Atlantic City, New Jersey Building Permit Guide

Construction permits in Atlantic City come from the city’s Division of Construction, 1333 Atlantic Avenue (609-347-5660), which also inspects the work and issues certificates of occupancy and approval. Before that, the proposed use needs a Certificate of Land Use Compliance (CLUC), the local zoning permit: inside the Tourism District it comes from the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) under N.J.A.C. 19:66, and elsewhere the use is checked against Chapter 163 of the city code. Casino hotels and a few other building types need a state DCA plan release before the city can issue permits.

What requires a building permit in Atlantic City?

The Division of Construction describes its job as governing new structures and alterations of and additions to existing ones: it issues the permits for that work, inspects it and issues the certificate of occupancy or approval when it is done. What counts as permit work is set by the state Uniform Construction Code, which the city enforces. Ordinary maintenance needs no permit, and minor work needs a permit but may begin once the division has been notified; everything else, from new buildings and additions to structural alterations, demolition and new electrical, plumbing, fire protection or elevator equipment, waits for the issued permit.

What the city decides and what the state holds

Atlantic City runs its own enforcing agency for every subcode, including elevators. Land use is split: since the Tourism District Act of 2011, CRDA regulates land use within the Tourism District, which covers the Marina District, Ducktown, Chelsea, South Inlet, Bader Field and Gardner’s Basin plus 10 roadways leading into it. Outside the district, the city’s Planning and Development department enforces the land use ordinances with its Planning Board, Zoning Board and Historic Preservation Commission. The state also keeps plan review for certain buildings, listed below.

Atlantic City building department: who handles permitting

The Division of Construction is the local enforcing agency. DCA’s roster of local construction offices (as of September 2, 2026) lists city staff as construction official and in the building, electrical, elevator, fire protection and plumbing posts, so no subcode is handled by DCA or a private agency here.

The Planning and Development department’s page carries a notice about fraudulent invoices, and CRDA’s CLUC fee is paid only by check or money order made out to CRDA, never in cash.

Atlantic City permit types

Construction applications use the state UCC jacket and the technical section for each subcode, from DCA’s forms page. The Division of Construction has also prepared a plan review application guide that walks through the submittal process, defines the types of construction project, and includes checklists for complete and partial plan filings and worksheets for calculating fees; ask the division for the current copy, as it is described on the city’s page but not posted there.

Residential permits

• Houses and condominium units. A CLUC certifies that the use is permitted. When a single-family home or condo unit in the Tourism District is sold, the buyer applies for the CLUC with the seller as owner, using original or DocuSign signatures and any earlier approvals.
• Condominium transfers. CRDA posts blanket CLUCs for large multifamily and condominium buildings, which buyers, sellers and lenders can use for a property transfer instead of a new application.
• Rentals. The city’s Code Enforcement Division enforces the property maintenance code in rental housing and pursues overcrowding and illegal conversions of units.

Building or remodeling a home here? Alliance handles residential permit filing, so the crew isn't waiting on the counter.

Commercial permits

A commercial or multi-unit CLUC in the Tourism District needs the signed lease, sign plans under N.J.A.C. 19:66-5.7 (window signs may cover up to 25% of the glass, or 33% with accessory signs), a survey by a licensed land surveyor, a floor plan by a licensed architect, a site plan where needed, and a description of the old and new use, including square footage, units, parking and seats. The CLUC covers only the use: a restaurant still needs Health Department approval, a bar needs a state liquor license, and the city will not issue a mercantile license without sign information. When an existing retail food business changes owners, the city’s Mercantile Division does an in-depth pre-operational inspection of the premises.

For tenant improvements and new commercial builds, Alliance handles commercial permit expediting through issuance. More on this: commercial building permits explained.

What comes before the construction permit

• CLUC. In the Tourism District, CRDA’s land use administrator issues or denies a CLUC within 10 business days under N.J.A.C. 19:66-3.2. Outside it, the use must comply with Chapter 163 of the city code.
• Site plans, subdivisions and variances. In the district, CRDA takes site plan, subdivision, variance, administrative and miscellaneous applications; hearings are held at 10:00 a.m. in CRDA’s board room, 15 South Pennsylvania Avenue, on the posted 2026–2027 schedule. Outside the district, the city’s Planning Board and Zoning Board hear them.
• County and state permits. CRDA’s rules require any Atlantic County Planning Board and state land use permits to be obtained before, alongside or as a condition of its approval.
• Soil erosion. Sites disturbing more than 5,000 square feet need certification from the DelAtlantic Soil Conservation District (Mays Landing, 609-625-3144).
• Streets and Boardwalk. Work in the public right-of-way or on Boardwalk areas is permitted through the City Engineer’s Office.

Atlantic City permit costs and fees

The city’s construction fees are set by city ordinance, and the Division of Construction’s plan review application guide includes worksheets for calculating them; the schedule itself is not posted on the city’s web pages, so call 609-347-5660 for the fee on a specific job. CRDA sets its own land use fees in Resolution 15-24, posted on its forms page, and they are paid to CRDA by check or money order only.

