Edison Township's Division of Construction Code Enforcement, in the Department of Planning and Engineering, is the enforcing agency for one of New Jersey's largest townships, and Chapter 14 of the township code adds a certificate the state code does not require: no building may be occupied or used in whole or part after a change in ownership or a change of occupancy until a continued certificate of occupancy has been issued, and the enforcing agency issues it only after an inspection finds no violations of any applicable law, ordinance or order pending.
The zoning code adds the second gate. Under Section 17.08.100, no building permit issues for a building, use or enlargement unless a site plan has first been submitted and approved — single-family and two-family dwellings and their accessory uses excepted — and no change of occupancy permit for a nonresidential use is authorised until the planning board committee has approved it, with landscaping, paving, fencing, lighting and facade work available as conditions.
This guide covers Edison Township. Woodbridge, Piscataway, Old Bridge and New Brunswick are separate Middlesex County municipalities with their own enforcing agencies, and Middlesex County issues no construction permits.
Sales and changes of tenant have a certificate. Chapter 14 provides that a continued certificate of occupancy shall be applied for and obtained prior to the use or occupancy of the whole or any part of any building undergoing a change in ownership or a change of occupancy. For a turnkey business with no construction and no change of business category, the Building Division may accept the CCO application in place of the fuller certificate of occupancy — but it is inspected, and open violations block it.
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Typically permit required
- Any building, use or enlargement other than a one- or two-family house, which needs site plan approval under Section 17.08.100 before the building permit
- Site work — parking, drainage, grading, landscaping — which needs a Site Improvement Permit from the Engineering Division with an inspection escrow posted
- A new single-family house, reconstruction, or change or expansion of use, which files a sanitary sewer connection application with Engineering
- New buildings, additions and any structural work on an existing building
- Interior alterations that reconfigure space, add plumbing fixtures or extend circuits — renovation, alteration and reconstruction under the rehabilitation subcode
- Decks, and sheds over 200 square feet, over 10 feet tall or with a water, gas, oil or sewer connection
Often exempt
- Ordinary maintenance under N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7 — though a change of ownership still triggers the continued certificate
- Painting, wallpapering and interior finishes on less than a quarter of the wall area of a house
- Like-for-like replacement of windows and doors in the same opening, and glass in any window or door
- Roof covering replacement on a detached one- or two-family dwelling, and siding replacement on a one- or two-family dwelling (not polypropylene siding)
- Garden sheds up to 200 square feet and 10 feet high with no water, gas, oil or sewer connection (wiring still needs an electrical permit), and fences up to 6 feet other than pool barriers — local zoning rules still apply to both
What is actually local, and what is not
Technical standards are the state's. Edison's layer is the local enforcing agency — the construction official and the building, electrical, plumbing and fire subcode officials, each licensed by the state under N.J.A.C. 5:23-5 — plus the municipal fee ordinance, the zoning officer's sign-off, and the continued certificate of occupancy that Chapter 14 attaches to every change of ownership and occupancy.
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
Who handles permitting in Edison?
The Division of Construction Code Enforcement is the enforcing agency, with the Construction Official and the building, electrical, plumbing and fire subcode officials reviewing their sections. The Engineering Division in the same department issues Site Improvement Permits, tree permits, soil import and export approvals and sanitary sewer connections, and inspects site work on two business days' notice. The Planning Board and its committee approve site plans and nonresidential changes of occupancy under Chapter 17.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Department | Edison Township Division of Construction Code Enforcement — Department of Planning and Engineering |
| Office | Municipal Complex, 100 Municipal Boulevard, Edison, NJ 08817 |
| Phone | (732) 248-7257 · Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm |
| Engineering inspections | (732) 248-7242, at least two business days ahead; inspections typically 8 am to 2 pm |
| On sale | Continued certificate of occupancy before occupancy after a change of ownership or occupancy |
| Site plan | Required before a building permit for anything other than a one- or two-family house |
Permit types
Residential permits
A house project in Edison files the state UCC jacket in three signed copies with the subcode sections at 100 Municipal Boulevard, with zoning sign-off attached; single-family and two-family dwellings and their accessory structures are exempt from the site plan requirement. A new house, a reconstruction or an expansion of use also files the sanitary sewer connection application with Engineering, and a house that is sold needs the continued certificate of occupancy before the buyer occupies it.
Commercial permits
Commercial work in Edison starts with site plan approval under Section 17.08.100, then files for construction review; a nonresidential change of occupancy needs the planning board committee's approval before the certificate, and a turnkey tenant with no construction may be routed to the continued certificate instead. Site work carries a Site Improvement Permit with an engineering inspection escrow of 5 percent of the construction cost or $500, whichever is greater, drawn down for plan revisions and inspection time.
Prior approvals, subcode review and the 20-day clock
In Edison the Engineering Division's site improvement, tree, soil import and export and sewer connection approvals are prior approvals in their own right, and the Middlesex County planning board reviews frontage on county roads. Once complete, N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.16 gives the enforcing agency 20 business days to approve or reject a complete application, with a written list of deficiencies on any rejection.
