Barndominium Builders in Greene County, New York
Greene County runs from the Hudson River towns of Catskill, the county seat, Athens and Coxsackie, across the farm valleys of Cairo and Durham, and up into the northern Catskills at Windham, Hunter and Jewett. The mountain towns draw buyers who want a cabin-style barndominium or a four-season home with a garage for the snow gear; the valley towns suit a working property with a shop and room for animals. Building up in the high country comes with extra rules, because part of the county lies inside the Catskill Park and part drains to New York City's reservoirs. New York Barndominium Builders plans around all of it: the town permit, the septic approval, and any watershed sign-off the site needs. Order barndominium kits if you want to manage the trades yourself, or choose a turnkey build if you want one team to deliver the finished house. Pole barn homes are an option for anyone who wants a clear-span interior. The survey is the place to begin: name the town, the road and roughly how high the parcel sits.
Greene County at a glance
- County
- Greene County
- Building permit
- The town, village or city where the land sits
- Local facts on this page
- 4, each linked to its source
Before you build in Greene County
The local answers that shape a build here, each taken from the office or document that publishes it. Rules change, so we confirm them again against your parcel before drawing.
The town or village code enforcement office where the parcel sits
Each town or village issues its own permits. The Town of Hunter's Office of Code Enforcement, for example, lists what a new structure needs: a completed application with New York City DEP sanitary approval, two sets of stamped and signed plans drawn to scale, a site plan showing setbacks, proof of workers' compensation cover and notice of any truss or pre-engineered framing.
Source: Requirements for Obtaining a Building Permit, Town of Hunter Office of Code Enforcement (townofhunterny.gov)
New York State Department of Health, Oneonta District Office
Greene County Public Health is a partial-service health department, and all environmental health services for the county, septic approvals included, are handled by the State Health Department's Oneonta District Office. Inside the New York City watershed, New York City DEP must approve the system as well.
Source: Public Health, Greene County (greenecountyny.gov)
Parts of Greene County lie in New York City's West-of-Hudson watershed, whose reservoirs include the Schoharie Reservoir on the county's western edge. There, septic work needs New York City DEP approval as well as local permits before construction starts.
Source: Septic Repair and Replacement, Catskill Watershed Corporation (cwconline.org)
Part of the county lies inside the Catskill Park. The county farmland plan adopted in 2002 described the Park as state forest preserve covering about 70,000 acres, some 17 percent of the county. Check where a parcel meets preserve land before planning access or clearing.
Source: Agricultural Development and Farmland Protection Plan, Greene County (greenecountyny.gov)
- Inspections and electrical work in Hunter
- Hunter's Code Enforcement Office inspects all work on a new structure, including before any concrete is poured and before interior walls are closed up, and its permit requirements say all electrical work must be done by a Greene County licensed electrician.
- County planning referrals
- Some town planning and zoning actions must go to the Greene County Planning Board for review under General Municipal Law section 239, including those on property within 500 feet of a state or county park, a state or county road, or a farm operation in an agricultural district. The board has 30 days from a complete referral to respond.
Source: Requirements for Obtaining a Building Permit, Town of Hunter Office of Code Enforcement (townofhunterny.gov)
Source: Greene County Planning, Greene County (greenecountyny.gov)
Building on land near Greene County
Greene County splits into two landscapes. Along the river and in the valley towns, Catskill, Athens, Coxsackie, New Baltimore, Cairo and Durham, the ground is gentler, with farm fields and road frontage that suit a wide barndominium and outbuildings. West of the escarpment, the mountaintop towns around Windham, Hunter, Lexington and Prattsville sit higher, with steeper lots, stream corridors and more snow, and many parcels there fall inside the Catskill Park or the New York City watershed. That adds a watershed septic approval and more careful site planning, and it makes a site-specific frame design important. Albany County, Ulster County and Columbia County border the county.
Where we build in this part of New York
Hudson Valley & the Catskills
- Poughkeepsie
- Kingston
- Dutchess County
- Ulster County
- Orange County
- Sullivan County
- Greene County
Barndominium kits delivered to Greene County
Kits, pole barn homes, custom plans and turnkey builds. The parcel decides the budget more than the floor area does, so we price against your land rather than a rate card.
Barndominium Kits
Barndominium kits NY: barndo kits and shell kits for New York land, steel or pole barn, sized to the snow at your address and delivered upstate.
Pole Barn Homes
Pole barn homes in New York: post-frame houses and barndominiums with footings below the frost line, trusses sized for snow, and conventional finishes.
Custom Plans
Custom barndominium plans for New York: your layout, your shop, drawn around the land, the snow and the approvals your town will ask for.
Have land in or near Greene County? Tell us about the parcel and what you want to build, and we will check it against the local rules before anything is drawn.
Building in Greene County: questions
Start the surveyHow much does it cost to build a barndominium in Greene County?
Do I need a building permit for a barndominium in Greene County?
Does the New York City watershed affect a build in the northern Catskills?
Keep reading
What usually comes next once you know what Greene County allows.
Barndominium Cost Guide
Sourced per-square-foot ranges by tier and size, and what moves the number on your land.
Read itIs a Barndominium Legal in New York?
Zoning, septic and who inspects, before you buy the land.
Read itHow Long Does It Take?
From parcel to move-in, and which steps set the clock.
Read itSources for this page
The published pages behind the Greene County facts above. Rules change, so check the current version with the office before you rely on it.
- Requirements for Obtaining a Building Permit, Town of Hunter Office of Code EnforcementBuilding permit authority; Inspections and electrical work in Huntertownofhunterny.gov
- Public Health, Greene CountySeptic or sewergreenecountyny.gov
- Greene County Planning, Greene CountyCounty planning referralsgreenecountyny.gov
- Septic Repair and Replacement, Catskill Watershed CorporationNew York City watershedcwconline.org
- Agricultural Development and Farmland Protection Plan, Greene CountyCatskill Parkgreenecountyny.gov
Barndominium builders near Greene County
Nearby places we also build in. Across a city, town or county line the permit office, zoning and septic rules can change, so each has its own page.
Building in Greene County?
Start with the survey. Tell us where the land is and what you want on it, and we will come back with which office permits it, what it will allow, and a plan to fit.