Hillsdale Borough, New Jersey Building Permit Guide

In the Borough of Hillsdale, construction permits are issued by the Building, Construction and Zoning Departments at Borough Hall, 380 Hillsdale Avenue (201-722-2612), with DCA enforcing the elevator subcode. The department opens at 7 a.m. and issues permits until 2 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, until 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday and until 10:30 a.m. on Friday. Every inspection is booked by phone, and a home that is sold or changes occupants needs a Continuing Certificate of Inspection from the Fire Prevention Bureau, with a $100 inspection fee.

What requires a building permit in Hillsdale?

Hillsdale applies the state’s three-way test. Ordinary maintenance, such as painting, new flooring or a same-size window, needs no permit or notice. Minor work on a home needs a permit but may begin once the office has been told about it. Everything else, from additions to finished basements, needs an issued permit before work starts. The borough’s own forms show which local approvals are added on top.

The zoning permit form asks whether the lot is in a flood hazard area and whether the property has been before the Planning Board, so both answers should be known before you file.

What Hillsdale decides and what the state holds

Permit categories and construction standards come from the Uniform Construction Code and cannot be changed by the borough. Hillsdale writes its own zoning and land use rules (the street opening form cites Chapter 260 of the Land Use Ordinance), its construction fee ordinance, the street and sidewalk deposits, the obstruction permit rules and the resale inspection run by its Fire Prevention Bureau. Its Board of Health is an independent board that contracts each year with the Northwest Bergen Regional Health Commission for health services.

Hillsdale building department: who handles permitting

The Building, Construction and Zoning Departments share one office at Borough Hall. DCA’s Local Construction Contacts roster (as of September 2, 2026) shows borough officials holding the construction official, building, electrical, fire protection and plumbing posts, and the Department of Community Affairs holding the elevator post. Because the borough’s web page and DCA’s roster name different people as construction official, ask the office who is reviewing your file.

Hillsdale permit types

Hillsdale’s building forms page links to the state’s construction permit forms and adds the borough’s own applications for demolition, chimney verification, soil movement, temporary storage containers and resale inspections.

Residential permits

• Additions, decks, pools and patios start with the borough zoning permit application, which records the work, the fence height where relevant, the flood hazard question and any earlier Planning Board decision.
• Demolition needs the F100 jacket and building section, written clearance from the electric, gas and water companies, a licensed plumber’s letter that the sewer is disconnected and capped, proof about any fuel tank, an extermination letter, an asbestos certificate, a dig number and a current survey. Each structure, such as a garage, shed or pool, needs its own permit.
• Sidewalks and curbs replaced on their own need the street opening, curb, sidewalk and sewer connection application, with a small filing fee and a refundable deposit.

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

Commercial permits

A new business or change of ownership uses the borough’s new business application, which doubles as the fire application. Outdoor cafes and new residential professional offices have their own zoning forms, and site plans go to the Planning Board. Demolishing a commercial building costs more than a house: $750 for any use group other than a residential principal or accessory building.

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

What comes before the construction permit

• Zoning permit. Issued by the zoning official, who keeps office hours on Tuesday and Thursday.
• Planning Board. Hillsdale has one board that acts as both planning board and zoning board of adjustment, deciding the master plan, subdivisions, site plans and variances. Owners within 200 feet are notified of hearings, and the borough warns applicants never to pay professionals directly, because application fees are paid from the applicant’s borough escrow account.
• Soil and grading. Regrading needs a soil movement permit under Chapter 248 of the Land Use Ordinance, with soil calculations showing cut, fill and net volume, two paper sets and a PDF. A topographic plan is required for regrading or for moving more than 50 cubic yards and for every in-ground pool; moving more than 200 cubic yards needs a performance guarantee of 120% of the related site work cost, at least $1,200. Any project adding more than 500 square feet of impervious surface must include seepage pits or other on-site detention, and a final as-built site plan is required unless the Borough Engineer waives it. Disturbing more than 5,000 square feet also needs soil erosion and sediment control certification from the soil conservation district.
• Street work. No street excavation may be left open overnight, and trenches over 5 feet deep need shoring, bracing or sloped sides.

Hillsdale permit costs and fees

Hillsdale’s construction (UCC) fees are set in its borough code, published on eCode360, and the department does not post the schedule on its web page, so ask the office at 201-722-2612 to price a job before you file. The fees printed on borough forms are listed below; the soil movement fees were amended on May 6, 2025 by Ordinance 25-13.

Worked example from the street opening schedule: opening 4 square yards of a street older than 3 years for a sewer lateral, outside the winter period, means the $125 filing fee plus refundable deposits of $200 for pavement replacement (4 × $50) and $10 for pavement maintenance (4 × $1.50 is $6, so the $10 minimum applies). The state’s training-fee surcharge is added to construction permits, and under state rules the plan review fee is normally collected with the application.

