Albany building department

The City of Albany Department of Buildings and Regulatory Compliance (BRC) issues building, trade, sign, sidewalk, floodplain, and demolition permits for property inside the city, runs the city’s rental and commercial inspection registries, and enforces the city code. The office is open to the public Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Albany County does not issue building permits for city addresses. If your property is in a surrounding town, such as Colonie, Guilderland, or Bethlehem, your permit comes from that town instead.

What needs a permit in Albany

BRC’s Residential Property Guide (version 2, 2017) says New York State law requires a permit whenever work “must conform to the Uniform Code,” and the Albany City Code adds city-specific permits on top of that. Applications submitted on or after December 31, 2025 fall under the 2025 NYS Uniform Code, according to the NYS Department of State. Under the guide, a building permit is needed for:

• Any new structure, temporary or permanent, including sheds, fences, pools (even temporary pools), porches, stairways, and tree houses
• Structural repairs, changes to exits or fire barriers, gutting, and replacing substantial sections of drywall
• Roof repair or replacement, siding, wood stoves and gas inserts, awnings, and demolition
• Any change in the nature or intensity of a property’s use

Trade permits cover all electrical, plumbing, heating, sprinkler, fire-alarm, and elevator work. You don’t need one to repair or replace fewer than three fixtures within two months, as long as no new piping or wiring is involved.

The guide lists work that does not need a permit:

• Like-for-like repairs, such as floorboards, stairs, or drywall
• Painting, tiling, carpeting, and cabinets. Exterior painting in a historic district is the exception.
• Partitions under 5’-9”
• Temporary portable appliances
• Replacement equipment that matches the original specifications

Retaining walls don’t need a building permit, but the City Engineer may require one. Any change visible from the street in a historic or traditional overlay district needs a Certificate of Appropriateness. Exterior work needs photos of the building. Since a 2019 memo, every window-replacement permit needs photos of the affected elevations.

BRC publishes separate application packages for decks, fences, pools, windows, solar (the NYS Unified Solar Permit), accessory dwelling units, signs, floodplain development, and sidewalk/barricade work. A sidewalk/barricade permit is required for any work beside or blocking a sidewalk or street, including a dumpster on the street. See also do I need a permit for a fence.

Fence, pool, and deck rules

The city’s fence handout quotes zoning sections 375-98 and 375-99:

• Front yards and street-facing yards: fences up to 4 feet tall and no more than 60% solid. Anything taller or more solid must meet the district’s front-yard setback.
• Yards without street frontage: up to 6 feet.
• M-1 industrial districts: up to 8 feet where the lot doesn’t abut a residential district.
• Finished side: must face the neighbors.
• Banned materials: canvas, chicken wire, snow fencing, barbed wire, and electrification.

Pools, whether in-ground or above-ground, must meet these rules:

• Rear yard only
• At least 6 feet from side lot lines, 10 feet from the rear lot line, and 6 feet from the house or an attached deck
• Enclosed by a barrier 4 feet high
• Within the zoning district’s maximum lot coverage

Deck applications need dimensioned drawings with materials and a plot plan showing existing lot coverage. Second-story decks and porches need stamped plans. A deck typically gets a footing inspection plus a final; a fence gets only a final.

Applying, insurance, and review time

The Citizen Self-Service (Tyler EnerGov) portal is view-only for now. You can look up permits, code cases, violations, and registry status, and download permit and occupancy placards, but you can’t submit applications online yet. Submit completed forms by email to [email protected] or in person. You can pay by phone or with the city’s credit-card authorization form. BRC’s rule of thumb for review is 7 to 10 business days.

No permit is released without proof of workers’ compensation and disability coverage. That means one of:

• An insurance certificate
• A stamped CE-200 exemption
• A WC/DB-101 (for out-of-state employers)
• Form BP-1, for an owner who lives in the 1–4 family home where the work is done

On projects over $10,000, the applicant must also carry liability insurance naming the City: $100,000 per incident and $300,000 aggregate for personal injury, plus $50,000 for property damage.

Licensed trades

Albany accepts electrical and plumbing permits only from city-licensed electricians and plumbers (City Code §§171-32 and 231-3). Elevator permits go only to licensed installers. Since March 15, 2022, electrical work also requires an inspection by a certified third-party electrical inspector. Class B electrician and plumber licenses cover a single property.

Fee highlights (fee chart revised 02/2026)

Item	Fee
1–2 family new construction/addition under 2,000 sq ft	$450
1–2 family alteration (decks, porches, solar) up to $5,000	$100; over $5,000 add $8 per $1,000
Roof, siding, pool, garage, window replacement	$100
Fence, shed, wood stove, chimney	$50
Residential plumbing or HVAC permit (1–2 family)	$50 plus surcharges
Residential electrical: new service or added circuit	$75
Residential demolition	$400
Sidewalk/barricade with a building permit	$50
Stop work order	$300

Commercial alterations start at $400 for work up to $5,000. After the third inspection, each additional inspection is $50.

Inspections and certificates of occupancy

The person doing the work has to call BRC at (518) 434-5995 for each inspection. The office says it can’t follow up on open permits. After the final inspection, BRC issues a certificate of completion, or a certificate of occupancy for a new structure or a new use.

To get a CO on a construction project, submit:

• The CO application and the $100 fee
• An architect’s or engineer’s certification
• A surveyor’s as-built site plan as a PDF
• Any required rental, sprinkler, or elevator registrations

Site-plan projects also need sign-offs from:

• Albany Fire Department
• Department of General Services and its Engineering division
• Department of Water
• Traffic Engineering
• Planning Department

A temporary CO lasts up to one year, and only once all life-safety items are in place and certified.

Rental and commercial registries

Rental units need a Residential Occupancy Permit (ROP), which requires a passing inspection every 24 months at $50 per unit. Owner- or family-occupied units can file an exemption affidavit. Other registries:

Registry	Requirement
Commercial establishments	Third-party inspection every 24 months, $100 certificate
Public assembly spaces (50 or more people)	Annual inspection, $50
Elevators	$190 per year, with inspections every six months
Sprinkler systems	$50 per year
Vacant buildings	Annual registration; the fee starts at $250 for 1–3 residential units