East Brunswick Township, New Jersey Building Permit Guide

In East Brunswick Township, construction permits come from the Construction Inspection Division on the second floor of the Public Works Building, 4 Harts Lane (732-390-6875), headed by Construction Official Steven R. Curtis. Fences, sheds, pools, additions and new paving first need a $50 zoning permit from the Department of Planning and Engineering. Under the township’s fee schedule of June 27, 2024, renovations cost $30 per $1,000 of construction cost, and a non-refundable processing fee is paid when the application is filed. The township does not require a certificate of occupancy to sell or rent a home.

What requires a building permit in East Brunswick?

The township quotes the state rule on its own UCC page: constructing, enlarging, altering or demolishing a structure, changing its occupancy or use group, or installing regulated equipment requires an application to the Construction Official and a permit first. Ordinary maintenance needs none, and minor work needs a permit but may start after notice to the division. The division’s FAQ puts it in homeowner terms: most home projects take a “combination permit” covering several trades, moving or adding an outlet needs a permit, demolishing or relocating a building needs one, while wallpapering, painting and like-for-like swaps of faucets or switches normally do not.

What East Brunswick decides and what the state holds

The state sets the technical code; East Brunswick sets its construction fees, its zoning rules on area, yards and impervious coverage, its tree removal ordinance and its short-term rental permit. Its own standard specifications for routine decks and retaining walls can stand in for drawn plans when attached to a survey, and the division hands out guides for additions, alterations, hot tubs, woodburning stoves and the line between mechanical and plumbing permits.

East Brunswick building department: who handles permitting

The Construction Inspection Division administers and enforces the UCC for new construction, alteration, maintenance, occupancy, rehabilitation, renovation and use of buildings. Steven R. Curtis is the Construction Official. DCA’s roster (as of September 2, 2026) lists township officials in the building, electrical, fire protection and plumbing posts and a private on-site inspection agency, Municipal Inspection Corp, as the elevator subcode official, so elevator work in East Brunswick is reviewed by that agency rather than by DCA. Zoning permits and land use applications are handled by the Department of Planning and Engineering in the same building.

If you are unsure whether a job needs a permit, the township asks you to call 732-390-6875 and be forwarded to the right subcode official.

East Brunswick permit types

Applications use the state permit jacket with the building, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, mechanical and elevator subcode forms, all posted on the division’s page, along with the chimney verification form and the application for a variation.

Residential permits

• Plans: a New Jersey licensed architect is recommended for major projects, and girders, columns and other structural elements must be drawn by one. For minor projects such as decks and small additions, an owner who owns and occupies the single-family house may draw the plans, and the township’s standard deck and retaining wall specifications plus a marked-up survey can serve as the plans. In-ground pools and grading plans need a New Jersey licensed engineer.
• Additions: over 150 square feet, a $50 zoning permit is filed with Planning and Engineering in addition to the subcode permits; the building fee is $0.05 per cubic foot with a $200 minimum.
• Pools: the $50 zoning pool permit asks for lot coverage, any stormwater attenuation and a tree permit first if trees come down; the building fee is $30 per $1,000 with a $150 minimum above ground and $300 in ground, and electrical work for pools and spas is $95, bonding $125.
• Fences: the zoning permit needs a survey, an easement release if the fence crosses an easement, a neighbor’s letter if it joins their fence or sits on the line, and a homeowners association letter where one exists; the good side faces out.
• Short-term rentals: the zoning page posts a short-term rental permit with its own affidavits.
• Rental and vacant property: the Housing Office posts the township’s rent control ordinance (Chapter 169) and a truth-in-renting guide, and Code Enforcement keeps a registration form for vacant and abandoned properties and an online property complaint tracking system.

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

Commercial permits

Other use groups pay higher processing fees ($350 for an alteration, $550 for an addition, $1,500 for a new building) and a certificate of continued occupancy costs $200, with a $75 application fee. Spec buildings and malls pay $100 for each tenant’s certificate of occupancy, and the division posts a commercial backflow certificate for annual testing ($100 per test and inspection). Code Enforcement issues temporary sign permits and sidewalk or parking lot sale permits. Site plans and subdivisions use the Planning and Zoning application with the township’s site plan and subdivision checklists.

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

What comes before the construction permit

• Zoning permit from Planning and Engineering for fences, sheds, pools, additions, new paving, new houses and signs.
• Board approval for bulk or use variances, site plans and subdivisions, using the township’s checklists and 200-foot notice forms.
• Engineering permits for right-of-way work and road openings, with standard construction details.
• County and soil: Middlesex County planning review on county roads, county septic approval and Freehold Soil Conservation District plans for more than 5,000 square feet of disturbance, as our Middlesex County guide explains.

