Town of Ghent

Columbia County, New York

Last verified September 17, 2026

Town of Ghent is a jurisdiction in Columbia 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

Phone: 518-392-4644 (office) / 518-925-3927 (cell)
Email: ckeefe@townofghent.gov
Department Site: Building & Zoning Department (opens in a new tab)

Source: townofghent.org (opens in a new tab)

Permit Search

No online permit database on file — contact the department directly by phone or email.

Certificate Holder Mailing Address

Christopher Keefe, Building Inspector / Zoning Enforcement Officer
Town of Ghent
2306 State Route 66
Ghent, NY 12075

Use this address when the jurisdiction needs to be listed as a certificate holder on a contractor's insurance documentation.

Additional Notes

Building Inspector / Zoning Enforcement Officer is Christopher Keefe; office hours limited to Tuesdays & Thursdays 9:00-11:00am (email anytime). The town's Building & Zoning Permits page references applying 'online using the link above' and an 'online permit portal', but the specific portal name/URL could not be confirmed during research, so it is left null rather than guessed. Paper applications can be mailed to PO Box 98, Ghent, NY 12075 or dropped at Town Hall, 2306 State Route 66, Ghent, NY 12075.

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 — Town of Ghent'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.

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