In Florence Township, building permits come from the Construction Office at the Municipal Complex, 711 Broad Street (609-499-2130), where Joseph LaRocca is the Construction Code Official and Building Subcode Official. Applications use the state UCC forms with two sets of plans, zoning approval comes first for most exterior work, and inspections are requested in writing through the FastTrackGov portal. Fees follow Ordinance 2026-18, which rewrote §64-3 after a September 2, 2026 hearing and sets a $75 minimum per subcode.
What requires a building permit in Florence?
Florence’s construction pages do not post a short list of permit-free jobs; the FAQ answers “When is a permit needed?” by asking you to call 609-499-2130. What the township does publish is its homeowner guide to the rehabilitation subcode, which sorts work by type and explains what each type usually needs.
Permit, usually with plans
- Alterations: moving walls, adding or removing doors or windows, extending systems, adding fixtures or touching structure
- Reconstruction, where the space cannot be used during the work and needs a new certificate of occupancy
- Additions, which must meet the code for new construction
- Decks and patios, with zoning approval and plans
- Pools of any kind holding 24 inches of water or more, with a code-compliant barrier
- Water heater replacements, because of the carbon monoxide risk
Lighter or no permit
- Ordinary maintenance under N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7: no permit
- Repairs with like materials: a permit when required, usually without plans
- Renovations replacing finishes, doors, windows or fixtures without changing the space: a permit is typically required
- Emergency work: may start at once, with the permit applied for within 72 hours
The township warns that state law requires the Construction Official to fine anyone doing permit-required work without one, and that the owner is responsible for every permit even when a contractor signs for it.
What Florence decides and what the state holds
The technical code is the state’s. Florence sets construction fees in Chapter 64 (“Construction Codes, Uniform”), land use in Chapter 91, tree rules in Chapter 132 (amended twice in 2026), portable storage units, and a ban on short-term rentals in residential zones adopted in 2025. Redevelopment plans cover parts of the Route 130 corridor. The township also has a local rule, described in its homeowner guide, that open permits must be closed before a home is sold.
Florence building department: who handles permitting
The Construction Office is staffed by clerical staff and licensed inspectors under the Construction Code Official. DCA’s roster of local enforcing agencies (as of September 2, 2026) shows Florence with its own building, electrical, plumbing and fire protection officials and DCA as the elevator subcode, and the township’s fee ordinance tells elevator applicants to file with DCA directly. Planning and zoning boards are run from the same building through the Board Clerk.
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Get a free quote →| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Construction Office | Municipal Complex, 711 Broad Street, Florence, NJ 08518-2323 |
| Phone / fax | 609-499-2130 / 609-499-3262 (township main line 609-499-2525) |
| Construction Code Official | Joseph LaRocca, also Building Subcode Official |
| Online portal | FastTrackGov (FTG): application status and inspection requests |
| Elevators | NJ Department of Community Affairs |
| Planning and zoning boards | Board Clerk, 711 Broad Street, 609-499-2525 |
Florence permit types
All permits start from the UCC F100 jacket with the technical sections the job needs, and Florence links each state form from its documents page together with its own handouts: how to fill out a construction permit, the homeowner guide, basement projects, decks and patios, the pool packet, pool barrier requirements, a combustion air worksheet, the energy placard and the smoke and carbon monoxide rules for additions and remodels.
Residential permits
- Interior remodels. The guide’s examples: a kitchen remodel that moves fixtures needs building, electrical, plumbing and fire technicals; a basement remodel needs building, electrical and fire, plus plumbing for a bathroom; a gas water heater needs only the mechanical technical.
- New bedrooms and additions. A new bedroom needs a hardwired smoke alarm inside and outside it, interconnected, plus a CO alarm nearby. An addition of 5% to under 25% of the largest floor triggers hardwired interconnected alarms on every story; 25% or more brings the whole house up to the current alarm rules.
- Decks, sheds and pools. Zoning approval and plans come first; sheds up to 400 square feet and pools have flat fees.
- Plans. Owners of a single-family detached home they live in may draw their own plans; a licensed engineer must prepare in-ground pool, grading and over-4-foot retaining wall plans.
Building or remodeling a home here? Alliance handles residential permit expediting, so the crew isn't waiting on the counter.
Commercial permits
Commercial projects use the same jacket with plans by a New Jersey architect or engineer, and the township posts a commercial CCO inspection application for occupancy changes in existing space. Other use groups pay higher flat fees (for example $750 for an in-ground pool) and the non-residential alteration rates, and a certificate of occupancy for a change of use costs $250.
