Do I need a permit for a party at my Hamptons house?

Start with the map

The Hamptons is two towns, several incorporated villages and a set of Trustees who own the beaches, and each has its own idea of what a party is. A wedding at a house in Wainscott, a mile from one in Sagaponack, is permitted by a different government under a different chapter. Where our only source is a summary of the code, we say so; the first call is always the clerk.

Town of East Hampton (Montauk, Amagansett, Wainscott, Springs, Northwest Woods)

A special-event permit is required at a private residence for 50 or more attendees, for amplified outdoor music after 9 p.m., or for a tent of 700 square feet or more (Chapter 151). Lead times are tiered by headcount: 21 days up to 75 people, 30 days to 150, 48 days to 250, 60 days beyond. The application wants a parking, valet or security plan, in writing and drawing if the cars are going on the road, and a special-event policy of $2 million per occurrence or $1 million liability plus a $1 million umbrella, with the Town as additional insured. Late fees run $100 to $5,000. Tents standing under two weeks are approved by the Fire Marshal, for a $100 permit fee; longer than two weeks needs a building permit and site plan. The noise code allows 65 dBA by day and 50 dBA from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. at a residence, as summarised.

Village of East Hampton

Inside the village, any catered event needs a Village special-event permit (Chapter 139), recommended 21 days out, with a $250 rush fee for anything filed later. A caterer working on Village public property holds an annual Village catering licence. The Village's beaches (Main, Georgica, Wiborg, Egypt, Two Mile Hollow) need both the Village application and the Trustees' permit, and beach fires and vehicles are banned from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. between May 15 and September 15.

Town of Southampton (Bridgehampton, Water Mill, North Sea) and its villages

The Town's special-events chapter (283) defines a special event as one open to the public or advertised in advance, so a private party at a private house generally sits outside it; but, as the code is summarised, any event expecting more than 50 people owes the Fire Marshal written notice 48 hours ahead, and the Fire Prevention Office in Hampton Bays issues the tent permit (form CP-373) that any tent over 200 square feet needs. Tents may not block a driveway or emergency access. A permitted event carries a liability policy naming the Town, with liquor liability if alcohol is served. Inside the Village of Southampton, a tent or shelter at a special event on the ocean beach needs the Village Fire Marshal's permit; we found no published headcount threshold for a private house in the Village or in Sag Harbor, so those are clerk's-office calls.

Village of Sagaponack

Sagaponack's assembly code (Chapter 150), as summarised, requires a permit for any gathering at private property and allows at most one per calendar year at a residential property, with a $250 fine per violation; the special-events chapter (184) lets the Village attach conditions. Confirm the current reading with the Village Clerk before the date is set.

The beaches

Trustee beaches in the Town of East Hampton need a permit for a gathering of 50 or more, for any catered event, or for any structure on the sand, including a chuppah or an arch: $100 for residents and $200 otherwise on the ocean beaches, 21 days' notice, and a certificate of insurance naming the Trustees. A catered beach event is capped at 50 attendees. Town of Southampton beaches need a written permit from Parks and Recreation for any tent or structure and for any gathering running past closing; a facility-use permit is $50 for 1–25 people from 6 to 11 p.m. and is available to Town residents only, and beer and wine are allowed by a separate $100 permit, with no glass and no kegs, as summarised.

Alcohol

A private party at a private house where nobody pays for a drink needs no state permit; a party at a rented venue used for gain with 20 or more people, or any event where drinks are sold, does. A caterer's permit under New York's Alcoholic Beverage Control Law is $38 for up to 24 hours by the statute (a secondary source says $48) and only a licensed caterer can hold one; a temporary beer, wine and cider permit runs $36 all-in.

Rented houses

A rented house is a house on a registry. The Town of East Hampton's rental registry (2016) makes renting for under two weeks more than twice in six months illegal and bans share houses; the Town of Southampton's minimum stay is 14 days with fines to $30,000; the Village of Southampton adopted a 14-day minimum in September 2025; Sag Harbor's minimum is 30 days with two 14-day exceptions a year. A wedding weekend in a rented house is therefore a two-week lease, and the event permit rules above apply to it exactly as they would to an owner.

What we do

Before a caterer calls you, we say which of these applies to your address and date. The caterers we send hosts to have filed with these offices before.