Do You Need a Permit to Replace Your Roof on Long Island? Town-by-Town Rules (2026)
There is no single Long Island answer. A sourced table of the roofing permit rules in all 13 towns and 2 cities, what triggers a permit (sheathing, structure, layers), published fees, and why village homeowners must ask the village instead.
Short answer: it depends on where you live. Long Island has no single rule. Roofing permits come from your town, city or incorporated village, not from Nassau or Suffolk County. Official town sources we checked on October 10, 2026 show that Islip, Smithtown, Huntington, Riverhead and the Town of Southampton do not require a building permit to replace roof shingles in kind when nothing structural changes. Babylon requires one when plywood comes off, Glen Cove and Long Beach list roofing as permit work, and six towns publish no roofing-specific rule at all.
You'll often read that a re-roof always needs a permit on Long Island. The official pages say otherwise in several towns, and in others they say nothing. Below is what each town and city actually publishes, with links, so you can check it yourself.
The Answer at a Glance
- No permit for an in-kind re-roof (no structural change): Islip, Smithtown, Huntington, Riverhead, Southampton (Town).
- Permit required: Glen Cove and Long Beach; Babylon when plywood is removed; Shelter Island unless the work is nonstructural and costs $10,000 or less.
- Not published, so call: Hempstead, North Hempstead, Oyster Bay, Brookhaven, East Hampton, Southold.
- Almost everywhere: structural work (new rafters, a roofline or pitch change, dormers) needs a permit.
First, Find Out Who Your Building Department Is
The town rules below apply only to unincorporated areas. Long Island has about 96 incorporated villages: Nassau County lists 64, and the Suffolk County Village Officials Association represents 32. Each village runs its own building department and sets its own rules, so if you live in a village, the town's exemption does not help you. The Town of Huntington, for example, says that in its four villages (Asharoken, Huntington Bay, Lloyd Harbor and Northport) permits are handled by the village building officials.
Your mailing address can mislead you. The reliable check is your property tax bill: if a village tax appears as its own line, the village is your building department. A few examples of village building departments:
- Village of Garden City Building Department (Nassau)
- Village of Northport online building permits (Suffolk, inside the Town of Huntington)
- Village of Southampton, whose code exempts only "ordinary repairs which are not structural in nature" (Village Code Ch. A119)
- For every Nassau village's phone number, see the county's Cities, Towns & Villages directory.
Nassau County: Towns and Cities
| Jurisdiction | Permit for an in-kind re-roof? | When one is required | Fee (if published) | Building department | Code section / official page | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Town of Hempstead | Not published; call the building department | Code requires a permit for any "alteration" or "improvement" but exempts repairs that don't remove structural components or alter a building system. It doesn't say where a re-roof falls. | Residential: from $200 for the first $1,000 of estimated cost, plus per-$1,000 charges (2023 schedule) | Building Department | Town Code §A221-4 | 2026-10-10 |
| Town of North Hempstead | Not published; call the building department | No roofing guidance on the town's site; applications go through the MyToNH portal. | Not published online; call | Dept. of Building, Safety, Inspection & Enforcement | MyToNH permit portal | 2026-10-10 |
| Town of Oyster Bay | Not stated; call the building department | Roofing isn't on the town's list of projects that require permits. Chapter 93 lets repairs proceed without a permit "if no structural alteration is made." Structural work needs one. | If required: $100 application fee, plus $100 for the first $1,000 of valuation and $12 per additional $1,000 (fee schedule) | Building Division | Town Code Ch. 93, Art. II | 2026-10-10 |
| City of Glen Cove | Yes | "Roofing, siding, and replacement windows" are on the city's list of work that requires a permit. | Not published online; call | Building Department | Building Department page (same link) | 2026-10-10 |
| City of Long Beach | Yes | The city says you must apply for a permit "to install or replace a new roof." | Not published online; call | Building Department | Building Department page (same link) | 2026-10-10 |
Suffolk County: Towns
| Jurisdiction | Permit for an in-kind re-roof? | When one is required | Fee (if published) | Building department | Code section / official page | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Babylon | Only if plywood comes off | The town lists "Roof replacement (removal of plywood)" among projects that require a building permit, along with dormers and skylights. | Not published online; call | Building Department | Building Department page (same link) | 2026-10-10 |
| Brookhaven | Not published; call the building department | §16-3 requires permits for alterations and exempts repairs that don't affect "any part of the structural system," egress or fire protection. Re-roofing isn't named either way. | Not published for re-roofing; call | Building Division | Town Code §16-3 | 2026-10-10 |
| East Hampton | Not published; call the building department | Chapter 102 requires a permit for any "improvement" unless a provision "explicitly exempts" it. No roofing exemption appears in the chapter. | Set by Town Board resolution; not published for roofing | Building Department | Town Code Ch. 102, Art. I | 2026-10-10 |
| Huntington | No, if replaced in kind with no structural changes | Any structural change. The town's filing guide says "no building permit required for roofing" when "replacing in-kind and no structural changes." | If a permit is needed: $50 application fee plus a $125 residential minimum | Projects Requiring Permits | Town Code §87-14(D)(1); filing guide (rev. 9/1/2021) | 2026-10-10 |
| Islip | No, unless structural elements change | "Roofline changes require a permit," as does any change to structural elements. Islip also lists a separate "Repair" permit for in-kind repairs after fire, storm or vehicle damage, so ask about it if the work follows a storm. | None for exempt work | Building Division | "When Is a Permit Required?" (rev. 2025-06-16) | 2026-10-10 |