New Jersey has no general contractor licence: home improvement contractors register with the Division of Consumer Affairs, new-home builders with the Department of Community Affairs, and the trades hold state licences. New Jersey rules
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Call 1-855-478-4290 →Edison permit costs and fees
Construction fees follow the township's fee ordinance — by volume for new construction and additions, by estimated cost for alterations — plus the state training fee, with Engineering fees and escrows charged separately.
| Item | Fee or rule |
|---|---|
| Construction permit | By cubic foot for new construction and additions, per $1,000 of cost for alterations, plus the state training fee |
| Continued certificate of occupancy | Application and inspection fee on any change of ownership or occupancy |
| Certificate of occupancy | Fee on new buildings and changes of use, after all subcode finals |
| Engineering inspection escrow | 5 percent of the overall construction cost or $500, whichever is greater |
| Site Improvement Permit | Engineering Division fee, with plan revision and inspection time charged against the escrow |
| Sanitary sewer connection | Application for new single-family homes, reconstructions and changes or expansions of use |
The escrow is a running account. Edison's engineering escrow is not a flat fee. It is posted at 5 percent of the overall cost of construction, or $500, whichever is greater, and the Engineering Division charges plan revisions and inspection time against it — a project that revises its site plan twice will be asked to replenish before the final.
Trade permits and who may pull them
Permit required
- Site improvements, grading and drainage — Engineering Division Site Improvement Permit with escrow
- Electrical — state-licensed electrical contractor; electrical subcode section
- Plumbing and gas piping — state-licensed master plumber; plumbing subcode section under the NSPC
- HVAC and fuel-fired equipment — licensed HVACR contractor; mechanical or fire subcode section
- Fire protection, alarms and sprinklers — fire protection subcode section, reviewed by the fire protection subcode official
Typically exempt
- Like-for-like fixture, receptacle, switch and light fixture replacement in the same location
- Communications wiring, doorbells and burglar alarms in a house, where no fire-rated assembly is penetrated
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →Trade work is permitted through the same construction permit application and inspected by each subcode official. New Jersey rules
How to apply for an Edison building permit
A zoning permit or planning board approval under the Municipal Land Use Law precedes the construction permit.
The home improvement registration number, or the new-home builder registration card, goes on the application.
One F100 application with the building, electrical, plumbing, fire and mechanical sections the scope requires, plus sealed plans where the UCC demands them.
Soil conservation, county planning board, DEP or overlay agency sign-offs are attached before the permit can issue.
Fees follow the local ordinance plus the state training fee surcharge; the plan review fee is usually paid when you apply and the rest before the permit issues.
Footing to final under 5:23-2.18, then the certificate of occupancy or approval that closes the permit.
Review, corrections and what actually causes delay
Edison reviews on the state's 20-business-day clock and routes each application through Building, Planning and Engineering for completeness. What delays an Edison application is a site plan not yet approved where Section 17.08.100 requires one, a Site Improvement Permit filed after the building permit rather than before, and a nonresidential change of occupancy filed without the planning board committee's approval.
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Get a free quote →Inspections in Edison
N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.18 sets the inspection sequence statewide — bottom of footing trenches, foundation and backfill, rough framing, electrical and plumbing, insulation, and final — and the enforcing agency must inspect within three business days of the request. Work that passes final receives a certificate of occupancy for new buildings or changes of use, or a certificate of approval for everything else. Edison books construction inspections through the Division of Construction Code Enforcement and engineering inspections separately, by phone or in person at least two business days ahead, typically performed between 8 am and 2 pm; a continued certificate of occupancy carries its own inspection for open violations, and a certificate of occupancy is required before occupancy wherever site plan or subdivision approval was given.
Edison permit search and official resources
- Edison Code Chapter 14 — Building and Construction — the continued certificate of occupancy and certificate requirements
- Edison Engineering permits and approvals — Site Improvement Permits, escrow, sewer connections and inspections
- Edison Township — access for business — when a continued certificate stands in for a certificate of occupancy
- New Jersey Uniform Construction Code (N.J.A.C. 5:23) — the statewide code and subcode adoptions from the Department of Community Affairs
- DCA rule proposals and adoptions — the August 2026 notice adopting the 2024 model codes and 2023 NEC
- Home improvement contractor registration — Division of Consumer Affairs registration
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Frequently asked questions
Does Edison require a certificate when a house is sold?
Yes. Chapter 14 requires a continued certificate of occupancy before any building is used or occupied after a change in ownership or a change of occupancy, issued only after an inspection finds no pending violations.
Do I need site plan approval for a house?
No. Section 17.08.100 exempts single-family and two-family dwellings and their accessory uses; every other building, use or enlargement needs an approved site plan before the building permit.
What is the engineering escrow?
An inspection escrow posted with the Engineering Division at 5 percent of the overall construction cost or $500, whichever is greater, charged for plan revisions and inspection time.
How do I book an engineering inspection?
Call (732) 248-7242 and leave a message, or come in person, at least two business days ahead; inspections are typically performed between 8 am and 2 pm.
Does a new business need a full certificate of occupancy?
Not always. A turnkey operation with no construction and no change of business category may be routed to a continued certificate of occupancy application instead; a nonresidential change of occupancy needs the planning board committee's approval.
Which code edition applies?
The New Jersey editions of the 2024 I-codes with the 2023 National Electrical Code and the 2024 National Standard Plumbing Code, effective August 17, 2026, with a six-month grace period during which the 2021 editions may still be used.
Simplify Edison permitting with Alliance Permitting
Edison layers three approvals most applicants meet one at a time: site plan, Site Improvement Permit with escrow, and the construction permit itself, with a continued certificate waiting at the end of any sale. We sequence them, post the escrow once, and track every inspection to the certificate.
Ready to break ground in Edison sooner?
Send us the scope and the parcel. We confirm the review path with the Edison Township Division of Construction Code Enforcement, assemble the submittal, file it, and track it through issuance — corrections included.
More New Jersey permitting guides
More New Jersey permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Edison permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.