Englewood, New Jersey Building Permit Guide

In the City of Englewood, construction permits are issued by the Building Department within the Building & Code Enforcement office at 2-10 North Van Brunt Street (201-871-6642, weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Applications for building, electrical, fire and plumbing work are filed there for review, payment and issuance, and inspections have been booked through the SDL online portal since October 1, 2024. Selling a home requires a Certificate of Continued Occupancy, which costs $150 for a one- or two-family house.

What requires a building permit in Englewood?

Englewood applies the state Uniform Construction Code rule: ordinary maintenance needs no permit, minor work needs a permit but may start once the office has been notified, and everything else waits for an issued permit. The city adds its own layer of zoning permits and certificates, and posts DCA’s “Typical Types of Permits that May Be Required” handout (dated March 3, 2025) to show which subcode sections common equipment jobs need.

The DCA handout flags jobs that pull in extra paperwork: replacing fuel-fired equipment needs the chimney verification form (F-370), and new heating and cooling systems need Manual J and Manual S load calculations, which Englewood also checks on its residential plans examiner form for HVAC design.

What Englewood decides and what the state holds

The building, plumbing, electrical and fire standards are the state’s, and the city cannot rewrite them. Englewood decides the enforcing agency and its fees, zoning under its land use chapter, construction working hours, registration of commercial contractors, the sign and façade review, and the certificates it requires when homes are sold or rented. Its Building Codes page still lists the 2021 code editions adopted in 2022; the state moved to the 2024 editions on August 17, 2026.

Englewood building department: who handles permitting

Englewood runs its own construction office. Building & Code Enforcement covers five areas: construction, zoning and land use, property maintenance, housing, and rental registration. On DCA’s roster (as of September 2, 2026) the city’s construction official also holds the building subcode post, the fire protection and plumbing posts are held by city officials, the private agency Municipal Inspection Corp holds the elevator subcode, and the electrical subcode line is blank.

The city’s department pages give 201-871-6642 as the office line; the state roster lists 201-871-6649 for the same address.

Englewood permit types

The construction permit itself is the state form set: Englewood links to DCA’s construction permit forms page for the jacket and technical sections, and posts its own updated mechanical technical section (revised fall 2024). Everything is filed with the Building Department, which reviews it, takes payment and issues the permit.

Residential permits

• Pools: in-ground pools use the city’s pool permit application alongside the UCC sections.
• Generators: the city publishes separate generator requirements for one- and two-family homes and for multi-family and commercial buildings, and a generator also needs a $50 zoning permit.
• Heating and cooling: the mechanical section plus Form RPER-1.01 for HVAC system design.
• Demolition: follows the city’s posted demolition requirements.
• Rental units: each residential rental unit is inspected before a new tenant moves in, under the Certificate of Rental Occupancy, and landlords file registration forms.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial work goes through the same office, but commercial contractors must first register with the city. Signs and storefronts use the Application for Development – Sign and Façade and the city’s sign and façade procedures; crane operations and murals have their own applications, and commercial resales and leases need a commercial Certificate of Continued Occupancy. The city’s forms page also posts an environmental questionnaire and an ERI form for applicants who need them.

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

• Zoning permit or determination. Small items (driveway, EV charger, generator, HVAC, solar, fence, porch or deck, shed, tent) use the zoning permit application at $50 each, paid when you file and not refundable; other construction, subdivisions and use questions go on a zoning determination form.
• Planning Board or Board of Adjustment. Site plans, subdivisions, conditional uses and variances are filed with an application for development, with fees under Ordinance No. 25-29 paid to the board secretary by certified check or bank money order, plus a technical review escrow.
• Bergen County. Site plans and subdivisions needing County Planning Board approval are filed through the county’s GeoCivix portal; digging between the curbs of a county road needs a county road opening permit (Operations Division, 201-336-7678).
• Soil disturbance. More than 5,000 square feet of disturbance needs a soil erosion and sediment control plan certified by the soil conservation district.

Englewood permit costs and fees

The Building Department prices construction permits when it reviews them; the city’s UCC fee schedule is not reproduced on the department pages. The land use and zoning fees are set by Ordinance No. 25-29, which amended sections 250-8 and 191-7 of the city code, and the certificate fees are printed on the city’s own pages and forms.

Board applications also carry an escrow for the city’s planners, engineers and attorneys, and the city may require an engineering inspection deposit of up to the greater of $500 or 5% of the cost of site improvements. On construction permits, the state rules add the DCA training fee surcharge, and the plan review fee paid at filing is credited against the permit fee and is not refundable.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Englewood takes building, electrical, fire and plumbing permits on one application package, each trade on its own technical section and reviewed by the matching subcode official. Trade inspections run on separate weekly schedules, listed in the inspections section below.