East Brunswick permit costs and fees

The fee schedule linked from the Construction Inspection page is headed “East Brunswick Township As of June 27, 2024.” Its figures are higher than the older examples still quoted in the division’s FAQ ($0.04 per cubic foot, $25 per $1,000, $50 fences), so budget from the schedule. A copy of the contractor’s contract is needed to set cost-based fees, and the state training surcharge is added.

Worked example from the schedule: a $40,000 renovation of a single-family house carries a building fee of 40 × $30, or $1,200, and the $75 processing fee is paid when the application is submitted; trade fees are added by fixture and device. Zoning permits from Planning and Engineering cost $50 each.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and fire work are separate technical sections of the same application, each reviewed by the township subcode official for that trade, and the division posts a handout on when a job needs a mechanical permit rather than a plumbing one. Minimum fees are $75 for electrical and $65 for plumbing; replacing a house air conditioner is $45 on the electrical side, and residential heating units and electric water heaters $35.

• Licenses: electrical contractors, master plumbers and HVACR contractors hold state licenses.
• Registration: there is no state general-contractor license; home improvement contractors register with the Division of Consumer Affairs and new-home builders with DCA.
• Owners: owners working on their own home are exempt from registration, and the township’s FAQ invites anyone unsure whether to hire a contractor to call 732-390-6875.

How to apply for an East Brunswick building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The FAQ says issuance time depends on the project’s complexity; under N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.16 a complete application must be acted on within 20 business days. Revised or updated plans cost $65 each time, so complete drawings save money. Once approved, the work must match the plans, and changes need the Construction Office’s written approval. A permit becomes void if work does not start within one year of issuance or stops for six months, and reinstating a lapsed permit costs 20% of its original fee.

Inspections and certificates in East Brunswick

The property owner is responsible for making sure inspections happen at the right points; a contractor may call for them, but the township asks owners to check that the calls are made. An addition, for example, is inspected before footings or foundations are placed and again at framing, with the electrical, plumbing and fire installations inspected by their subcode officials. The inspection checklist for each job is given out when the permit is issued, and the project is not complete for legal purposes until it passes the final inspection. Certificates of occupancy cost 10% of the permit fee with a $100 minimum; temporary certificates start at $30.

Zoning inspections. After a fence, shed or new impervious area is installed, call the Planning Department at 732-390-6870; its inspection is only a brief visual check, and building to the approved plan and the ordinance stays the owner’s responsibility.

Selling or renting. The township’s FAQ is direct: a certificate of occupancy is not required in East Brunswick to sell or rent a home. That does not cover the state fire code’s certificate of smoke alarm and carbon monoxide alarm compliance (N.J.A.C. 5:70-2.3) needed before a one- or two-family home is sold or leased; fire service in the township is provided through three fire districts, so ask the township which fire official issues it for the property.

New Jersey building code in East Brunswick

East Brunswick enforces the Uniform Construction Code through its own Construction Inspection Division, with a private agency holding the elevator subcode. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists East Brunswick Township (community 340260) as a participating National Flood Insurance Program community with flood maps effective July 6, 2010. For site work, the Division of Engineering posts the township’s water distribution system regulation and its standard construction details.

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

East Brunswick permit search and official resources

Permit records, plans and certificates are requested through the township’s online OPRA request center, linked as “OPRA Requests” on every township page. The township code, including the tree removal ordinance, is published on eCode360.

• Construction Inspection Division
• Construction Inspection FAQ
• Construction fee schedule (as of June 27, 2024)
• State Uniform Construction Code page
• Zoning permits, forms and checklists
• Fence zoning permit
• Shed zoning permit
• Addition to single-family dwelling zoning permit
• Impervious surface zoning permit
• Pool permit
• Division of Engineering (road opening and right-of-way)
• Code Enforcement forms
• Housing Office
• Fire Department and fire districts
• DCA construction permit forms
• DCA roster of local construction offices
• FEMA Community Status Book, New Jersey

East Brunswick building permit FAQs

How much is a building permit in East Brunswick?

Renovations are $30 per $1,000 ($75 minimum) and new construction $0.05 per cubic foot ($200 minimum), plus a non-refundable processing fee from $75 for a house.

Do I need a certificate of occupancy to sell my house?

No. The township’s FAQ says a certificate of occupancy is not required in East Brunswick for a sale or rental.

Do I need a permit for a fence or shed?

Yes. A fence not enclosing an in-ground pool and a shed of 200 square feet or less each need a $50 zoning permit; pool fences and fences over 6 feet also need a $75 construction permit.

Can I draw my own plans?

For minor projects like decks and small additions, yes, if you own and live in the single-family house; major work calls for an architect.

How long is a permit valid?

It is void if work does not start within one year or stops for six months; reinstatement costs 20% of the permit fee.

Who inspects elevators in East Brunswick?

DCA’s roster lists Municipal Inspection Corp, a private inspection agency, as the township’s elevator subcode official.

Simplify East Brunswick Township 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 East Brunswick Township permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.