Franklin Township's Construction Department at 475 DeMott Lane in Somerset enforces the Uniform Construction Code for the Somerset County township that wraps the south bank of the Raritan from New Brunswick to the Millstone — not the Franklin Townships in Gloucester, Hunterdon or Warren counties, which are different municipalities with different codes. The township's own rules are specific. Section 183-19 bars the sale, rental, lease, mortgage with right of occupancy or re-occupancy of any structure until a Certificate of Continued Building Compliance or a temporary one has been issued, and the township applies that ordinance, at present, only to nonresidential structures; a house sale needs no continued certificate from the Construction Department, only the Fire Prevention Department's inspection.
The construction code chapter adds a county step: the Construction Official furnishes every permittee with a notification of construction or demolition activity form, which the permittee completes and transmits to the Somerset County Department of Health's CEHA operations within 48 hours of the permit issuing. And the township's historic districts survive the state's exemption for roofing and siding — the UCC no longer requires a permit to replace a roof or siding on a one- or two-family house, but in a Franklin historic district the Historic Commission still reviews and approves both before the work begins.
This guide covers Franklin Township in Somerset County, including Somerset, Franklin Park, Griggstown, East Millstone and Kingston. New Brunswick and Piscataway across the Raritan are separate Middlesex County municipalities, and Somerset County issues no construction permits. Franklin Township in Gloucester County and Franklin Township in Hunterdon County are different municipalities.
Houses go to Fire Prevention; buildings get a compliance certificate. The township says plainly that a continued certificate of occupancy inspection is not required when selling a residential home; the seller schedules the Fire Prevention Department's inspection instead. For commercial property, a Certificate of Continued Building Compliance is required before a sale or before a new tenant acquires the space, and where a tenant fit-out permit is needed, the permit, inspections and a certificate of occupancy come before any occupancy.
What requires a building permit in Franklin Township?
New Jersey runs on a single statewide instrument, the Uniform Construction Code (N.J.A.C. 5:23), in force since January 1977 and administered by the Department of Community Affairs. Rather than writing its own code, the state adopts the national model codes as subcodes with New Jersey amendments: the International Building Code (building subcode), the International Residential Code for one- and two-family dwellings, the National Standard Plumbing Code — not the International Plumbing Code used in neighbouring states — the National Electrical Code, and the mechanical, fuel gas and energy codes. The 2024 editions of the I-codes and the NSPC, with the 2023 NEC, took effect on August 17, 2026 and replace the 2021 editions and the 2020 NEC; the usual six-month grace period lets an applicant file under either edition until roughly mid-February 2027. Under N.J.S.A. 52:27D-119 et seq. no municipality, Franklin Township included, may adopt different technical standards — what is local is the enforcing agency, the fee ordinance, the zoning approvals that precede the permit, and the certificates that follow it.
The UCC itself draws the exemption line. Ordinary maintenance under N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7 needs no permit, no notice and no inspection; minor work under 5:23-2.17A needs a permit but may begin once the enforcing agency has been notified, with the application filed and inspected afterwards. Everything else waits for the issued permit.
Typically permit required
- Any commercial sale or new tenancy, which needs the Certificate of Continued Building Compliance under Section 183-19 — and a tenant fit-out permit and certificate of occupancy where work is involved
- Roof and siding replacement on any structure in a historic district, which needs Historic Commission approval before work even though the UCC no longer requires a permit for it on a one- or two-family house
- Finished basements, decks, raised patios, pools, kitchen and bathroom renovations, water heaters, sheds, gazebos and new wiring or plumbing, which the department lists as permitted work
- 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 ten feet tall or with any utility connection
Often exempt
- Replacement roofs and siding on a one- or two-family detached house — except polypropylene siding, and except inside a historic district
- 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
- Roofing and siding replacement on a one- or two-family dwelling
- Garden sheds up to 200 square feet and ten feet high with no utilities, and fences up to six feet — the zoning permit still applies to both
What is actually local, and what is not
Technical standards are the state's. Franklin Township'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 Certificate of Continued Building Compliance on commercial transfers and the Historic Commission review that outlasts the state's roofing and siding exemption.
Who handles permitting in Franklin Township?
The Construction Department is the enforcing agency, with the Construction Official and the building, electrical, plumbing and fire subcode officials reviewing their sections of the state UCC jacket; pre-made application packets are available for common projects. The zoning office signs off before the permit, the Fire Prevention Department inspects house sales, the Historic Commission reviews exterior work in the districts, and the Somerset County Department of Health is notified of every construction and demolition permit within 48 hours.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Department | Franklin Township Construction Department, Somerset County |
| Office | Municipal Building, 475 DeMott Lane, Somerset, NJ 08873 |
| Phone | (732) 873-7283 |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm; inspections 7:00 am to 4:00 pm |
| House sales | Fire Prevention Department inspection — no continued certificate from Construction |
| Commercial transfers | Certificate of Continued Building Compliance under Section 183-19 |
Permit types
Residential permits
A Franklin house project files the state UCC jacket with the subcode sections at DeMott Lane — a packet is available for common jobs — with zoning sign-off attached and the home improvement registration number on the application; review takes up to twenty business days from receipt. Roofing and siding on a detached house need no permit unless the siding is polypropylene or the house is in a historic district, where the Historic Commission approves first. Selling the house needs the Fire Prevention Department's inspection, not a construction certificate.
How New Jersey contractor credentials work
New Jersey has no state general contractor license. What it has instead is a registration that doubles as a permit gate: a home improvement contractor business must be registered with the Division of Consumer Affairs under the Contractors' Registration Act (N.J.S.A. 56:8-136 et seq.), and N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.15(b)8 requires the registration number on the construction permit application — an enforcing agency may not issue a home improvement permit to an unregistered contractor. Registration now carries commercial general liability insurance of at least five hundred thousand dollars per occurrence, workers' compensation cover and a tiered compliance bond, and the 2024 Home Improvement and Home Elevation Contractor Licensing Act is phasing in individual licensing through a new state board. New construction is different: a new-home builder registers with the Department of Community Affairs under the New Home Warranty and Builders' Registration Act and shows the builder registration card at permit. Electrical contractors, master plumbers and HVACR contractors hold separate state licenses from Consumer Affairs boards. Owners working on their own home are exempt from registration, and Franklin Township licenses no trades of its own.
Commercial permits
Commercial work in Franklin clears site plan review under the land use ordinance, then files for construction review, with the county health notification transmitted within 48 hours of the permit. A sale or a new tenant needs the Certificate of Continued Building Compliance, with the zoning office confirming it is acceptable to proceed, and a tenant fit-out needs its permit, inspections and certificate of occupancy before occupancy. Certificate fees are priced by use group, with apartment buildings priced per five units.
Prior approvals, subcode review and the twenty-day clock
A New Jersey construction permit is one application with technical sections — the state's UCC F100 jacket with building, electrical, plumbing, fire and mechanical subcode forms — and each subcode official reviews their own section. The permit cannot issue until the prior approvals are in hand: zoning or planning board approval under the Municipal Land Use Law is a separate track that precedes the construction permit, and where a project touches a county road or county drainage the county planning board signs off as well. Sites disturbing 5,000 square feet or more need soil erosion certification from the regional soil conservation district, and DEP approvals apply in flood hazard, wetland and coastal areas. In Franklin the Somerset County Soil Conservation District certifies disturbance over 5,000 square feet, the county planning board reviews frontage on county roads, and the Delaware and Raritan Canal Commission and DEP flood hazard rules reach the canal corridor and the Millstone and Raritan valleys. Once complete, N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.16 gives the enforcing agency twenty business days to approve or reject a complete application, with a written list of deficiencies on any rejection.
Franklin Township permit costs and fees
Fees follow the township's construction code chapter — the sum of the subcode fees plus the state training fee — with certificates priced by use group and fees waived for public institutions and volunteer fire companies.
| Item | Fee or rule |
|---|---|
| Construction permit | Sum of the subcode fees under the construction code chapter, paid before issuance |
| Certificate of occupancy | One hundred dollars for one- and two-family houses; one hundred thirty-five for other uses, and per five units for apartments |
| Continued certificate of occupancy | One hundred dollars residential; two hundred for other use groups; change of use one hundred fifty |
| Certificate of approval | No fee |
| Electrical devices | Fifty dollars for the first fifty devices, twenty-five for each additional twenty-five or fraction |
| State training fee | Added to every permit under N.J.A.C. 5:23-4.19 |
Forty-eight hours to tell the county. The construction code chapter has the Construction Official furnish a notification of construction or demolition activity form with every permit, and the permittee must complete and transmit it to the Somerset County Department of Health within 48 hours of the permit's issuance. It is not a county permit and the county does not review the work; it is a notice, and missing it is a violation under the general penalty chapter.
Trade permits and who may pull them
Trade work is permitted through the same application under the electrical, plumbing, fire and mechanical subcode sections, and inspected by the subcode official for each.
Permit required
- Tenant fit-outs — permit, inspections and certificate of occupancy before any occupancy
- 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 subcode section, with fire official review
Typically exempt
- Like-for-like fixture, receptacle, switch and light fixture replacement in the same location
- Communications and low-voltage wiring in a house that does not penetrate a fire-rated assembly
How to apply for a Franklin Township 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, and are due before issuance.
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
Franklin reviews within twenty business days of receipt and schedules inspections on the next available day without appointment times, between seven and four. What delays a Franklin file is a historic district roof or siding job started on the strength of the state exemption, a commercial tenant moved in ahead of the compliance certificate, and the county notification left unsent.
Inspections in Franklin Township
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. Franklin conducts inspections Monday to Friday between 7:00 am and 4:00 pm, scheduled for the next available day rather than a fixed time; the Fire Prevention Department inspects house sales separately, and the Construction Department inspects for the Certificate of Continued Building Compliance on commercial transfers.
Franklin Township permit search and official resources
- Franklin Township Construction Code — permitted work, house sales and inspection hours
- Franklin Township general permit instructions — the roofing and siding exemption and the historic district rule
- Franklin Township Code — Construction Codes, Uniform — county health notification and certificate fees
- 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 and licensing
Frequently asked questions
Is this the Franklin near New Brunswick?
Yes. This guide covers Franklin Township in Somerset County, including Somerset and Franklin Park; the Franklin Townships in Gloucester, Hunterdon and Warren counties are separate municipalities.
Do I need a certificate to sell my house?
No continued certificate of occupancy from the Construction Department; the township requires an inspection from the Fire Prevention Department instead.
What is a Certificate of Continued Building Compliance?
The certificate Section 183-19 requires before a commercial building is sold, rented, re-rented, leased or re-occupied; at present the ordinance applies only to nonresidential structures.
Do I need a permit to replace my roof or siding?
Not on a one- or two-family detached house, unless the siding is polypropylene — but in a historic district the Historic Commission must review and approve either before work begins.
What is the county notification?
A notification of construction or demolition activity form the Construction Official furnishes with the permit, which the permittee transmits to the Somerset County Department of Health within 48 hours of issuance.
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 Franklin Township permitting with Alliance Permitting
Franklin sends houses one way and buildings another, and keeps a historic exception the state gave up. We route the sale to the right office, file the compliance certificate ahead of the tenant, clear the Historic Commission before a roof comes off, and send the county its notice the day the permit issues.
Ready to break ground in Franklin Township sooner?
Send us the scope and the parcel. We confirm the review path with the Franklin Township Construction Department, 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 Franklin Township permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.