For tenant improvements and new commercial builds, Alliance handles commercial permit applications through issuance. More on this: commercial building permits explained.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →What comes before the construction permit
- Zoning. Most exterior projects need zoning approval, which can take up to 10 business days; additions also need a property survey showing structures, distances to lot lines, septic and well, and easements.
- Boards. The Zoning Board of Adjustment normally meets on the first Monday at 7:30 p.m. and hears use and bulk variances; the Planning Board meets on the fourth Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. Both run a completeness review within 45 days, and companies that are not solely owned must appear through a New Jersey land use attorney.
- Prior approvals. The township engineer, the Burlington County Health Department (septic and wells) and the Burlington County Soil Conservation District (more than 5,000 square feet of disturbance) may need to sign off first, and the floodplain administrator reviews work in flood areas.
- Pinelands. Florence is not on the Pinelands Commission’s municipal list.
Florence permit costs and fees
Florence’s fees are in §64-3 of the township code as rewritten by Ordinance 2026-18; the township’s notice says it received final adoption after a public hearing on September 2, 2026 and takes effect on adoption and publication. The plan review fee is 20% of the new-construction permit fee, paid with the application, deducted from the permit fee at issuance and not refundable. Every subcode carries a $75 minimum.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| New single-family detached house (R-5) | $0.040 per cubic foot |
| New construction, other use groups | $0.045 per cubic foot ($0.035 for large open single-story spaces) |
| Alterations to one- and two-family homes | $35 per $1,000 up to $50,000; $30 for $50,001–$100,000; $25 over $100,000 |
| Alterations, all other use groups | $40 / $35 / $30 per $1,000 in the same bands |
| Roofing or siding, R-3 / R-5, where N.J.A.C. 5:23-2 requires a permit | $75 each |
| Above-ground / in-ground pool, homes | $150 / $255 |
| Shed up to 225 sq ft / 226–400 sq ft | $75 / $130 |
| Residential solar (building) | $175 |
| Plumbing fixture, homes | $25 each; water heater $75; furnace, boiler or heat pump $85 |
| Electrical fixtures, first 25 / each additional 25 | $75 / $50 |
| Electrical service up to 150 amps / 150–300 amps | $100 / $175 |
| Certificate of occupancy, new work | 10% of the permit fee, $100 minimum |
| Certificate of continued occupancy | $180 |
| Change of occupancy / ownership (non-UCC) certificate | $180 |
| Minimum fee per subcode | $75 |
| Electronic permitting surcharge | $1 per $1,000 of value, $2 minimum |
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Worked example from the ordinance: a $40,000 bathroom and bedroom remodel in a single-family house falls in the first band, so the building fee is 40 × $35 = $1,400, before the plumbing, electrical and fire fees and surcharges. The ordinance does not say whether the lower rates above $50,000 apply only to the cost over each threshold, so ask the office to price larger jobs. Plans already released by DCA reduce the permit fee by 20%, work handled by a third-party inspection agency carries a 55% administrative fee, plan amendments are $90 an hour, and the state training surcharge is added under N.J.A.C. 5:23-4.19. The FAQ adds that inspections themselves carry no separate fee.
Trade permits and who may pull them
Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and fire work are technical sections of the one UCC application, each reviewed and inspected by the matching inspector. The homeowner guide states the licensing rule in the township’s words: plumbing, electrical and HVAC work may be done only by persons licensed under state law, except by a single-family homeowner working on their own dwelling, and the township advises hiring a licensed professional unless you are confident.
- Electrical: fixtures and devices in blocks of 25; motors, generators and transformers by rating; service panels and solar battery back-up by amperage. A licensed electrical contractor may also prepare electrical plans for a single-family home.
- Plumbing: per fixture, plus sewer and water service connections at $115 each and gas piping at $50 including one outlet, then $22 per outlet. Licensed plumbing contractors may draw plumbing and gas riser plans for single-family homes.
- Mechanical: for replacements in existing homes the mechanical fee replaces the plumbing fee: water heater $75, furnace or boiler $85, air conditioning alone $50, and no fee for air conditioning installed with a new furnace.
- Fire: alarms, sprinklers, hood systems and fuel-burning appliances; fire inspections run Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.
Home improvement contractors working for a homeowner must be registered with the Division of Consumer Affairs; builders of new homes register with DCA. New Jersey does not license general contractors.
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →How to apply for a Florence building permit
Phone 609-499-2130 to confirm which technical sections and prior approvals your project needs.
File the zoning application with a property survey; allow up to 10 business days.
