Shelter Rock and a hilly village.
Wikipedia says glaciers left Shelter Rock here about 11,000 years ago, the Matinecock had a village in the area, and the village incorporated in 1929, taking its name from its northern location and very hilly terrain. A master plan finally approved in 1980 rezoned big estates for condominiums, cluster homes and offices, and much of the housing today is private, gated-community style. It covers 2.8 square miles, all land.
The Census Bureau's latest five-year survey counts about 2,600 homes, with a median year built of 1986. 1% went up in the 1950s, 6% before 1940, and 71% after 1980. 23% are single-family detached houses, 13% are in buildings of five or more units, and 86% are owner-occupied.
So a typical house here has drain and water lines around 40 years old unless they've been replaced. Slow drains in several fixtures, a gurgling floor drain or rusty water from one tap are signs to have the main line and supply piping checked.
Gas piping.
The ACS shows 44% of homes heat with utility gas, 48% with electricity and only 7% with fuel oil. New gas ranges, dryers and water heaters need properly sized gas piping, and a leak test after any change; we do the gas line work.
Mostly sewered.
Nassau County's health department lists North Hills' sewers under the Nassau County Department of Public Works (516-571-6841). Wikipedia adds that the majority of the village is sewered and the rest, mainly the panhandle toward Manhasset, relies on cesspools and septic systems. A backup that stops at your house is usually in your own line to the street; we clear it and repair or replace the line. If neighbors are backed up too, call the county at 516-571-6841. If you're outside the district, the line runs to a cesspool or septic tank: we clear the line from the house, but a full or failing cesspool is a job for a cesspool or septic contractor, since we don't do cesspool work.
Little mapped flood risk.
FEMA's current flood map puts none of North Hills in the high-risk flood zone. A backwater (sewer check) valve is still worth considering for a finished basement on a sewered street: it closes if the street sewer backs up. We install them.
Condos, gated communities and electric heat.
The Census counts 48% of North Hills' homes heated by electricity, only 23% as single-family detached houses (64% are attached), and a median build year of 1986. In an association community, the shared lines outside your unit usually belong to the association, so check with management before digging or opening shared walls.
Water: Manhasset-Lakeville Water District.
EPA's service-area map puts about 80% of residents on the Manhasset-Lakeville Water District, with about 9% on the Garden City Park Water District, about 7% on the Roslyn Water District, about 4% on the Albertson Water District; your bill is the final word. The main supplier's most recent 90th-percentile lead result was 1.6 ppb, under the 15 ppb action level; lead usually comes from a home's own pipes and fixtures, so results vary house to house. In EPA's UCMR 5 testing, the main supplier's highest single PFOA/PFOS result was 5.3 parts per trillion. EPA's 4 ppt limits apply as a running annual average starting in 2029, so one high sample is not a violation, but it's the kind of number a carbon filter is sized against. For a leak at the curb or in the street, call your water supplier. For anything on your side of the meter, call us.
Permits.
North Hills is an incorporated village, so plumbing permits go through the Village of North Hills' building department, not the town.
