Garage Door Permits on Long Island

Step 1: find out who issues permits for your address

Long Island has two layers. Most named places, like Levittown, Massapequa or Commack, are hamlets inside a town, and the town's building department handles permits. Incorporated villages and the two cities (Long Beach and Glen Cove) have their own building departments. Your property tax bill shows whether you're in a village.

21 Long Island building departments, and the areas they cover

Building departments for all ten Suffolk towns, Nassau's three towns and two cities, and the villages with our town guides. Checked November 13, 2026. Phone numbers marked "directory" come from non-government listings, so confirm them.
Office	Covers	Phone	Design review board
Town of Hempstead Department of Buildings One Washington Street, Hempstead, NY 11550	Levittown, Merrick	See official page	Ask the office
Town of Oyster Bay Building Division (Department of Planning & Development) 74 Audrey Avenue, Oyster Bay, NY 11771	Massapequa, Syosset, Hicksville	(516) 624-6200 (directory or secondary listing)	Ask the office
Town of North Hempstead Building Department 176 Plandome Road, Manhasset, NY	Manhasset, Port Washington	(516) 869-7660	Ask the office
Incorporated Village of Garden City Building Department Village Hall, 351 Stewart Avenue, Garden City, NY 11530	Garden City	(516) 465-4040	Yes, see below
Village of Rockville Centre Building Department 110 Maple Avenue, Rockville Centre, NY	Rockville Centre	(516) 678-9247	Yes, see below
City of Long Beach Building Department City Hall, third floor, Long Beach, NY	Long Beach	See official page	Ask the office
Town of Huntington Building & Housing (Department of Engineering Services) Town Hall, Room 115, 100 Main Street, Huntington, NY 11743	Huntington, Dix Hills	(631) 351-2821	Ask the office
Incorporated Village of Northport Building Department 224 Main Street, Northport, NY 11768	Northport	(631) 261-7502	Yes, see below
Town of Smithtown Building Department 99 West Main Street, Smithtown, NY 11787	Commack, Smithtown	(631) 360-7520 (directory or secondary listing)	Ask the office
Town of Islip Building Division One Manitton Court, Islip, NY 11751	Bay Shore	(631) 224-5466 (directory or secondary listing)	Ask the office
Village of Lindenhurst Building Department	Lindenhurst	(631) 957-7510	Ask the office
Village of Patchogue Building Department Village Hall, 14 Baker Street, Patchogue, NY	Patchogue	(631) 475-4300 (directory or secondary listing)	Ask the office
Village of Southampton Building Department 23 Main Street, Southampton, NY 11968	Southampton	(631) 283-0247	Yes, see below
Town of Riverhead Building Department 4 West Second Street, Riverhead, NY 11901	Riverhead	(631) 727-3200, ext. 213	Ask the office
Town of Brookhaven Building Division 1 Independence Hill, Farmingville, NY 11738	Unincorporated Brookhaven, including Medford, Selden, Centereach, Coram, Farmingville, Mastic, Shirley and East Patchogue. Villages such as Patchogue, Port Jefferson and Bellport run their own offices.	(631) 451-8696	Ask the office
Town of Babylon Building Division Town Hall, 200 East Sunrise Highway, Lindenhurst, NY 11757	Unincorporated Babylon, including West Babylon, North Babylon, Deer Park, Wyandanch, Copiague and North Amityville. The villages of Babylon, Lindenhurst and Amityville run their own offices.	(631) 957-3058	Ask the office
Town of Southampton Building & Zoning Division Town Hall, 116 Hampton Road, Southampton, NY 11968	Unincorporated Southampton Town, including Hampton Bays, Bridgehampton, Water Mill, Shinnecock Hills, Flanders and Eastport. The villages of Southampton, Westhampton Beach, Quogue and Sag Harbor (in part) run their own offices.	(631) 287-5700	Ask the office
Town of East Hampton Building Department 300 Pantigo Place, East Hampton, NY	Unincorporated East Hampton Town, including Montauk, Amagansett, Springs and Wainscott. The Village of East Hampton has its own building department at 88 Newtown Lane.	(631) 324-4145	Ask the office
Town of Southold Building Department Town Hall Annex, Southold, NY	The Town of Southold on the North Fork, including Mattituck, Cutchogue, Peconic, Southold, East Marion, Orient and Fishers Island. The Village of Greenport runs its own office.	(631) 765-1802	Ask the office
Town of Shelter Island Building Department 38 North Ferry Road, Shelter Island, NY 11964	Shelter Island. The Village of Dering Harbor runs its own office.	(631) 749-0772	Ask the office
City of Glen Cove Building Department City Hall, 9 Glen Street, Glen Cove, NY 11542	The City of Glen Cove. Like Long Beach, it's a city, so the Town of Oyster Bay doesn't issue its permits.	(516) 676-4448	Ask the office

Commack is split between the Town of Smithtown and the Town of Huntington, and some hamlet names (Manhasset, Port Washington, Massapequa) also cover incorporated villages with their own offices. Your property tax bill shows which government your address is in.