Complete boxes I, IIa and IIb of the F100, sign the certification, write “self” where you are the contractor or designer, and give a market cost for each technical.
Two sets of scaled plans, plus manufacturer cut sheets for appliances, chimney certifications or HVAC load calculations where needed.
Staff do a quick review when you hand in the package and may ask you to complete missing items first.
When approved you are told the fee; after payment you receive the stamped plans and a placard to display on site.
Review, corrections and what causes delay
Florence reminds applicants that it has 20 business days under the UCC to act on a permit and asks people not to call for status updates; once a corrected application is complete it is reviewed again within 10 days. The homeowner guide notes that most applications are rejected on the first review, even from experienced builders, and suggests resubmitting with a short note answering each comment. Prior approvals from the engineer, county health or soil district can hold the file before review starts.
Inspections and certificates in Florence
Inspections must be requested in writing through the FastTrackGov portal: log in, choose “Request a Construction Inspection”, pick the permit and inspection type, choose an available date plus an alternate, and add lockbox instructions. A date will not show if inspectors are fully booked or the cut-off has passed, and you are contacted once the request is approved. Voicemail requests are not accepted.
Approximate inspection windows are: building on Tuesday evenings (5 to 7:30 p.m.), Wednesday mornings and Friday afternoons; electrical Monday, Wednesday and Friday 8 to 11 a.m.; plumbing and mechanical Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.; and fire Tuesday and Thursday 1 to 4 p.m. After each passed inspection the inspector leaves an approval sticker, and once all finals pass the certificate of approval or occupancy is mailed. Occupying a building without the certificate brings a notice of violation and a mandatory penalty.
Before a home is sold, any open permits must be closed. If a previous owner did work without permits, the township’s residential CCO inspection form covers that situation for $175 per unit, and the fee ordinance lists a $180 certificate for changes of occupancy or ownership. The smoke and carbon monoxide certificate that every sale needs is a fire-code certificate; the construction pages do not say which Florence office issues it, so ask the Construction Office when you schedule the closing work.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →New Jersey building code in Florence
Florence enforces the Uniform Construction Code through its own construction office, with DCA holding the elevator subcode. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Florence Township (community 340098) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective December 21, 2017, and riverfront and creek-side lots may need the floodplain administrator’s review.
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
Florence permit search and official resources
To check a permit, log in to the FastTrackGov portal and choose “Search our Construction Permit Database”, then open the application ID. Copies of older permits, plans and certificates are public records held by the Municipal Clerk, who processes requests for public records. Appeals from a construction or fire official’s notice go to the Burlington County Construction Board of Appeals, not to a township board.
- Florence Construction Office
- Construction documents and forms
- Construction FAQs
- Inspections and inspection hours
- Homeowner’s guide to applying for a permit
- Ordinance 2026-18, construction code fees
- FastTrackGov construction portal
- How to schedule inspections online
- Residential CCO inspection (work without permits)
- Smoke and CO alarm requirements for remodels
- Planning Board
- Zoning Board of Adjustment
- DCA local construction contacts roster
- Burlington County Construction Board of Appeals
- FEMA Community Status Book, New Jersey
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Florence building permit FAQs
How much is a building permit in Florence?
It depends on the work: a new single-family house is $0.040 per cubic foot, home alterations start at $35 per $1,000, and each subcode has a $75 minimum under Ordinance 2026-18.
Can I draw my own plans?
Yes for a single-family detached home you live in; in-ground pools, grading plans and retaining walls over 4 feet need a licensed engineer.
Can I do my own electrical or plumbing work?
Only as a single-family homeowner working on your own dwelling; otherwise the work must be done by state-licensed trades.
How do I request an inspection?
In writing through the FastTrackGov portal; requests left on voicemail are not accepted.
What if I replace a water heater in an emergency?
Emergency work may start right away, but you have 72 hours to apply for the permit.
Do open permits matter when I sell?
Yes. A local ordinance requires open permits to be closed before a home sale, and work done without permits by a previous owner can be inspected for $175 per unit.
Who handles elevators?
The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs; elevator applications go to DCA.
Simplify Florence 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.
Ready to break ground in Florence Township sooner?
Let Alliance prepare, file, and track your Florence Township permits while your crew stays on the job.
More New Jersey permitting guides
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Read guide →Medford Township
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Read guide →Florham Park Borough Building Permit Guide
Read guide →Fort Lee Building Permit Guide
Read guide →Franklin Lakes Borough Building Permit Guide
Read guide →This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Florence Township permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.