Rules & Licenses · Long Island
Hempstead Building Permits Start at the Town Portal
For a Town of Hempstead project, use the Building Department and online permit center before assuming a county office handles it.
Published June 24, 2026 · Last verified June 24, 2026
A Hempstead home project should start with the town, not with a vague Nassau County search.
The Town of Hempstead Building Department page points residents to the Online Permit Center for building permits, forms, and related information. Town records says the department enforces building, plumbing, electrical, housing, unsafe-building, multiple-residence, public-assembly, use, occupancy, and structure rules. The permit center lets residents submit permits, monitor application status, request inspections, review prior permits, message town staff, and print permits.
Before a fence, addition, basement change, or rental setup, check the property address, village status, permit portal, and inspection requirement.
Hempstead may need one office for building permits and another step inside the Online Permit Center, depending on the address or record. The goal is to ask the right local question early. That can spare a second trip, a late fee, or a form sent to the wrong desk.
Have the address, scope of work, contractor information, prior permit question, and inspection need ready before you start. In a town this large, the right portal matters as much as the right form.