Step 2: what usually does and doesn't need a permit

Usually no permit

Spring, cable, roller, hinge and opener repairs
Weather seal replacement and tune-ups
Repainting or refinishing an existing door

Often needs a permit

Making the opening wider or taller, or changing the header
Structural framing work around the door
Converting a garage to living space, or adding a garage
New hardwired electrical work for an opener in some jurisdictions

Ask before work starts

A full door replacement in the same opening (rules differ by town and village)
A different style or material in a village with design review

What the town and village rules say

Town of North Hempstead Building Department

The Department of Building, Safety, Inspection & Enforcement takes new permit applications through the Town's OpenGov online portal.

Incorporated Village of Garden City Building Department

Garden City has an Architectural Design Review Board (ADRB) that reviews the exterior design of buildings. Its meetings are held in the Village Hall Board Room, and the Building Department page links to the ADRB application. Ask the Building Department whether your new door goes to the ADRB or through a minor building permit.

Village of Rockville Centre Building Department

The Village publishes a residential building permit instruction package and issues its own permits, certificates of occupancy and certificates of completion.

The Village code provides for exterior design review by an Architectural Review Board, whose members are appointed by the Board of Trustees. The Village's exterior design review application says applicants present at an ARB meeting, and the code bars a building permit for an application the ARB has disapproved. Which alterations trigger review depends on the scope, so ask the Building Department about a new door style.

City of Long Beach Building Department

The City's FAQ says permit applications go to the Building Department on the third floor of City Hall.

Town of Huntington Building & Housing (Department of Engineering Services)

The Town's filing guidelines say no building permit is required for roofing, siding and window/door replacement when it is in-kind with no structural changes. Garage doors aren't named separately, so confirm that a same-size garage door counts.

Incorporated Village of Northport Building Department

Northport's Board of Architectural and Historic Review reviews exterior changes; the Village says any exterior change to a structure in a Historic Review area must be reviewed, and suggests consulting the board early. It meets the first Wednesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at Village Hall.

Village of Southampton Building Department

The Village's Architectural Review & Historic Preservation Board meets the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month at Village Hall. Its application checklist asks for six copies, digital files and a $450 fee for a public-hearing application. Exterior changes in the village can need a Certificate of Appropriateness.

Town of Riverhead Building Department

The Town says original notarized applications must be received by the Building Department before a permit is issued.

Town of Brookhaven Building Division

The Town's permits page lists attached garages, garage conversions and "alterations or repairs" among its residential permit types. A garage door swap isn't named, so ask whether a same-size replacement counts as an alteration.

Town of Babylon Building Division

The Town's Building Department page says to contact the Building Division at (631) 957-3058 to discuss a project, and its FAQ lists work that doesn't need a permit (small sheds, code-compliant fences, driveways). Garage doors aren't on that list, so call before replacing one.

Town of Southampton Building & Zoning Division

The Town's FAQ says a permit is not required for minor work (wood stoves excepted), and that replacing siding or roofing generally doesn't need one. Residential questions go to the Building Department, so ask whether your door replacement counts as minor work.

Town of East Hampton Building Department

As of October 26, 2026, the Town says inspectors meet the general public at the counter 9 to 10:30 a.m. weekdays (8:30 to 9 is for licensed contractors), drop-off runs 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and no payments are taken at the counter. Its FAQ says a permit application needs a licensed contractor, plans, a survey and workers' compensation insurance.

Town of Southold Building Department

The Town says its Building Department reviews applications, issues permits and inspects work for compliance with the Uniform Code, the Energy Code and local law.

Town of Shelter Island Building Department

The Town publishes a fillable building permit application (2025 edition) and a separate notarization form that goes with it.

Step 3: what to ask the building department

"I'm replacing my garage door with the same size door in the same opening. Do I need a building permit?"
"Does it change anything if the new door has windows or a different style?" (This matters most in villages with design review.)
"If I'm adding an opener on a new outlet, does that need an electrical permit?"
"Does the contractor need to be licensed with the county to file?"

Write down the name of the person you spoke with and the date. If a permit is needed, get the permit number from your contractor before work starts. You can also check the contractor's Nassau or Suffolk license.

Planning a new door?

See garage door replacement for sizes and materials, wind-rated doors for coastal homes, and the Long Island price survey for installed prices.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a permit to replace a garage door on Long Island?

It depends on who issues permits where you live. Repairs to springs, cables, rollers and openers don't normally need a permit. Changing the size of the opening or the header usually does. For a same-size door swap, the answer varies, so call the town, village or city building department before work starts.

Who issues permits in a hamlet like Levittown or Medford?

Hamlets aren't governments, so the town does. Levittown and Merrick use the Town of Hempstead; Massapequa, Syosset and Hicksville the Town of Oyster Bay; Medford and Selden the Town of Brookhaven; Hampton Bays the Town of Southampton; Montauk the Town of East Hampton. An address inside an incorporated village uses the village.

My house is in an incorporated village. Does the town still issue the permit?

No. Incorporated villages such as Garden City, Rockville Centre, Northport, Lindenhurst, Patchogue and Southampton run their own building departments. Some also have architectural or design review boards that look at exterior changes.

Does Huntington require a permit for a same-size garage door?

The Town of Huntington's filing guidelines say in-kind window and door replacement with no structural changes doesn't need a building permit. Garage doors aren't named separately, so confirm with Building & Housing at (631) 351-2821.

Who pulls the permit, me or the contractor?

Usually the contractor files it, but it's your house and your responsibility. Ask who is filing, and get the permit number before work starts.

Garage Door Permits on Long Island: Who to Call