Trade permits and who may pull them

All trade work goes on the subcode sections of the state construction permit application. DCA’s roster lists separate borough officials for electrical, plumbing and fire protection, and each keeps its own inspection days.

• Electrical inspections are done on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; contractors need a state electrical contractor license.
• Plumbing and mechanical share the same inspection slots, on Monday and Friday afternoons and Wednesday mornings; contractor plumbing requires a state-licensed master plumber.
• Fire protection inspections are held on Monday and Wednesday from 3 to 6 p.m.
• Demolition needs letters from a New Jersey licensed plumber (sewer capped) and, for a detached accessory building, from a licensed plumber or electrician that no utilities remain.

Home improvement contractors must hold a state registration with the Division of Consumer Affairs, and new-home builders register with DCA. Monitored fire alarm systems in homes need an inspection or certification report from a New Jersey licensed electrician or alarm contractor before the resale certificate is issued.

How to apply for a Hillsdale building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Once an application is complete, the UCC gives the construction office 20 business days to issue or deny the permit. In Hillsdale, applications most often stall on the zoning permit, which depends on the zoning official’s two office days, on missing utility or plumber letters for demolition, and on Planning Board relief, which cannot begin until escrow is posted and owners within 200 feet have been noticed.

Inspections and certificates in Hillsdale

Hillsdale publishes fixed inspection slots, booked by calling the office:

A home that is sold or gets new occupants needs a Continuing Certificate of Inspection from the Fire Prevention Bureau. The bureau’s March 1, 2025 memo says a portable fire extinguisher is no longer required. It still checks for ten-year sealed-battery smoke alarms on every level and outside each sleeping area (hard-wired alarms may not be swapped for battery units) and carbon monoxide alarms within 10 feet of each sleeping area, unless the house has no fuel-burning appliance and no attached garage. The checklist also covers sump pumps discharging outside, garage door openers in a dedicated outlet, thumb-turn front deadbolts, outside dryer vents, working bedroom egress windows and a visible house number. The first inspection costs $100 and each re-inspection $50.

New Jersey building code in Hillsdale

Hillsdale enforces the statewide UCC, which adopted the 2024 model codes and the 2023 NEC effective August 17, 2026; until February 17, 2027, an applicant whose complete application and prior approvals are ready may still choose the 2021 codes. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Hillsdale as community 340043, participating in the National Flood Insurance Program with flood maps effective August 28, 2019; the zoning permit form asks whether the lot is in a flood hazard area.

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

Hillsdale permit search and official resources

Permit and inspection files are public records held by the borough; request copies from the Borough Clerk with the borough’s 2026 OPRA request form. Planning Board calendars and agendas are posted on the borough website.

• Hillsdale Building, Construction & Zoning Departments
• Permits, licenses and forms
• Zoning permit application
• Demolition permit checklist
• Continuing Certificate of Inspection application and checklist
• Street opening, curb, sidewalk and sewer connection application
• Soil movement application and fees (Ordinance 25-13)
• Obstruction permit (dumpsters and pods)
• Planning Board
• Board of Health
• OPRA request form
• NJ DCA construction permit forms
• NJ DCA Local Construction Contacts roster
• NJ soil erosion and sediment control program
• FEMA Community Status Book, New Jersey

Hillsdale building permit FAQs

What time can I pick up a permit in Hillsdale?

Permits are issued until 2 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, until 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday and until 10:30 a.m. on Friday.

Do I still need a fire extinguisher to sell my house?

Not in Hillsdale, according to its Fire Prevention Bureau: the bureau’s March 1, 2025 memo lists “Portable Fire Extinguisher: No longer a requirement”, but its smoke and carbon monoxide alarm rules still apply.

How much is the resale inspection?

$100 for the first Continuing Certificate of Inspection visit and $50 for each re-inspection; CCI inspections are held on Tuesdays from 4 to 6 p.m.

Is there a separate zoning board?

No. The Hillsdale Planning Board does the work of both a planning board and a zoning board of adjustment.

How much does it cost to demolish a garage?

$150 for an accessory building such as a garage and $300 for a house, with a separate permit for each structure.

How do I book an inspection?

Call 201-722-2612 and choose a slot in the published hours for that trade.

Do I need a permit to regrade my yard?

Yes, a soil movement permit under Chapter 248. A pool, tennis court or drainage project pays a $1,200 engineering fee plus $100, and moving more than 50 cubic yards needs a topographic plan.

Who issues dumpster permits?

The Borough Clerk issues obstruction permits for street dumpsters and pods, for up to 10 days, with insurance naming the borough.

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