REMODELING PERMITS
TOWN OF OYSTER BAY, NY

Kitchen & Bathroom Permits in the Town of Oyster Bay

Why Does the Permit Answer Change From Town to Town?

Because New York State wrote it that way. 19 NYCRR 1203.3(a)(1) requires every authority having jurisdiction to require building permits for work that must conform to the Codes. It then lets localities exempt eight categories, two of which matter here: “painting, wallpapering, tiling, carpeting, or other similar finish work,” and “repairs, provided that the work does not have an impact on fire and life safety.” The State mandates the permit and merely permits the exemption. Nassau County has 3 towns, 2 cities and 64 incorporated villages each deciding for itself.

Oyster Bay took the option, in writing, for plumbing, and put it in Chapter 180 of the Town Code where anyone can read it.

Do You Need a Permit to Replace a Toilet in Oyster Bay?

§ 180-22B(1) makes it unlawful to perform plumbing, drainage or sewage work, or to extend or alter existing work, without a permit — then carves out an exemption in the Town's own words: “Repairs to existing plumbing or drainage systems or the replacing of existing fixtures may be made without filing an application or obtaining a permit.” The same subsection puts a hard edge on that exemption. It does not cover the “installation of plumbing or sewage pipes, including the installation of vertical or horizontal soil, waste or vent pipes or main house drains.”

Read together, those two clauses give the cleanest fixture rule published anywhere on Long Island. Swap a toilet or a vanity in place, on the lines that are already there, and the code says no plumbing permit. Move it — meaning new soil, waste or vent piping — and you are filing. The test is not the fixture; it is what changes behind the wall.

That matters more in a bathroom than in any other room. Strip out the tile and the paint and what is left is a toilet, a tub or shower, a sink, and the piping that serves them. A refit that puts all three back where they were is a different filing question from one that moves the toilet three feet.

Do You Need a Permit to Remodel a Bathroom or Kitchen in Oyster Bay?

The plumbing half of both rooms runs through the same Chapter 180 test. In a bathroom, a vanity or toilet reset in the same position on existing lines sits on the exempt side of the code text; a second sink, a relocated toilet, or a tub converted to a curbless shower does not. In a kitchen, a sink replaced in the same cabinet run reads the same way, and a sink or dishwasher moved to an island does not, because the drain and vent have to be re-run.

The building-permit half is where we have to be honest about the limits of our research. The Town of Oyster Bay's building permit article, Chapter 187 Article II, was not reachable, so we are not publishing a building-permit trigger list or expiry period for Oyster Bay. That is a gap in what we could verify, not a finding that no building permit is required. Put cabinets, walls and structural work to the Building Division directly.

Oyster Bay Permit Triggers, Kitchen and Bathroom Side by Side

Several rows in that table say “call.” That is the accurate state of the published record in July 2026.

What Is the Penalty for Unlicensed Plumbing Work in Oyster Bay?

The highest we have found in either county, and it escalates in three steps rather than two. § 180-40 is the prohibition: it is unlawful for any person or entity “to install, repair, alter or modify any plumbing or heating system… without a master plumber's license, issued or recognized by the Town.” § 180-50 is the price of ignoring it.

The middle tier is worth stating on its own, because summaries of this schedule frequently skip it and present Oyster Bay as a two-step penalty running from $3,000 to $10,000. The Town publishes three steps, and a second offense carries its own band of $5,000 to $7,500. A penalty schedule aimed squarely at plumbing lands squarely on bathroom work.

Who Is Allowed to Do the Work, and Who Files?

A master plumber, and the same master plumber files. § 180-23 provides that the application “shall be made by a master plumber licensed pursuant to this chapter,” and § 180-22A ties the two filings together: “At the time of filing an application for a building permit, each applicant shall include an application for a plumbing permit properly signed by a master plumber.” The plumber has to be engaged before the building application goes in.

The insurance requirement names the Town. § 180-42 requires coverage of “not less than $1,000,000 single limit for all damages arising out of bodily injury and property damage, with a general aggregate of $2,000,000,” and states that “The Town of Oyster Bay must be listed as an additional insured and a certificate holder.” A certificate naming the homeowner but not the Town gets the package sent back.

