East Hanover Township, New Jersey Building Permit Guide

In East Hanover Township, a separate municipality from Hanover Township, construction permits come from the Construction Department at 411 Ridgedale Avenue (973-887-5642, per the state roster), where Thomas Pershouse is the Construction Official and Building Inspector. Two township approvals come first: a zoning permit for any change to a property and for every building subcode permit, and a lot grading permit, at $250 plus a $500 escrow, whenever earthwork is involved, even digging out more than two cubic yards of soil. Construction work is limited to 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends and holidays.

What requires a building permit in East Hanover?

The statewide Uniform Construction Code decides which work is ordinary maintenance (no permit), which is minor work (a permit, but work may start after notice) and which needs a permit before work begins. East Hanover then layers its own approvals on top, as its Construction Department states them:

Grading plans for new impervious cover of more than 600 square feet must include a dry well under Section 130-2: roof runoff is piped to dry wells, and other impervious surfaces such as pool decks, patios and courts drain to stone trenches or yard drains that feed them. Residential additions, accessory structures and impervious areas under 600 square feet, and all driveways, are exempt. The section calls for roughly one 1,000-gallon dry well for each 600 square feet of roof or other impervious surface (or a sizing calculation based on a two-year, 24-hour storm), built of precast concrete seepage pits surrounded by at least 6 inches of clean ¾-inch crushed stone.

What East Hanover decides and what the state holds

The building, electrical, plumbing and fire standards are the state’s, and every subcode here is held by township officials rather than DCA or a private agency. East Hanover’s own rules are the Land Use and Zoning chapter (Chapter 95), including the lot grading rules added by Ordinance 24-2003 and the area schedule most recently amended by Ordinance 07-2024 on July 1, 2024, which now carries a maximum impervious surface column, the stormwater dry well rules in Chapter 130, and the construction hours enforced by summons.

East Hanover building department: who handles permitting

The Construction Department is East Hanover’s enforcing agency for the Uniform Construction Code. DCA’s roster (as of September 2, 2026) lists the Construction Official as the building and fire protection subcode official as well, with separate township officials for electrical, plumbing and elevator work. Grading permits are reviewed by the Township Engineer, who can stop work that departs from an approved plan, and grading applications are filed with the Township Office of Land Use and Development (the Land Use & Planning Department), whose forms give 973-888-6025 and 973-428-3020.

The township’s Construction Department page gives no phone number of its own, so the number above is the one on DCA’s roster; the township’s staff directory is on its website.

East Hanover permit types

A construction permit is the state UCC application (F100) with the technical sections for building, electrical, plumbing, fire protection and, for elevator work, the elevator subcode, filed with the Construction Department once zoning, and grading where needed, are approved.

Residential permits

• Additions and new houses. Zoning approval against the area schedule, a lot grading permit for the excavation, a dry well for more than 600 square feet of new impervious cover (unless the addition is exempt), and Morris County Soil Conservation District certification if disturbance exceeds 5,000 square feet.
• Retaining walls. Shown on the grading plan with top and bottom elevations and designed by a professional engineer; walls over 4 feet need an inspection and an engineer’s as-built certification.
• Pools and patios. Zoning and grading approvals; pool decks and patios drain to dry wells through stone trenches or yard drains when the new cover tops 600 square feet.
• Generators. Electrical permits; the department posts an older DCA code specialist’s advisory letter on generator load calculations.

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

Commercial permits

Business and industrial sites follow the same order. The area schedule allows 70% impervious surface in the B-1 and B-2 business zones and 85% in the I-1 and I-3 industrial zones, with special rooftop limits for mechanical equipment, including electronic data centers in the I-3 zone. Site plans and subdivisions on county roads, or adding more than an acre of impervious cover, also need Morris County Planning Board review (973-829-8120).

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

What comes before the construction permit

• Zoning permit. Required for all building subcode permits and for any change to a property.
• Lot grading permit. Application to the Office of Land Use and Development with three signed and sealed copies of a grading plan at a scale of at least 1 inch to 30 feet; $250 fee and $500 escrow.
• Soil district. Plan certification from the Morris County Soil Conservation District for more than 5,000 square feet of disturbance (30 Schuyler Place, Morristown; 973-285-2953).
• Environmental constraints. The grading plan shows the FEMA 100-year floodplain line, freshwater wetlands, and any well or septic system within 100 feet.
• Health. Septic systems are regulated by the East Hanover Health Department (973-888-6035).
• Trees. The Land Use & Planning Department’s tree removal questionnaire lists every tree of 6 inches or more in diameter to be removed and every such tree on the lot, with the purpose, a sketch of each tree’s location and tape or rope marking the trunk 3 feet above grade. If a contractor does the work, the form asks for its details and a copy of its license under N.J.S.A. 45:15C-11; the Township Engineer decides whether a permit is required.

