Westchester Contractor Licensing and Permits, Town by Town

Your license number, decals, and trucks.

• Your license number goes on everything.

  The county law lists all advertising, stationery, proposals, change orders, invoices, and contracts. We treat your website, your Google profile, and your truck lettering as advertising too.

• Every vehicle gets a county decal.

  The county asks for it on the rear bumper, driver’s side.

• Trucks at the job show your name and address.

  On both sides, readable from 50 feet, on any vehicle that brings tools, materials, or workers to a Westchester job site.

• Tell the county about changes within 10 days.

  In writing, when your business name, address, ownership, or responsible people change.

• Workers' comp and disability proof for every permit

  New York requires towns to confirm workers' comp and disability coverage before issuing a permit. Bring the state forms (C-105.2 or U-26.3, plus DB-120.1) or a CE-200 exemption. The name and FEIN must match your application exactly. ACORD certificates are not accepted.

• An asbestos survey before renovation or demolition

  New York requires a survey by a certified asbestos inspector before renovation, remodeling, repair, or demolition work, and the Department of Labor says it applies regardless of when the building was built. For demolition, a copy goes to the town issuing the permit.

• Lead-safe certification for pre-1978 homes

  The EPA requires a certified firm and a certified renovator for paid work that disturbs paint in homes built before 1978, including one-person businesses. Jobs that disturb 6 square feet or less per room inside, or 20 square feet or less outside, are exempt, but window replacement is always covered.

• State contract rules on jobs over $500

  New York's home improvement contract law also requires a written contract, the 3-day right to cancel, and the escrow and lien notices. Missing them can cost up to $2,500 per contract.

• Some towns require you at the inspection.

  White Plains says the contractor must be present at each mandatory inspection. North Castle asks for inspection calls the day before.

• Starting without a permit costs more later.

  Bedford charges $1,000 plus the original fees to legalize work. Pleasantville charges the permit fee plus $1,000. North Salem triples the permit fee for starting early.

• Applications can expire.

  Mount Vernon voids applications that sit dormant for six months.

• Villages often want to be named on your insurance.

  The Village of Mamaroneck, Pelham Manor, Tuckahoe, Larchmont, Hastings, and Croton ask for the village as additional insured and certificate holder.

• Watch for fake building department calls.

  The Town of Ossining, Pelham, Tuckahoe, Dobbs Ferry, and Irvington all warn about scam calls, texts, and payment links that claim to come from the building department.

• Cite the current code.

  Mount Pleasant returns applications that cite the 2020 code as incomplete.