Last reviewed October 31, 2026.
The roofer in Huntington Station says the town does not need a permit for a reroof, and a neighbor insists that cannot be right. In this case the roofer has the town’s own paperwork on their side, as long as the job really is a straight replacement.
Huntington’s written answer on reroofing
The town’s Building Department publishes “Requirements and Guidelines for Filing Applications,” revised September 2021. Its list of residential work that needs a permit includes additions, alterations, chimneys and solar, and roofing is not on it. On the next page, in a row headed “NO PERMIT REQ,” it says: “NO BUILDING PERMIT REQUIRED for Roofing, Siding and Window/Door (if replacing in-kind and no structural changes).” The same line adds: “Please contact the Building Department before working on structures.”
The town code agrees. Section 87-14 lets ordinary repairs go ahead without a permit “so long as such repairs include only the replacement of existing work and do not include additional work involving structural changes.” It also says an exemption never authorizes work that breaks the town code or the state building code.
What “in kind” leaves out
The exemption covers swapping shingles for shingles on the same structure. Once the job changes the structure, the general rule in Section 87-14 applies: no one may construct, alter, repair, modify, remove or demolish a building without a permit. That points to a permit for new or reframed rafters, a dormer, a raised roofline or a roof over a new porch. Section 87-17 also requires sealed architect or engineer plans for any alteration that affects structural safety, whatever its size or cost.
The town does not define where new sheathing or a change from shingles to metal falls. Its guidelines say, in capitals, “IF UNSURE ASK THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT,” and that is the right move before a job that is anything more than a tear-off and reshingle.
Huntington permit fees, including the penalty fee
When a permit is needed, Section 87-23 of the town code sets the fees. The town’s fee page lists the pieces of a building permit bill as a non-refundable application fee, a permit fee and a certificate of occupancy or completion fee, with building fees on top “calculated based on square footage or a flat fee.” It does not print the dollar amounts, so ask the Building Department for the current figures before budgeting. A few charges are spelled out in town sources:
| Item | Fee | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Work started or finished before the permit is issued | 3 times the normal fee | Town fee page |
| Saturday work permit | $500 per Saturday | 311 Knowledge Base, Aug 2022 |
| Expedited residential plan review | $750 for up to two hours | 311 Knowledge Base, Aug 2022 |
The 2022 Knowledge Base figures may have changed since then. The town’s 2021 filing guidelines say permits “expire in 3 years with annual renewal fees for 2 years.” The code also requires the permit to be posted where it can be seen at the property and the Building Department to get at least 24 hours’ notice before work begins.
For permitted residential work, the town’s guidelines ask for proof of workers’ compensation on form C-105.2 or U26.3, with the Town of Huntington as certificate holder and no ACORD forms, plus the contractor’s Suffolk County home improvement license photo ID.
Saturday crews and work hours
A June 2021 archived copy of Huntington’s noise code, Section 141-4, limits building work to 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and says weekdays do not include Saturday, Sunday or legal holidays. That version lets the Director of Engineering issue a Saturday permit for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and an emergency permit covering up to three days at a time while the emergency lasts. The current text could not be checked, so ask the Building Department before planning Saturday work.
Fines for building without a permit
A May 2017 archived copy of the penalty section, Section 87-45, sets a fine of $500 to $5,000, up to 15 days in jail, or both, for a first violation of the permit requirement. A second offense within five years runs $2,000 to $10,000, and a third $4,000 to $15,000 or up to 30 days. Each day the violation continues after notice counts as a separate offense. Those amounts come from the 2017 copy and may have been raised since. The triple permit fee comes on top.
Landmarks and historic districts
As of the commission’s 2018 booklet, Huntington’s designated local landmarks and historic districts included Old Huntington Green, Old Town Hall, Sweet Hollow, Whitman, Mill Lane, East Shore Road, West Neck Road and Cold Spring Harbor. The town’s Historic Preservation Commission says that before a building permit is issued for a landmark or any structure in a historic district, the owner must get a certificate of approval, and one of its review standards is whether the work fits the materials and colors of the existing roof.
The town’s materials tie that review to building permits and do not say whether a permit-free, in-kind reroof on a landmark needs one. If your house is in a district, call the Town Historian’s office at (631) 351-3244 before choosing a new roof color or material.
Villages and the Building Department
Asharoken, Huntington Bay, Lloyd Harbor and Northport handle their own permits through village building officials.
For the town, the Building Department is in Town Hall, Room 115, 100 Main Street, Huntington, NY 11743. It is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., at (631) 351-2821 or [email protected], and inspections go to [email protected]. Permits can be filed through the town’s online permit portal.
No permit still means the work has to meet code, including the state’s two-layer limit on roof overlays, and the roofer still needs a Suffolk County license. Look it up using our Suffolk license guide.