| Riverhead | No: "reroofing" and "roof re-cover" are exempt | "Roof deck replacement" requires a permit. The code defines the roof deck as the flat or sloped surface, not its supporting members. | Set by Town Board resolution; not published for roofing | Building Department | Town Code §217-6 | 2026-10-10 |
| Shelter Island | Yes, unless nonstructural and $10,000 or less | The code exempts only nonstructural work with a total cost of $10,000 or less. The town's online portal offers roofing permits, and home improvements must be done by a contractor with a Shelter Island license. | Set by Town Board resolution; not published for roofing | Building Department | Town Code §43-6(A) | 2026-10-10 |
| Smithtown | No: "not for simple re-shingling or re-covering" | When there are "changes in the roofline" or new gables or pitches. | The town's posted fee list dates from 2006; call | Building Department | Town FAQ | 2026-10-10 |
| Southampton (Town) | Generally no | The town FAQ says replacing roofing material "generally does not require a permit" but may in village business areas or where buildings are close together. An earlier town FAQ said a permit is needed if you "go down to the sheathing." Historic-district and landmark rules apply (see the FAQ below). | No roofing line in the residential fee schedule (eff. 5/26/2026) | Building & Zoning Division | Town Code §§123-8, 123-9; town FAQ | 2026-10-10 |
| Southold | Not published; call the building department | Chapter 144 exempts "necessary repairs which do not materially affect structural features" and nonstructural alterations costing less than $10,000. Re-roofing isn't named. | Not published for roofing; call | Building Department | Town Code Ch. 144 | 2026-10-10 |
Each row was checked against the official page or code linked in it on October 10, 2026. Town codes and FAQs change, so confirm with the building department before you sign a contract. "Not published" means the town's own pages and code don't address re-roofing directly. It does not mean no permit is needed.
What Usually Triggers a Permit, Even Where Re-Roofing Is Exempt
The towns that exempt re-roofing draw the line at roughly the same places. Expect to need a permit if the job involves any of these:
- Sheathing or deck replacement. Babylon names "removal of plywood." Riverhead requires a permit for "roof deck replacement." An earlier Southampton FAQ drew the line at going "down to the sheathing." If your roofer expects rotted plywood, ask whether that changes the permit answer.
- Structural or roofline changes. New rafters, a raised or re-pitched roof, new gables or dormers need a permit in every town that publishes a rule (Islip, Smithtown, Huntington and Oyster Bay say so explicitly).
- Overlays and layer count. Riverhead exempts a "roof re-cover." Elsewhere, ask. The state code's layer limit applies everywhere (next section), and our overlay vs. tear-off guide covers it in detail.
- Material changes and historic districts. The Huntington and Islip exemptions cover in-kind work. A move to a heavier material, or any visible change on a landmark or in a historic district, can bring in structural or design review.
- Village jurisdiction. A village can be stricter than the town around it.
"No Permit Needed" Doesn't Mean Anything Goes
Every exemption comes with a catch. Hempstead, Brookhaven, Shelter Island and Riverhead all state in their codes that an exemption from the permit requirement is not authorization to do work that violates the New York State Uniform Code. An exempt re-roof still has to meet the 2025 Residential Code of New York State, Chapter 9. Two rules matter most for re-roofing:
- Layer limit (Section R908.4): a new covering can't go over an existing roof that already has two or more layers, is water-soaked or deteriorated, or is slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile. In those cases the old roofing comes off.
- Ice barrier (Section R905.1.2): where the local jurisdiction designates a history of ice damming, asphalt shingles need an ice barrier from the eave to at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall line (36 inches along the slope on roofs of 8:12 or steeper).
Without a permit, nobody from the town inspects that work, so the burden of checking falls on you and your contract. Our guide on how to choose a roofing contractor on Long Island covers licenses, insurance and what to put in writing.
How to Check Your Address in 3 Steps
- Confirm your jurisdiction. Look at your property tax bill. A village tax line means the village handles permits. No village line means your town (or Glen Cove or Long Beach) does.
- Read the official rule, then define your scope. Use the tables above to find your town's page. Then get the job's scope from your roofer in writing: full tear-off or overlay, how many layers are coming off, whether any plywood or rafters will be replaced, and whether the material is changing.
- Ask the building department with that scope in hand. Call or email and describe it exactly ("tear off one layer of asphalt, replace up to 4 sheets of plywood, same shingle type"). Note the date and the name of the person who answered. If a permit is required, the contract should say who files it and list the fee.
What Happens If You Skip a Required Permit
Where a permit is required, starting without one gets expensive. Some of the published penalties:
- Huntington: the permit fee is three times the normal amount if work started before the permit was issued (Town Code Ch. 87, Art. III).
- Town of Southampton: fees double for work started without permits, and knowing violations carry fines of up to $1,000 per day (Town Code Ch. 123, Art. II).
- Shelter Island: the permit fee plus an administrative penalty of five times that fee, and fines of $500 to $2,000 per violation (Town Code §§43-12, 43-16).
- At resale: Glen Cove warns that many lenders won't finance a purchase without proof of a final inspection, and that unpermitted work has to be legalized with an architect or engineer before a sale (City of Glen Cove).
Next Steps
Whether or not your town needs a permit, compare quotes on the same written scope. Our roof replacement cost guide explains how to read an estimate line by line. If a storm started the project, see how roof insurance claims work on Long Island, and our roof replacement page covers what the job involves.
Want quotes from local roofers? Request free quotes; we'll connect you with independent contractors.