About

The Village of Saranac Lake  Building and Planning Department provides effective and efficient administration of laws relating to planning, zoning, fire safety, and prevention, building construction and other areas the Village Board may deem appropriate. The Building and Planning Department should be contacted prior to starting any project that effects one of the areas noted above.

The Building and Planning Department is primarily responsible for maintaining the Saranac Lake Development Code and the NYS Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code in order to:

• Promote public health and safety
• Create a functional community that is beautiful, healthy, and efficient
• Support economic development

As many projects require approvals from both the VSL Development Code and the NYS Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code, the Development Code Administrator will review applications for most building permits prior to the review by the Code Enforcement Officer.

1st Step: Building Permit

The Village of Saranac Lake's Planning/Code Enforcement Office works very hard to ensure that projects get off the ground and are completed in a safe manner that meets NYS Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code  This starts with you: 

• Before moving forward to the application process, please read up on the Requirements for Building a Deck.
• It is up to the applicant and any hired help to work to submit a substantive application. Once a plan has been put on paper, it is more accessible to each party to come together and make your dream deck, addition, renovation, or new building project a reality. 

• *Project size does not always determine the need to complete a building permit application. If you are unsure whether your home or business project triggers a building permit process, please contact the Code Enforcement office, (518)891-4150.