Electrical runs on its own track. A Town of Oyster Bay master electrician license is required under Chapter 107 Article IV, with insurance of “not less than $1,000,000 combined single limit or $1,000,000 for personal injury and $500,000 for property damage.” Oyster Bay licenses both trades at the Town level, and a county home improvement license substitutes for neither. Nassau exempts plumbers and electricians from the county HIC, so a legitimate plumber may hold none while holding exactly the Town license this job needs.

Our own carpenters and project managers run your job start to finish. Electrical and plumbing are performed by licensed Nassau and Suffolk trade contractors we've worked with for years — we schedule them, we coordinate the inspections, and we're accountable for the result. Greene Group Construction holds Nassau County HIC #EF-65498 and Suffolk County HIC #HI-72958. We do not hold a Town of Oyster Bay trade license; under § 180-23 the Town-licensed master plumber files the plumbing permit.

Which Electrical Inspection Agencies Does Oyster Bay Accept?

The Town of Oyster Bay is the only Long Island jurisdiction we examined that publishes a current, named roster of approved electrical inspection agencies. Its list of Approved Electrical Certificate Issuers, revised 12/15/2025, names six, accepted for issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy or Certificate of Completion.

Every other jurisdiction leaves you guessing. Islip's code points to “the New York Board of Fire Underwriters, or other approved third party inspector” and names none of the others. North Hempstead publishes qualification criteria and approves agencies case by case. Oyster Bay publishes the phone numbers.

The practical value is scheduling. When the electrical certificate is the last document standing between a finished bathroom and a Certificate of Completion, being able to call all six agencies beats general advice about an approved third-party inspector. Confirm the roster is current when you need it.

What Does a Town of Oyster Bay Permit Cost?

Oyster Bay publishes a fee schedule, which puts it in a small minority in Nassau County. A caveat belongs in the same breath as the numbers: the schedule states “Effective June 1, 2019,” which makes it seven years old as of July 2026. We publish the figures because they are the Town's own last published amounts, and a stale published figure is useful provided you know it is stale. Treat every line below as the start of a phone call, not a quote.

The plumbing line shapes a bathroom budget. One bathroom with a toilet, a tub or shower and a sink sits inside the 1-to-5-fixture band at the published $100; a second bathroom, or a kitchen sink and dishwasher in the same filing, adds fixtures at the published $15 each. Call (516) 624-6200 ext. 1 and confirm all of it.

How Do You File, and What Are Same-Day Permits?

The Town runs a Building Portal at oysterbaytown.com. You apply, select the permit type, describe the work, upload documents and pay. A homeowner doing their own work must attach form CE-200. The Town states the rule that catches people out: “You do not have a permit until the permit has been paid for (if applicable) and issued.”

Oyster Bay also runs a same-day permit category covering plumbing fixtures, hot water heaters, gas and oil heating units, generators, solar and RPZ valves. It does not cover a kitchen or bathroom renovation as such. A water heater swap can be a same-day filing; a bathroom gut is not on that list.

On duration, the code gives one clear answer and one gap. Plumbing permits expire one year from issuance and are renewable under § 180-28. The building permit article was not reachable, so we publish no building-permit expiry figure. On speed: the Town of Oyster Bay does not publish a permit turnaround time, and neither does any other Long Island jurisdiction we examined. A contractor promising “permits in three weeks” is inventing that number.

How Does Oyster Bay Compare to the Rest of Nassau?

On the fixture question, Oyster Bay and its neighbour are opposites. Oyster Bay's code exempts like-for-like fixture replacement from the plumbing permit. The Town of North Hempstead's published plumbing requirements state that a plumbing permit is required for the installation of new or replacement plumbing fixtures — replacement included, with no in-place exception. Two adjoining Nassau towns, one bathroom vanity, two different filing answers; the detail sits on our Town of North Hempstead permit page.

For the wider county picture — three towns, two cities and 64 villages, and what changes between them — see bathroom remodeling in Nassau County and kitchen remodeling in Nassau County.

Which Communities Does the Town of Oyster Bay Permit?

