Do I need a building permit to reroof a house in the Town of Riverhead?

For the covering alone, the town's building law as amended in February 2012 says no. It lists reroofing, a roof recover and replacement siding among the work exempted from the permit section. Roof deck replacement sits on the list of work that does need a permit. Confirm with the Building Department, extension 213, before the tear-off starts.

What if the roofer finds rotted plywood halfway through?

Then part of the job may need a permit after all. The 2012 law puts roof deck replacement next to additions and alterations as work that needs one. It also lets ordinary nonstructural repairs up to $3,000 go without a permit. Neither the law nor the town website says how many sheets of decking count as a replacement, so call the Building Department and ask.

Do I need stamped plans?

Usually, for permitted work. The town FAQ says the New York State Education Department requires a licensed design professional to seal building plans, with an exception that may apply to alterations costing $20,000 or less that do not affect the structure or public safety.

My mailing address names a hamlet, not Riverhead. Is there a village hall to call instead?

Suffolk County's list of towns and villages shows no incorporated villages inside the Town of Riverhead, so the town Building Department on West Second Street is the office for every address in the town.

Town of Riverhead Roofing Permit (2026 Guide)

Q: How much does a Riverhead building permit cost?

The town FAQ says fees are based on the estimated cost of construction, which applicants write on the application, and that inspectors also estimate the cost from lineal or square footage. On large projects, it says, the fee comes close to 1.2 percent of the estimated cost. The solar permit packet lists a flat $150 fee, or $50 for a residential fast track application.

Last reviewed October 31, 2026.

The dumpster is booked for Monday, and the contract never mentions a permit. In Riverhead you can check that against the town’s own words, because the building law names reroofing outright. No permit for the shingles. The plywood underneath is another story.

Reroofing, by name, in the 2012 law

On February 22, 2012, the Riverhead Town Board adopted a local law amending what was then Chapter 52 of the town code, Building Construction. RiverheadLOCAL printed the adoption notice that week. The law sorts work into two lists: what needs a building permit and what does not.

Roof or wall work	Permit under the 2012 law?
Reroofing, defined as “recovering or replacing an existing roof covering”	No, listed as exempt
Roof recover, a new covering laid over a prepared existing one	No, listed as exempt
Replacement siding, including new siding installed over old	No, listed as exempt
Roof deck replacement	Yes, listed with additions, alterations and demolition
Ordinary repairs that are not structural, $3,000 or less in total	No
Ordinary nonstructural repairs above $3,000	The Building Inspector may waive the permit

The law defines the roof deck as “the flat or sloped surface not including its supporting members or vertical supports.” Translated, that is the sheathing the shingles get nailed to. Electrical work keeps its own permit section, even when it happens inside an exempt job.

The building chapter has since been renumbered. The town’s current solar permit packet cites Chapter 217 for plans and fees. We could not open the current Chapter 217 page, because the host of the online code blocks automated reading. Treat the table above as the 2012 text and confirm it still reads the same.

Exempt from a permit, still bound by the code

The public hearing notice for that law, published by RiverheadLOCAL on January 26, 2012, sets a limit. Being exempt from a permit does not authorize work that breaks the state Uniform Code or the town code. The adopted text also keeps any separate requirement in the landmarks and zoning chapters. So a house under landmark protection can need an approval even when the roof covering alone needs no building permit.

The state code still decides how the new roof goes on, including when a layer can go over an old one. Our Brookhaven guide walks through the two-layer limit and the tear-off rules in the 2025 state code, and they apply in Riverhead the same way.

When the tear-off turns up soft plywood

Roof deck replacement is on the permit list. How much sheathing counts? Neither the law nor the town website says. A few soft sheets near a vent and a full new deck are plainly different jobs, yet the text draws no line between them. The $3,000 ordinary repair limit may cover small patches, since the law treats nonstructural repairs under that figure as permit free.

Before the tear-off, ask the roofer to price the decking as its own line, with a sheet count. If that line could grow into a full replacement, call the Building Department first. Rafters, a new dormer or a changed roofline count as alterations or additions, and both words sit on the permit list.

Riverhead fees, plans and the solar packet

The town does not publish a flat reroof fee, since a covering-only reroof needs no permit. For work that does, the Building Department FAQ ties the fee to the estimated construction cost, which applicants write on the application. Inspectors also estimate that cost from lineal or square footage. On large projects, the FAQ says, the fee approaches 1.2 percent of the estimated cost.

The same FAQ says the New York State Education Department requires plans sealed by a licensed design professional. Alterations costing $20,000 or less that do not affect the structure or public safety may not need the seal. Either way, plans must be accurate and drawn to scale.

Panels on the roof get their own packet. The town’s solar energy permit application asks for:

the building permit application, signed and notarized, plus a notarized disclosure affidavit
an inspection acknowledgment checklist
the contractor’s liability certificate on an ACORD form with at least $2 million and $1 million limits, workers’ compensation on form C-105.2 and disability on form DB 120.1, each listing the town
two sets of building plans and two surveys showing where the panels go
a $150 nonrefundable fee, or $50 if the job qualifies for the residential fast track

Solar shingles and panels on racks are compared on our solar roofing page.

Filing at 4 West Second Street

The Building Department sits at 4 West Second Street, Riverhead, NY 11901, open Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Call 631-727-3200, extension 213. The department’s page says original notarized applications must reach the office before a permit is issued, so a scan alone will not do. Inspections are booked by email at [email protected].

The FAQ calls a complete application the fastest way through review and warns that a missing document can cause a long delay. Copies of an old permit, certificate of occupancy or survey come through a Freedom of Information request to the Town Clerk, not the Building Department counter.

Suffolk County’s town and village list shows no incorporated villages inside Riverhead, so every address in the town files here. Permit or no permit, the roofer still needs a Suffolk County home improvement license. The lookup steps are in our Suffolk license guide.