What the grading plan must show

Ordinance 24-2003, adopted by the Township Council on November 10, 2003 and in effect since January 1, 2004, lists the contents: property lines, setbacks, easements and restrictions; existing and proposed buildings with dimensions and first-floor elevations, and buildings on neighboring lots; the tax map sheet, block, lot, zone and zoning requirements; existing and proposed contours; limits of disturbance, silt fence, a stabilized construction entrance and soil stockpile; a cut-and-fill balance (with pool and foundation excavation shown separately); pipe inverts and sizes and all leader and footer drains; a construction schedule; a note that driveway sight triangles are met; impervious coverage calculations; existing landscaping; and a soil report giving the groundwater table elevation. The application itself also asks how soil will be trucked, how noise and dust will be controlled, which trees of 6 inches or more are affected, and whether any easements or deed restrictions apply, and corporate applicants list owners of 10% or more.

East Hanover permit costs and fees

East Hanover’s construction permit fees are set by township ordinance and the Construction Department page does not post the fee schedule. The department calculates the fee for each application, and the state training surcharge is added. The one permit fee the township prints is on the grading application:

Because the area schedule drives both zoning and grading, it is worth checking before you design. The residential zones, as amended in 2024:

Houses in these zones may be 2½ stories and 35 feet tall, total principal and accessory building coverage may reach 30%, and accessory buildings must be 6 to 20 feet from side and rear lines, depending on the zone.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical, plumbing and fire work is filed on the matching technical section of the construction permit and inspected by the township’s own subcode officials on fixed days. Licensed trades seal their sections: electrical contractors, master plumbers and HVACR contractors hold state licenses, home improvement contractors register with the Division of Consumer Affairs, new-home builders register with DCA, and owners working on their own homes are exempt from registration. New Jersey has no general contractor license.

• Electrical: inspected Wednesdays and Thursdays from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m.
• Plumbing: inspected Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m.
• Building and fire: inspected Monday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

How to apply for an East Hanover building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The construction office must act on a complete application within 20 business days, and an application is not complete until the zoning and grading approvals are attached. Grading plans are the usual sticking point: the checklist must be complete, any item marked not applicable must be justified, and the Township Engineer may add site-specific requirements. Refusals can be appealed to the Morris County Construction Board of Appeals, which meets next on November 19 and December 17, 2026.

Inspections and certificates in East Hanover

Grading work is checked by the township too: dry wells and their piping are inspected before the trenches are backfilled, and an as-built plan of the dry well system must be filed before the certificate of occupancy is issued. Plans must carry notes that there will be no deviation without the Township Engineer’s written approval and that the engineer may require the work limits, wetlands or buffers to be staked in the field. After the final inspections, the Construction Official issues the certificate of occupancy or approval.

The Construction Department page does not say which office carries out the smoke alarm and carbon monoxide alarm inspection required before a one- or two-family home is sold or rented, or what it costs; the Construction Department (973-887-5642) can direct sellers to the right office.

New Jersey building code in East Hanover

East Hanover enforces the state code with township officials for every subcode, including elevators. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the township (community 340341) as a participating National Flood Insurance Program community with flood maps effective August 19, 2025, and grading plans must show the 100-year floodplain line from the FEMA map.

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 Hanover permit search and official resources

The township website offers no online permit search. Permit files sit with the Construction Department, so ask there for a property’s permit history and for copies of past permits.

• East Hanover Construction Department
• Application for grading permit (with checklist and ordinance)
• Zoning schedule of area requirements
• Zoning map
• East Hanover Health Department
• Morris County Soil Conservation District
• Morris County land development review
• Morris County Construction Board of Appeals
• DCA roster of local construction offices
• FEMA Community Status Book, New Jersey

East Hanover building permit FAQs

Is East Hanover the same as Hanover Township?

No. East Hanover Township and Hanover Township (Whippany and Cedar Knolls) are separate municipalities with separate construction offices.

Do I need a zoning permit?

Yes, for any change to your property and for every building subcode permit.

When do I need a grading permit?

Whenever work excavates more than two cubic yards of soil, disturbs soil or changes existing grade, even if no other permit is needed. It costs $250 plus a $500 escrow.

Do I need a dry well?

When a project adds more than 600 square feet of impervious cover, unless it is a small addition, accessory structure or driveway; plan on about 1,000 gallons per 600 square feet.

What hours can I work?

7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends and holidays; work outside those hours draws a summons.

When are inspections done?

Plumbing on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, electrical on Wednesday and Thursday mornings, building and fire weekdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Who handles septic systems?

The East Hanover Health Department, which regulates septic systems (973-888-6035).

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