The Town permits its unincorporated areas. Oyster Bay publishes that list itself, and it is the list that decides whether this page applies to your address: Bethpage, East Norwich, Glen Head, Glenwood Landing, Greenvale, Hicksville, Jericho, Locust Valley, Massapequa, North Massapequa, Old Bethpage, Oyster Bay, Plainview, Seaford, South Farmingdale, Syosset and Woodbury.

If your address sits inside an incorporated village, you file with the village instead. The village sets its own fees and in Nassau frequently licenses its own plumbers and electricians on top of the county license. Nassau contains 64 incorporated villages by the county's own count — more than twice Suffolk's 32, in less than half the land area.

Precision matters here and the names are misleading. Massapequa and South Farmingdale are unincorporated and the Town permits them. Massapequa Park and Farmingdale are incorporated villages and they permit themselves. One word of difference in a place name changes which building department you file with. There is no single official “which Nassau village am I in?” lookup. Use these tests in order: your property tax bill is definitive, because villages levy their own taxes as a separate line and unincorporated areas do not; the Nassau County Land Records Viewer at lrv.nassaucountyny.gov is searchable by address, and district information is where the answer lives; the NYS GIS Clearinghouse Civil Boundaries villages layer is authoritative boundary data rather than a consumer lookup; the US Census Geocoder returns an incorporated place, which in Nassau means a village or one of the two cities; and finally, call the Town at (516) 624-6200 ext. 1.

Where Is the Oyster Bay Building Division, and Can a Remodel Raise Your Taxes?

The Department of Planning and Development, Building Division sits at 74 Audrey Avenue, Oyster Bay, with an annex at 977 Hicksville Road, Massapequa, known as Town Hall South. The number for both is (516) 624-6200 ext. 1. The annex is worth knowing about if you are on the south side of the town.

On taxes: an improvement can raise an assessment, and New York's Home Improvement Exemption under RPTL § 421-f softens the increase on a declining eight-year scale — 100% of the increase in year one, falling 12.5 percentage points a year through year eight. The improvement must exceed $3,000, the greater portion of the building must be at least five years old, and adoption is opt-in by locality. The Town of Oyster Bay has adopted it, by Local Law 93-2. We publish no Nassau dollar figure; call Nassau County Assessment at (516) 571-1500 for the current cap and filing window.

What Does the Work Itself Cost, and Who Handles It?

Permit fees are a small line inside a much larger number. Our published planning ranges run from about $12,000 for a surface bathroom refresh to $250,000 and above for high-end custom kitchen work; the detail sits in our bathroom remodel cost guide and kitchen remodel cost guide. For the service picture, start at bathroom remodeling or kitchen remodeling.

Permit questions get urgent in one scenario. When a bathroom is rebuilt after a failed supply line or a leaking shower pan, the damage rarely stops at the finishes, and that turns a like-for-like refit into work that plainly needs a filing. Greene Group Construction runs water damage restoration and insurance claims support as real service lines, so documentation, mitigation and the rebuild sit under one contract. Structural work runs through our general contracting division, and debris leaves with our own junk removal and cleanout crews.

Town of Oyster Bay Remodeling Permit FAQ

Do I need a permit to replace a toilet in Oyster Bay?
The Town of Oyster Bay's code and the Town's own portal give different impressions, and you should call before you rely on either. Town Code section 180-22B(1) states that repairs to existing plumbing or drainage systems or the replacing of existing fixtures may be made without filing an application or obtaining a permit, but the same subsection excludes the installation of plumbing or sewage pipes, including vertical or horizontal soil, waste or vent pipes or main house drains. The Town's How-to-Apply portal page separately lists Plumbing fixtures, New or Replacement Fixtures, as a permit type, and its Same Day Permits list includes plumbing fixtures. Call the Building Division at (516) 624-6200 ext. 1 with your scope before you assume the exemption applies.

Do I need a permit to remodel a bathroom in the Town of Oyster Bay?
It turns on the piping. Under Town Code section 180-22B(1) the replacing of existing fixtures may be made without filing an application, while the installation of plumbing or sewage pipes, including vertical or horizontal soil, waste or vent pipes or main house drains, is not covered by that exemption. Swapping a toilet or a vanity into the same location on the existing lines sits on the exempt side of the code text. Moving the toilet, adding a second sink, or converting a tub to a curbless shower means new soil, waste or vent piping and needs a plumbing permit. Because the Town's portal lists replacement fixtures as a permit type, confirm your scope at (516) 624-6200 ext. 1.

