Rules & licenses · Home checks

The New York home checks that are easier before closing.

This is not meant to scare you away from a good house. It is meant to keep a good house good. New York has old housing, wet ground, lakefront, oceanfront, rural wells, city pipes, and mountain lots. A little due diligence goes a long way.

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Flood and shoreline

Check FEMA maps, local floodplain rules, and any coastal erosion or shoreline permit area before a waterfront or low-lying project.

Freshwater or tidal wetlands

A wet backyard, mapped wetland, stream, marsh, or adjacent area can affect what you can fill, clear, build, or drain. A map is a screening tool, not proof that no regulated wetland is present.

Private well

A clean-looking tap is not a water test. Ask for recent lab results or test before relying on the well.

Septic

A septic system is local-health-department territory. Age, capacity, setbacks, and soil matter.

Radon

Radon is invisible and testable. A low-cost test is normal due diligence, not a panic button.

Lead paint

Pre-1978 housing deserves a lead-paint question, especially with kids, renovations, or peeling paint.

Using this list

Start with the property, not the fear. A Long Island coastal home, a Catskills creekside house, a Finger Lakes cottage, a North Country cabin, and a 1920s city rowhouse each deserve different checks.

The smart move is to ask for the right document early: flood map, wetland map, well test, septic record, radon result, lead disclosure, permit history, or local code answer. None of those documents has to ruin the deal. They just help you price and plan it honestly.

Freshwater wetlands after April 8, 2026

DEC's May and July 2026 guidance reflects an Albany County Supreme Court decision issued April 8, 2026. For now, while DEC develops new regulations, the department says its state jurisdiction outside the Adirondack Park is limited to wetlands DEC mapped before January 1, 2025, or wetlands that are at least 12.4 acres. The protected adjacent area extends 100 feet from a state-jurisdictional wetland boundary.

Do not use a blank spot on a map as proof that a parcel is clear. DEC's Environmental Resource Mapper warns that it does not show every regulated resource. When the answer matters for a purchase or project, send DEC a parcel or project jurisdictional-determination request before work begins. DEC's formal route is the answer to use for state freshwater-wetland jurisdiction.

Inside the Adirondack Park, the Adirondack Park Agency administers freshwater-wetland jurisdiction under a separate program. APA generally regulates wetlands of at least one acre and smaller wetlands with free surface flow to open water. Use the APA Jurisdictional Inquiry Form instead of treating the DEC map or the statewide 12.4-acre threshold as the answer.

Who to call

For water and septic, start with the county or local health department. For wetlands outside the Adirondack Park, start with DEC's jurisdictional-determination route; inside the Park, start with APA. FEMA maps and the local building office cover different floodplain and local-permit questions. For radon and lead, use state health guidance and a qualified inspector or tester.

Official sources

Reviewed July 2026, including DEC's post-April 8 freshwater-wetlands guidance. Environmental, flood, well, septic, radon, lead, and permit details are property-specific; confirm with the responsible agency, local office, or qualified inspector.

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