• Electrical: filed by a state-licensed electrical contractor on the electrical section.
• Plumbing and gas: filed by a state-licensed master plumber; gas appliances and water heaters follow the DCA handout’s plumbing and fire notes.
• Mechanical: the city’s revised mechanical technical section covers furnace, boiler, heat pump and similar replacements in one- and two-family homes.
• Fire protection: sprinkler and alarm work on the fire section.
• Elevators: reviewed and inspected by Municipal Inspection Corp.

Englewood’s own rule on contractors is short: home improvement contractors register with the State of New Jersey (Division of Consumer Affairs), and commercial contractors also register with the city. The city form asks for a notarized application, a liability certificate naming the City of Englewood as certificate holder and a $50 annual fee, and sorts registrants into classes from large building projects to pools, demolition and signs. There is no state license for general contractors; electricians, master plumbers and HVACR contractors hold state licenses, and owners working on their own homes are exempt from contractor registration.

How to apply for an Englewood building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Under the Uniform Construction Code, a complete application must be approved or denied within 20 business days, and the permit cannot issue before zoning and the other prior approvals are in hand, so an open zoning determination or a pending board hearing is the usual source of delay. Missing load calculations on an HVAC job, a fuel-fired replacement without the chimney verification form, or a commercial contractor who has not registered with the city also hold a permit back.

Inspections and certificates in Englewood

Since October 1, 2024, construction inspections are requested through the city’s SDL portal (by link or QR code); first-time users set up an account. A responsible person must be on site and the approved plans must be there for every inspection. The city publishes fixed inspection windows:

• Building: Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Electrical: Monday to Friday, 8 to 10 a.m. and noon to 3 p.m., plus Tuesday to Thursday evenings, 3:30 to 7:30 p.m.
• Plumbing: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m.
• Fire: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Work itself may run from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays, never on Sundays or legal holidays; heavy equipment, excavation, demolition and tree felling are limited to weekdays. Emergency work outside those hours needs a permit issued jointly by the Division of Code Enforcement and the City Engineer for up to three days at a time, and a violation of Chapter 172 can bring a fine of $100 to $1,000 or up to 90 days in jail, with each day counted as a separate offense.

Home sales. Ordinance 85-40 requires a Certificate of Continued Occupancy before a one-family, two-family or multi-family house changes hands (new construction, hotels, motels, rooming houses and state-inspected buildings are excluded). The seller or agent registers the sale on the second floor of the Municipal Building, open permits must be closed before the inspection is booked, and the fee is $150 or $250. The inspector checks walls, floors, stairs and rails, a smoke detector on every level, a CO detector within 10 feet of each bedroom and an ABC extinguisher (2 to 10 pounds) within 10 feet of the kitchen, and looks for illegal apartments, which must be removed before a second inspection.

New Jersey building code in Englewood

Englewood enforces the state Uniform Construction Code; the 2024 I-codes, 2024 National Standard Plumbing Code and 2023 NEC have applied since August 17, 2026, with complete applications under the 2021 codes accepted until February 17, 2027. FEMA lists Englewood (community 340031) as a participating National Flood Insurance Program community, with maps dated August 28, 2019; the city is in the Community Rating System at class 10, which gives no premium 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

Englewood permit search and official resources

To see past permits, certificates or plans for a property, make an Open Public Records Act request to the City Clerk’s Office at 2-10 North Van Brunt Street, which also keeps the city ordinances and the zoning map for review or purchase. Appeals of a construction decision go to the Bergen County Construction Board of Appeals.

• Englewood building regulations
• Applications, forms and permits
• Inspection scheduling and hours
• SDL inspection request portal
• Certificate of Continued Occupancy on resale
• CCO application for a residential resale
• Certificate of Rental Occupancy
• Land use schedule of fees, Ordinance No. 25-29
• Zoning permit application
• Contractor registration application
• When construction can take place (Chapter 172)
• Typical types of permits handout (March 2025)
• Building codes page
• Building & Code Enforcement
• DCA construction permit forms
• DCA Local Construction Contacts roster
• DCA adopted codes
• Bergen County Planning & Engineering
• Bergen County Construction Board of Appeals
• NJ soil erosion and sediment control program
• FEMA Community Status Book, New Jersey

Englewood building permit FAQs

How do I schedule an inspection in Englewood?

Through the SDL portal, in use since October 1, 2024; you need an account, and each trade has set inspection hours.

Do I need a permit for a fence or shed in Englewood?

Yes, a city zoning permit at $50 under Ordinance No. 25-29; larger work goes on a zoning determination form.

What does a resale certificate cost?

$150 for a one- or two-family house and $250 for a multi-family building, and all open permits must be closed first.

What will the resale inspector check?

Smoke detectors on every level, a CO detector within 10 feet of each bedroom, an ABC extinguisher near the kitchen, safe stairs and rails, and no illegal apartments.

Do contractors have to register with the city?

Commercial contractors register with Englewood each year for $50; home improvement contractors register with the State of New Jersey.

What hours can construction happen?

7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays, with no work on Sundays or legal holidays.

How much is a use variance for a house?

$250 for a one- or two-family residence, plus the review escrow; other use variances are $350.

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