Long Island
Brightwaters, New York
Brightwaters is a village in Suffolk County, in New York's Long Island region, home to about 3,200 people as of the 2020 census.
Whether you're moving in or you've been here for years, the checks that matter most are the school district, the assessment and STAR, and — outside the cities — the well, the septic, and the flood map.
- Type
- Village
- County
- Suffolk
- Region
- Long Island
- Population (2020)
- 3,181
Local Almanac
Notes in and around Brightwaters
Short, sourced notes tied to this place, its county, or nearby communities.
Nearby · History & Culture
Islip's Bay Story Runs Inland
Islip's identity includes Secatogue villages, William Nicoll's 1683 purchase, Blue Point oysters, bay life, and estate history.
Read this note ->Nearby · History & Culture
Islip's Historic Trail Links Estates, Airfields, and Bay Villages
Islip's Historic Trail ties the town's identity to South Shore estates, airfields, maritime museums, and older hamlet landmarks.
Read this note ->Nearby · The Outdoors
Bayard Cutting Arboretum gives Great River an estate landscape
Bayard Cutting Arboretum ties Suffolk to a river estate, public gardens, and the quieter South Shore landscape around Great River.
Read this note ->Nearby · The Outdoors
Connetquot River State Park keeps the old sportsmen-club landscape readable
Connetquot River State Park Preserve explains part of Islip through river ecology, preserved grounds, and Long Island sporting-club history.
Read this note ->Nearby · The Outdoors
Heckscher State Park gives Islip a bayfront commons
Heckscher State Park gives Islip Great South Bay access, fields, woods, and state-park scale.
Read this note ->Nearby · Home & Property
Islip Building Records Matter Before You Renovate
Islip's Building Division explains electronic filing, permit intake, inspections, FOIL, and records close-out for permits and certificates.
Read this note ->Nearby · Rules & Licenses
Islip Rentals Need the Town Permit Route
In Suffolk's Town of Islip, a rental should be checked against the town rental occupancy permit process before signing.
Read this note ->Nearby · History & Culture
Long Island Maritime Museum keeps West Sayville close to the bay
Long Island Maritime Museum gives West Sayville and Islip small-craft memory, bay work, boatbuilding, and South Shore maritime interpretation.
Read this note ->Nearby · History & Culture
Babylon Village Keeps Its Origin Story at Conklin House
Babylon Village's bay, tavern, railroad, and Conklin House story make the name feel attached to a real corner.
Read this note ->Property tax snapshot
About $3–$27 per $1,000 in Suffolk County
Combined full-value rate — county + town/city + school district, per $1,000 of market value (FY2025). On a $300,000 home that's about $800–$8,201 a year before the STAR break. A village is assessed within its town; expect the town's rate plus a separate village tax.
A planning estimate, not a bill. Your exact rate depends on your school district and any village. Confirm with the assessor.
Statewide links
Statewide starting points.
Good to know
- • Your assessed value usually isn't your market value — ask for the equalization rate.
- • Register for STAR; new applicants generally receive a credit instead of an automatic exemption on the bill.
- • Outside the cities, check the well, the septic, and the FEMA flood map before you buy.
Nearby
Nearby places
Tax rates: NYS Dept of Taxation & Finance (ORPTS), Real Property Tax Rates and Levy Data by Municipality, data.ny.gov dataset iq85-sdzs. (FY2025). Population: U.S. Census 2020. Reviewed June 2026. Source data ->
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