Little Ferry Borough, New Jersey Building Permit Guide

Construction permits in the Borough of Little Ferry are issued by the Building Department at Borough Hall, 215-217 Liberty Street (201-641-2942), where Keith Dalton is the Construction Code Official and also the borough’s flood insurance Community Rating System coordinator. Projects in the borough’s mapped flood hazard areas need a $100 zoning and floodplain permit, issued only after any required NJDEP land use permits, before construction begins. Permit and inspection requests go through the SDL portal, and every home sale needs a $100-per-unit certificate of continued occupancy.

What requires a building permit in Little Ferry?

The categories are statewide: ordinary maintenance needs no permit, minor work needs a permit but may begin after the office is notified, and all other construction waits for the permit to be issued. What makes Little Ferry different is flooding. Its floodplain permit form applies to development of any kind in a state-regulated floodplain or a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area, including new buildings, additions, clearing, fill, mining and drilling.

What Little Ferry decides and what the state holds

The building standards, permit categories and review deadlines come from the Uniform Construction Code. Little Ferry controls its zoning, its local flood damage prevention ordinance, its construction fees, the resale and rental certificates, and the ban on rentals shorter than 180 days in section 35-122.2 of its code. Land use in part of the borough falls to another agency: the borough’s flood insurance page says the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission and the borough each run the Community Rating System program within their own land use areas of Little Ferry, so ask the Building Department which applies to your lot. For health services the borough contracts with Bergen County, and public health nuisances are reported to the Board of Health at (551) 341-2830.

Little Ferry building department: who handles permitting

The Building Department administers and enforces zoning, the construction code and other borough codes. DCA’s roster (as of September 2, 2026) lists Keith P. Dalton as construction official, separate borough officials in the building, electrical, fire protection and plumbing posts, and the Department of Community Affairs in the elevator post.

An appeal from a construction decision goes to the Bergen County Construction Board of Appeals (201-336-6987).

Little Ferry permit types

For construction work the Building Department points applicants to DCA’s construction permit application packet and related forms; the borough adds its own checklists and certificates on the department page.

Residential permits

• Floodplain work uses the zoning and floodplain permit packet: the owner, builder or engineer completes the general sections, the project overview and the flood hazard area checklist, attaches a recent survey and the state permits, and the Floodplain Administrator decides whether the work meets the local flood damage prevention ordinance. The borough warns that a surveyor or engineer may be needed to complete the forms, and its definitions note that a building permit cannot be issued on the strength of a Conditional Letter of Map Revision, because a CLOMR does not change the flood map.
• Pools need a scalable survey showing the pool to scale, the construction permit application with building, electrical and plumbing technical sections, a zoning permit application, a drawing of the pool bonding and grounding, specifications for the pool, filter and ladder, and a fence with self-locking gates.
• Demolition follows the borough’s checklist, revised in May 2023: disconnect letters from PSE&G, the water company, cable and phone providers; written notice to adjoining owners; a sewer cap at the curb inspected by the building or plumbing inspector before the permit is released (Public Works caps the sewer, 201-641-0023); a pest control letter; a statement on any known asbestos; a dig number; removal of any oil tank under a building permit; a temporary fence around the whole site; clean sidewalks; a survey; and, for demolition only, a graded and seeded lot afterwards.
• Rentals of a home need a certificate of rental from the Building Department, and the lead-based paint rules for rental dwellings are posted with it.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial buildings use the same state permit packet, with sealed plans. A commercial sale or new tenancy needs the borough’s commercial certificate of compliance, at $150 per unit, listing the business’s hours of operation and number of employees; as with homes, no one may occupy the space before the Building Department approves it. Crane work needs a crane permit. Site plans and variances for businesses go to the combined Planning/Zoning Board, which uses a 2026 application form.

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

• NJDEP permits. The floodplain packet says applicants must first obtain the other required federal, state and local permits, including the state’s land resource protection permits, and attach them.
• Combined Planning/Zoning Board. One board acts as both planning board and zoning board of adjustment; it meets on the third Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m., and owners within 200 feet are notified of variance, site plan and major subdivision hearings.
• Meadowlands land use. For lots in the Meadowlands Commission’s land use area, ask the Building Department which agency reviews zoning. The commission’s role now sits with the NJ Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA), whose Meadowlands District list includes part of Little Ferry.
• Soil and county approvals. The demolition checklist notes that demolition with new construction disturbing more than 5,000 square feet needs approval from the Bergen County Soil Conservation District (201-261-4407), and work in a county road needs Bergen County’s road opening permit.
• Borough streets. Opening, trenching or otherwise disturbing any street right of way needs the borough’s road opening application with a certificate of insurance and workers’ compensation details; the applicant maintains the area until Public Works or the Building Department approves it, and no concrete may be poured while there is frost on the ground.
• Trees and stormwater. Tree removal needs a borough permit, and the borough’s stormwater page links its stormwater control, private storm drain inlet and tree removal ordinances.