Do I need a permit to remodel a kitchen in the Town of Oyster Bay?
The plumbing side of a kitchen is governed by the same Chapter 180 rules as a bathroom: a sink replaced in place reads as exempt under section 180-22B(1), and a sink or dishwasher relocated so the drain and vent have to be re-run does not. The Town of Oyster Bay's building permit article, Chapter 187 Article II, could not be retrieved during our research, so we are not publishing a building-permit trigger list or a building-permit expiry period for Oyster Bay. That is a gap in what we can verify, not a statement that no permit is required. Call (516) 624-6200 ext. 1 for the building-permit determination on cabinets, walls and structural work.

What is the penalty for unlicensed plumbing work in the Town of Oyster Bay?
Town Code section 180-50 sets three tiers, and the middle one is commonly left out of summaries. A first offense is not less than $3,000 nor more than $5,000. A second offense is not less than $5,000 nor more than $7,500. A subsequent offense is not less than $7,500 nor more than $10,000. That is the highest published plumbing penalty schedule we have found in either Nassau or Suffolk County. Section 180-40 makes it unlawful for any person or entity to install, repair, alter or modify any plumbing or heating system without a master plumber's license, issued or recognized by the Town.

Who is allowed to file the plumbing permit in the Town of Oyster Bay?
A master plumber. Town Code section 180-23 provides that application for a permit shall be made by a master plumber licensed pursuant to this chapter, and section 180-22A provides that at the time of filing an application for a building permit, each applicant shall include an application for a plumbing permit properly signed by a master plumber. Section 180-42 requires that plumber to carry not less than $1,000,000 single limit for all damages arising out of bodily injury and property damage, with a general aggregate of $2,000,000, and states that the Town of Oyster Bay must be listed as an additional insured and a certificate holder. Greene Group Construction holds Nassau County HIC #EF-65498 and Suffolk County HIC #HI-72958 and does not hold a Town trade license.

Which electrical inspection agencies does the Town of Oyster Bay accept?
Oyster Bay publishes a named roster, revised 12/15/2025, of Approved Electrical Certificate Issuers accepted for issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy or Certificate of Completion: Certified Electrical Inspections, Inc. at 1-888-238-1338; Electrical Inspection Service, Inc. at 516-466-6486 or 631-286-6642; Electrical Inspectors, Inc. at 1-800-794-1468 or 516-794-0400; NYS Electrical Inspections, Inc. at 631-466-4235; Suffolk Bureau of Electrical Inspectors Inc. at 631-495-8136; and Prestige Electrical Inspections, LLC at 516-652-5681. Oyster Bay is the only Long Island jurisdiction we examined that publishes a current, named roster. Electrical work also requires a Town master electrician license under Chapter 107 Article IV.

What does a Town of Oyster Bay building or plumbing permit cost?
The Town publishes a fee schedule, but the schedule states Effective June 1, 2019, which makes it seven years old as of July 2026, so treat every figure below as the last published amount rather than today's amount. As published: building permit application, non-refundable, $100; first $1,000 of valuation $100 and each additional $1,000 or fraction $12; plumbing 1 to 5 fixtures $100 and each additional fixture $15; Certificate of Completion $35; Certificate of Occupancy $35 for the first $1,000 of valuation and $2 for each additional $1,000; electrical license Class A application $100, new license $250, three-year renewal $150. Confirm current amounts at (516) 624-6200 ext. 1 before you budget.

Which communities does the Town of Oyster Bay Building Division permit, and how long do permits take?
The Town permits its unincorporated areas. Oyster Bay publishes that list as Bethpage, East Norwich, Glen Head, Glenwood Landing, Greenvale, Hicksville, Jericho, Locust Valley, Massapequa, North Massapequa, Old Bethpage, Oyster Bay, Plainview, Seaford, South Farmingdale, Syosset and Woodbury. If your address is inside an incorporated village, you file with the village instead, and the village sets its own fees and may license its own trades. The Town of Oyster Bay does not publish a permit turnaround time, and neither does any other Long Island jurisdiction we examined, so a contractor quoting you a guaranteed number of days is inventing it.