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Permits for sewer line work: what to ask your building department

Updated October 30, 2026 · 3-minute read · Old House Sewer Lines

A sewer line permit in southern Westchester is issued by the city, town or village where the house sits, and the rules differ from place to place. Before any digging, lining or replacement, ask the local building department what it requires.

No town-by-town list of permit rules for lateral work could be confirmed. That includes which office issues the permit (building department, public works or engineering), whether a separate street-opening permit is needed, and the fees and insurance required. So the safest course is a short call to the town before a contract is signed. The town rules section collects what each place does publish.

Who pulls the permit

Westchester County's plumbing licensing law says no business may install, alter, replace or repair plumbing in the county, where a plumbing permit is required, without a valid plumbing license (Westchester County Plumbing Licensing Law). A county master plumber's license is valid in every city, town and village in the county. Plumbing done unlawfully can draw a civil penalty as high as $5,000 per day of violation. Yonkers keeps separate rules; ask its housing and buildings department. Licences are covered in Westchester plumber and contractor licenses.

The county Department of Consumer Protection flags one warning sign: a contractor who wants the homeowner to take out the permit may not be licensed.

What the code and towns ask for

Some work has inspection steps written into state code. For pipe bursting, the Plumbing Code of New York State (§ 716 in the 2020 edition) requires a recorded video survey of the old pipe before work and a second video afterward, which the building official must approve before pressure testing (NYSPC 2020, Chapter 7). See pipe bursting.

In Rye, any new or replacement lateral must be inspected by the Building Inspector, who issues a discharge compliance certificate if it complies (Rye Building Department notice). In the Village of Mamaroneck, a building or plumbing permit for work worth more than 50% of the property's assessed value triggers the need for that certificate (Village of Mamaroneck Code). FEMA notes that plumbing permits are required to install a backwater valve (FEMA urban flooding guidance).

Questions worth putting to the building department:

  • Which office issues the permit for a private sewer lateral, and is a separate permit needed to open the street or sidewalk?
  • Must the plumber hold a Westchester County licence, a local one, or both?
  • Is a camera video required before or after the work, and who reviews it?
  • Will an inspector see the open trench, and does the job trigger a sale-related certificate?

Digging and 811

State rules put the notice on the excavator: the one-call center must hear about the job between two and 10 working days ahead, with the day of the call left out of the count (16 NYCRR 753-3.1). A hired contractor must place the request, and it is free (UDig NY). Con Edison says whoever is digging, including for drainage pipe repairs on private property, must call 811 (Con Edison). The 811 markout does not show private lines, and the sewer lateral is private. More in calling 811 before digging a sewer line.

Key facts

  • Permit offices, fees and street-opening rules for lateral work were not published in a confirmable form for most towns; ask the building department.
  • A licensed plumber is required wherever a plumbing permit is required (Westchester County Plumbing Licensing Law, Sec. 277.501).
  • Unlawful plumbing work can bring a county civil penalty of up to $5,000 a day.
  • County consumer officials treat a contractor's request that the owner pull the permit as a warning sign.
  • Rye's Building Inspector must inspect every new or replacement lateral.
  • Excavators must notify 811 two to 10 working days before digging (16 NYCRR 753-3.1).

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