violation punishable by a fine of up to $4,000, up to 15 days in jail, or both. The owner and any contractor who helped can each be charged separately, and every day it continues counts as a new violation.
Flood zones and the 50 percent rule in Freeport
The village’s Flood Management page says homes may sit in or next to a FEMA special flood hazard area, and points residents to the 2009 Flood Zone Map. The Building Department has a Certified Floodplain Manager on staff, the page says, and keeps Elevation Certificates on file.
The same page lays out the rule that can drag a roof into a bigger review. Under the National Flood Insurance Program, if the cost of reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition or other improvement equals or exceeds 50 percent of the building’s market value, the building must meet the requirements for new construction. A house damaged badly enough that repairs reach half its pre-damage value must be elevated above the base flood elevation. And Section 87-12 of the code makes it unlawful to undertake development in a special flood hazard area without a floodplain development or building permit.
What the page leaves out is how a roof replacement counts toward that 50 percent. Ask the floodplain manager before work starts. The village also says outreach work has raised its flood insurance discount to 10 percent.
Design review and licenses for Freeport roofers
Section 86-7 gives the village’s Architectural Board a say in permits for structural, facade, signage, parking and landscape design work in the Urban Renewal Area, and lets a decision on that work be appealed to the Board of Trustees within 30 days. If your house or building is in that area, ask whether a visible roof change needs the board’s review. Our searches of the village code turned up no historic landmarks chapter.
The village FAQ requires a licensed Freeport electrician for electrical work and a plumber licensed or reciprocal with Freeport. For roofers, we found no village license. The county license still applies. Nassau County’s FAQ says contractors who remodel residential homes in the county must be licensed. It calls unlicensed work a Class A misdemeanor with a fine of up to $5,000, up to a year in jail and seizure of vehicles and tools, and it puts the contractor on the hook for making sure all proper permits are in place before work starts. Our Nassau license guide shows how to look one up.
Which side of the Freeport village line you are on
Nassau County’s List of Communities places the Village of Freeport in the Town of Hempstead, and the village says its Building Department governs the incorporated areas of Freeport. A house outside the village line goes to the town, even with a Freeport mailing address. The Hempstead guide covers that office.
