City of Rensselaer
Rensselaer County, New York
Last verified September 17, 2026
City of Rensselaer is a jurisdiction in Rensselaer County, New York, which does not currently list an online permit database — contact the department directly by phone or email. Use the contact information below to reach the local building department, or the mailing address if the jurisdiction needs to be listed as a certificate holder on a contractor's insurance documentation.
Contact
Permit Search
No online permit database on file — contact the department directly by phone or email.
Certificate Holder Mailing Address
Bill DiCicco, Building and Zoning Department AdministratorCity of Rensselaer Building Department
62 Washington Street
Rensselaer, NY 12144
Use this address when the jurisdiction needs to be listed as a certificate holder on a contractor's insurance documentation.
Additional Notes
Confirmed to be the City of Rensselaer (distinct from Rensselaer County itself, and from the Town of Rensselaerville elsewhere in the county). Staff: Bill DiCicco (Building and Zoning Department Administrator; also MS4 Compliance Officer), David Ellis (Code Enforcement Officer), Karen Ryan (Senior Clerk). Direct staff emails exist on the site but could not be reliably extracted (obfuscated) -- call to confirm.
What You Need Before Applying for a Permit
Most building departments ask for the same core package before they'll issue a permit: a completed application naming the property owner and contractor, the contractor's state license number and proof of insurance (general liability, and workers' comp if employees are on the job), a notice of commencement or equivalent recorded filing for larger jobs where the state requires one, and scaled plans or a site plan for anything beyond minor repairs. Roofing, fence, pool, and solar permits typically have their own simplified checklists — City of Rensselaer's department (above) can confirm exactly what applies to your project.
Why this matters for insurance: permit history is one of the first things an underwriter or adjuster checks. Unpermitted work — a finished basement, an added bedroom, a rebuilt roof — can complicate a claim or even void coverage for that portion of the loss, and it routinely surfaces during a home inspection. Pulling the right permit up front, and keeping the closed-permit record on file, protects both the property's value and its insurability at resale.
More in Rensselaer County
See Rensselaer County property and court records →
Other building permit jurisdictions in Rensselaer County: