Town of Amherst

Erie County, New York

Last verified September 17, 2026

Town of Amherst is a jurisdiction in Erie County, New York, with an online portal for searching and pulling active or historical building permits. 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: (716) 631-7080
Department Site: Building Department, Town of Amherst (opens in a new tab)

Source: amherst.ny.us (opens in a new tab)

Permit Search

Amherst Permits, Inspections & Inquiries (IPS by Business Automation Services) (opens in a new tab)

Certificate Holder Mailing Address

Mark Berke - Commissioner of Buildings
Municipal Building (Town Hall), 5583 Main Street
Williamsville, NY 14221

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

Additional Notes

No single published direct email address for the Building Department was found; general town info email is toainfo@amherst.ny.us. Mark Berke holds the title Commissioner of Buildings per the town's ADA-coordinator listing (this is a large town department with many staff beyond a single named contact).

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 Amherst'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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