The live state guide gives the surcharge as $0.00371 per cubic foot of new buildings and additions and $1.90 per $1,000 of value for other construction, with demolition, asbestos and lead abatement, and low- and moderate-income housing exempt.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical, plumbing, fire protection and elevator work are separate technical sections of the construction permit, each reviewed and inspected by the city’s own subcode official; Atlantic City is one of the places where the elevator subcode is local rather than DCA’s.

• Electrical: the electrical technical section; electrical contractors hold state licenses.
• Plumbing and gas: filed on the plumbing section; master plumbers hold state licenses.
• Fire protection: sprinkler, standpipe and alarm work on the fire protection section; the fire department separately runs community programs such as free smoke and carbon monoxide detectors for residents.
• Elevators and lifts: the city’s elevator subcode official reviews and inspects devices.
• Heating and cooling: equipment goes on the technical sections it touches; HVACR contractors hold state licenses.

New Jersey has no general contractor license. Home improvement contractors register with the Division of Consumer Affairs, new-home builders register with DCA, and the registration number goes on the permit application; an owner working on their own home is exempt from registration.

How to apply for an Atlantic City building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

For a complete application, state rules give the construction official 20 business days to approve or deny it. Projects on the state list cannot be permitted locally until DCA issues a partial or complete release; once it does, the city issues the permits and inspects. A missing CLUC, a CRDA hearing not yet held or an incomplete plan filing under the division’s checklist will also hold a file back.

Inspections and certificates in Atlantic City

The Division of Construction inspects all permitted work, including projects whose plans were released by DCA. State rules ask the person in charge of the work to notify the division in writing at least 24 hours before an inspection is wanted, and work must stay uncovered until it is approved. Call 609-347-5660 for the division’s request procedure.

• Certificates. The division issues a certificate of occupancy for new buildings and a certificate of approval for completed alterations, which shows the work was finished in compliance.
• Land use follow-up. CRDA’s land use staff inspect approved work in the Tourism District and coordinate with city building and code enforcement officials.
• Food businesses. A change of ownership of a retail food establishment triggers the Mercantile Division’s pre-operational inspection, and the Health and Human Services department handles environmental health.
• Rental housing. Code Enforcement checks habitability and occupancy limits under the property maintenance code.

New Jersey building code in Atlantic City

Atlantic City enforces the statewide UCC through its own Division of Construction in every subcode. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Atlantic City (community 345278) as a participating National Flood Insurance Program community with flood maps dated February 1, 1985, and the city is in the Community Rating System at class 6, giving eligible policies a 20% discount.

New Jersey has one Uniform Construction Code for every municipality; the town supplies the enforcing agency, the fee ordinance and the zoning approvals. New Jersey rules

Atlantic City permit search and official resources

The City Clerk is the custodian of the city’s records and handles Open Public Records Act requests, so copies of permits, certificates and board decisions can be requested through the Clerk’s Office at City Hall. CRDA posts the land use applications it has received and its hearing agendas on its own site.

• Atlantic City Division of Construction
• Planning and Development department
• City Engineer’s Office: right-of-way and Boardwalk permits
• Code Enforcement Division
• Mercantile Division
• City Clerk and OPRA requests
• CRDA: Tourism District
• CRDA land use regulations, N.J.A.C. 19:66, and 2026 zoning map
• CRDA land use applications, checklists and fee schedule
• CRDA CLUC (zoning permit) instructions
• CRDA land use hearing schedule and agendas
• CRDA blanket CLUCs for condominium transfers
• DCA construction permit forms
• DCA roster of local construction offices
• FEMA Community Status Book, New Jersey

Atlantic City building permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Atlantic City?

The city’s Division of Construction at 1333 Atlantic Avenue, which also inspects the work and issues certificates of occupancy and approval.

What is a CLUC?

A Certificate of Land Use Compliance, Atlantic City’s zoning permit. It certifies that the proposed use is permitted under CRDA’s rules in the Tourism District or Chapter 163 of the city code elsewhere.

How long does CRDA take on a CLUC?

Under N.J.A.C. 19:66-3.2, a CLUC is issued or denied within 10 business days.

Do I need a CLUC when buying a home in the Tourism District?

For a sale, the buyer applies as the applicant with the seller as owner; large condominium buildings may have a blanket CLUC posted by CRDA.

Which projects need state review?

Casino hotels, power stations and substations, incinerators and solid waste plants, public mausoleums and some premanufactured systems need a DCA release before the city issues permits.

Who permits work on the Boardwalk or in a street?

The City Engineer’s Office manages permits for construction in the public right-of-way and Boardwalk areas.

Who inspects elevators in Atlantic City?

The city’s own elevator subcode official, according to DCA’s roster, not DCA.

Simplify Atlantic City permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in New Jersey. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Atlantic City permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.