Little Ferry permit costs and fees

Little Ferry’s UCC construction fees are fixed by borough ordinance in the Borough Code on eCode360; the Building Department page does not publish the schedule, so call 201-641-2942 for the fee on a specific project before you submit the application packet. The borough’s forms do print these charges:

On top of the borough’s construction fees, the state collects its training-fee surcharge on each permit, and the plan review fee is normally paid at filing and credited when the permit is issued. A resale certificate will not be issued while any taxes, penalties or fees are owed to the borough.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Every trade is a section of the same construction permit application, reviewed and inspected by the borough’s subcode official for that trade; DCA reviews elevators.

• Electrical: wiring, services and pool equipment are filed on the electrical section; contractors need a state electrical contractor license.
• Plumbing and gas: contractor work requires a state-licensed master plumber, and gas and water piping changes are never ordinary maintenance.
• Fire protection: alarm and suppression systems are reviewed by the fire protection subcode official.
• Flood-resistant construction: work in a flood hazard area is checked by the Floodplain Administrator, who reviews the final elevation certificate for accuracy.

Home improvement contractors must be registered with the Division of Consumer Affairs, and builders of new homes with DCA.

How to apply for a Little Ferry building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

A complete construction application must be acted on within 20 business days under the UCC. In Little Ferry the floodplain review usually decides the timetable: the Floodplain Administrator cannot finish without the state permits and full flood hazard information, and will tell the applicant what is missing before issuing or denying the permit.

Inspections and certificates in Little Ferry

Inspection requests go through the SDL portal. In a flood hazard area the Floodplain Administrator or another borough official also inspects during and after construction, and the final elevation certificate showing the finished building is reviewed before the file is closed.

Selling a home requires a certificate of continued occupancy under Ordinances 1272-04-09 and 1605-19-23: $100 per unit, a named contact for the inspector, and no one may move in before the Building Department approves. The certificate is issued only after every open permit is closed and all borough taxes and fees are paid. The buyer signs a certificate in lieu of oath stating how many dwelling units the house contains, that the basement will not be used for living or sleeping, and that no unit will be rented for less than 180 days. The packet’s alarm rules depend on the year the house was built. A house built before 1977 may rely on 10-year sealed battery detectors on each level and near sleeping areas, while one built in 2000 or later needs interconnected 110-volt detectors with battery backup on every level, inside every bedroom and within 10 feet outside sleeping rooms, with no exemption for sprinklered buildings. In every case, smoke detectors more than 10 years old must be replaced, battery units must be 10-year sealed types, carbon monoxide detectors older than 5 years must be replaced unless the maker allows longer, and carbon monoxide detectors are needed within 10 feet of sleeping areas, on every level, outside any room with a fuel-burning appliance and near an attached garage door. The packet, revised in August 2025, also lists an ABC fire extinguisher rated at least 2A:10B:C within 10 feet of the kitchen, mounted no more than 5 feet up.

New Jersey building code in Little Ferry

Little Ferry builds to the state UCC, which moved to the 2024 International Codes and the 2023 NEC on August 17, 2026; complete applications with all prior approvals may still follow the 2021 codes until February 17, 2027. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Little Ferry as community 340046, participating in the National Flood Insurance Program with flood maps effective August 28, 2019, and as a Community Rating System class 7 community, which gives eligible policies a 15% 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

Little Ferry permit search and official resources

To see permit files or inspection records, file an OPRA request for non-police records with the Borough Clerk (201-641-8462); the request form is on the Clerk’s page. The Building Department also has a form to request verification of owner and tenant information.

• Little Ferry Building Department
• Permit and inspection requests (SDL portal)
• Zoning and floodplain permit packet
• Flood insurance and floodplain information (CRS)
• Certificate of resale application
• Certificate of rental application
• Commercial certificate of rental or resale
• Demolition checklist
• Pool requirements
• Road opening permit
• Tree removal application
• Combined Planning/Zoning Board
• Borough Clerk and OPRA request form
• NJ DCA construction permit forms
• NJ DCA Local Construction Contacts roster
• FEMA Community Status Book, New Jersey

Little Ferry building permit FAQs

Do I need a floodplain permit in Little Ferry?

Yes, for development of any kind in a state-regulated floodplain or FEMA flood hazard area; the application fee is $100 and state permits must be attached.

Who is the Construction Code Official?

Keith Dalton, reached at 201-641-9234 ext. 664; the department’s technical assistant line is 201-641-2942.

What does a resale certificate cost?

$100 per unit, with extra fees if an inspection fails; the house cannot be occupied before approval.

Can I rent my house on Airbnb in Little Ferry?

No. Section 35-122.2 of the borough code bars renting a home for less than 180 days.

When does the land use board meet?

The combined Planning/Zoning Board meets on the third Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Borough Hall.

How do I request an inspection?

Through the SDL portal linked from the Building Department page.

What does a commercial certificate of compliance cost?

$150 per unit for a commercial sale or new tenancy, with extra fees for failed inspections.

Does Little Ferry get a flood insurance discount?

Yes. FEMA lists the borough in Community Rating System class 7, a 15% discount on eligible flood insurance premiums.

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