Long Island

Fire Island, New York

Fire Island is a Census-designated community in Suffolk County, part of New York's Long Island region, with about 777 residents at the 2020 census. Its Census boundary is used for statistics; it is not an incorporated village or a municipal government.

Type: Census place (CDP)
County: Suffolk
Region: Long Island
Population (2020): 777

How Fire Island works

The community name is real. The local government is somewhere else.

Usually, the street address chooses among the towns of Brookhaven, Islip, and Babylon. Fire Island crosses municipal lines, and a Census-designated place is a statistical community, not a separate city, town, or village government.

The Census boundary does not create a town hall

Fire Island is mapped so the Census Bureau can publish useful local statistics. The government crosswalk shows that it crosses the towns of Brookhaven, Islip, and Babylon. Use the exact address to choose the right municipality and county.

Town of Brookhaven page Town of Islip page Town of Babylon page Census explanation of CDPs

Permits and local records follow the governing municipality

Building, zoning, local code, assessment, and tax-payment work follows the city or town that serves the parcel. The post office name or CDP name does not prove which counter owns the form.

Brookhaven building and zoning Islip building and zoning Babylon building and zoning Brookhaven assessment Islip assessment

The school district is a separate map

The current state tax-rate data connects Fire Island with 38 school districts, including Riverhead, Shoreham-Wading River, Bayport-Blue Point, and 35 more. District boundaries can cross municipal lines, so the exact address decides enrollment and the school-tax part of the bill.

NYSED school and district profiles New York school-enrollment guide

Mail, fire, school, county, and municipal lines can differ

A mailing name helps locate the community, but the school district, fire or special district, county, and governing municipality each use their own boundary. The county clerk keeps the recorded deed for the parcel's county.

Suffolk County land records Find the county page

Ordinary example

A resident sees Fire Island on the mailing address

They do not look for a Fire Island village office. They use the street address to choose among the towns of Brookhaven, Islip, and Babylon, then use the responsible municipality for building or assessment work, the county clerk for the deed, and the school district for enrollment.

Property tax snapshot

Parent-government planning range: $5.3–$24.3 per $1,000

The FY2025 state rows for Brookhaven town / Islip town / Babylon town combine county + parent town/city + school district on a full-value basis. On a $300,000 home, that base is about $1,583–$7,277 a year before STAR, exemptions, and special-district charges.

This Census place has no municipal government of its own. The exact address decides which parent government and school-district rows apply. Treat this as a route to the right records, not a bill estimate for a specific parcel.

Local government

Fire Island crosses Brookhaven, Islip, and Babylon.

A census-designated place is a named community for Census purposes, not a separate incorporated municipal government. The city or town layer is the practical local-government starting point.

City or town relationship

Brookhaven town Islip town Babylon town

The Census relationship is geographic. It tells you which city or town overlaps this place; the official municipal pages still control the current division of services.

Fire Island is a Census place that crosses more than one municipality. Match the street address to its city or town before using a form, fee, deadline, or tax office.

Assessment, exemptions, and grievance

Assessment guide

This is the office that owns the assessed-value record and local exemption file.

Town of Brookhaven Assessor Brookhaven town

Town of Islip Assessor Islip town

Town of Babylon Assessor Babylon town

Clerk, licenses, and municipal records

Marriage guide

Use the clerk for the records and licenses this government actually keeps. A village clerk does not automatically own the town's marriage-license work.

Brookhaven Town Clerk Brookhaven town

Islip Town Clerk Islip town

Babylon Town Clerk Babylon town

Building, zoning, and land use

Project guide

Start here for local permits, inspections, zoning, and code questions. County health, wetlands, shoreline, or park review can still add another office.

Brookhaven Building Division Brookhaven town

Islip Planning and Development Islip town

Babylon Building Department Babylon town

Property-tax bills and payments

Match the office to the bill in hand. Village, town or city, county, and school taxes do not always use the same collector.

Brookhaven Receiver of Taxes Brookhaven town

Islip Receiver of Taxes Islip town

Babylon Receiver of Taxes Babylon town

The listed official office routes were individually reviewed, most recently on July 13, 2026. Confirm current forms, fees, hours, and deadlines with the office before acting.

County records and estate court

Suffolk County Clerk Estate path

Deeds and mortgages usually route through the county clerk outside NYC. Probate and administration route through the county Surrogate's Court.

Municipal relationships: U.S. Census Bureau 2020 New York Block Assignment Files. Census source. Confirm current responsibilities on the official village, city, town, and county pages before acting.

Official starting points