Buying in Melville: the questions with sourced answers
Each answer below cites where it comes from — the Census, the office that holds the permits, the state code, or Lou’s own reports.
How old are the houses in Melville?
The Census puts the median year built for homes in zip code 11747 at 1982, and about 4% of the 7,871 housing units there were built before 1940. An older house is not a worse house, but its wiring, plumbing and roof were installed under different rules and replaced piecemeal, which is exactly what the inspection looks for. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates, tables B25035 and B25034, ZCTA 11747.
What kind of housing is Melville: single-family, two-family or apartments?
Of 7,871 housing units in zip 11747, about 59% are detached single-family houses, 3% are two-unit buildings, and 88% of occupied homes are owner-occupied. A two-family or a co-op is a different inspection from a detached house: shared systems, common areas and what the board or the other unit controls. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2019–2023 5-year, tables B25024 and B25003, ZCTA 11747.
Who holds the building permits and certificate of occupancy for a house in Melville?
Town of Huntington Building & Housing Division. Permits and COs are kept by the municipality, not the inspector; checking them is a records search, usually through your attorney. The inspection reports the condition of what is there and flags work that typically needs a permit — a finished basement, a dormer, a moved panel — so you know what to ask about. Town of Huntington Building & Housing Division.
Which building code applies in Melville?
Suffolk County homes fall under the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code (19 NYCRR), which applies everywhere in the State except New York City and is enforced locally by each town and village. Source: dos.ny.gov.
Public water and sewer, or well and cesspool, in Melville?
The Suffolk County Water Authority, a public-benefit corporation, serves approximately 1.2 million Suffolk residents, drawing all of its water from the Long Island sole-source aquifer; the rest of the county is on smaller water districts or private wells. Much of Suffolk relies on on-site cesspools and septic systems, which the county identifies as the main source of nitrogen pollution. The Suffolk County Department of Health Services Office of Wastewater Management regulates them under the Suffolk County Sanitary Code (Article 6 for design/lot-size/sewage-disposal requirements; Article 19 and the I/A OWTS standards for innovative/alternative systems), reviews permits and inspects installations, which must be done by a licensed liquid-waste installer. The inspection reports what the house actually has and its visible condition; a cesspool or septic system needs its own evaluation. Source: open.nysenate.gov.
Is Melville in a flood zone?
Flood zones follow the address, not the town. OpenFEMA holds 33,936 NFIP claim records for Suffolk County (FIPS 36103). The county's 2020 Hazard Mitigation Plan notes Suffolk has more NFIP claims than policies because repetitive-loss properties file repeatedly; the Town of Islip alone had 564 repetitive-loss properties, 5,445 policies and 5,419 claims. Look the address up on FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center before you sign. Source: www.fema.gov.
Should I test for radon in Melville?
Suffolk County is in EPA Zone 3 (low potential) — Zone 3 counties have a predicted average indoor radon screening level below 2 pCi/L; EPA still recommends testing every home. NYSDOH's county estimate (Feb 2007, 358 homes measured) is 0.5% of living areas and 6% of basements above 4 pCi/L, with Huntington (11%) and Smithtown (9%) basements the highest. Radon is a separate, optional test arranged alongside the inspection. Source: www.epa.gov.
Is there a local rule in Suffolk County a buyer should know about?
A 2017 amendment to Article 6 of the Suffolk County Sanitary Code eliminated in-kind cesspool replacements: a failed cesspool cannot simply be replaced with another cesspool; replacement septic and cesspool work goes through the Health Department (SHIP application) and must be inspected before use. Source: suffolkcountyny.gov.
Anything else specific to Suffolk County?
Suffolk County adopted revised Standards for the management and approval of Innovative/Alternative Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems (I/A OWTS) under Article 19 of the Sanitary Code, defining how I/A systems must be designed and built as the county transitions away from conventional cesspools and septic systems. Source: www.suffolkcountyny.gov.
What did Lou’s Melville inspections actually turn up?
Across his reports in Melville, the summaries listed 58 repair-or-replace items, most of them under the roof, chimney and attic, the electrical system and heating and cooling equipment. Every one is in the written report with a photograph; see what a report looks like.
How much does a home inspection in Melville cost, and how fast is the report?
Lou quotes the actual property, not a flat rate — what drives the price is size, age and what is included. The written report arrives the same day as a rule; a large or complex house can run to the next morning. Call or text 516-330-3870.
