The Nassau County Legislature has passed a bill aimed at speeding up the process of approving building permits. 

The new law, passed unanimously by the Legislature on Monday, sets a 30-day time limit for the county’s Department of Public Works to report to the county Planning Commission and applicable municipality with approval, disapproval or approval subject to stated conditions on building permit and curb-cut applications. It also allows for self-certification of construction plans, if the public works report is delayed past the time allowed, which means that a New York State-licensed professional engineer or architect can certify that the proposed project plans comply with all applicable rules and regulations. 

Known as 239-f, the application review by the public works department is mandated by the state to ensure stakeholders are protected from adverse impacts of construction and development. The new amendment to the review process will reduce development costs and ensure a timelier collection of enhanced tax revenues on improved property. 

“Reforming the 239-f process removes unnecessary red tape and makes Nassau County a more attractive place to build and do business,” said Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman. “I look forward to working with the many stakeholders involved to bring in more exciting projects, remove undue burdens on the business community and expand our tax base to keep taxes down.” 

The changes to the building permit process in Nassau have been long sought after by the Long Island development and business communities. 

“Self-certification programs will be instrumental in protecting our region’s economic viability,” said Kyle Strober, executive director of the Association for a Better Long Island. “Creating an efficient and expedited 239-f process, that maintains the important oversight role already in place by the county, will certainly encourage existing companies to re-invest in our county while acting as an important incentive to other firms considering entering this lucrative market.”  

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