Lodi Borough, New Jersey Building Permit Guide

Construction permits in the Borough of Lodi come from the Building Department in Room 204 of Borough Hall, One Memorial Drive (973-859-7410), where Nicholas Melfi is Construction Official and also Zoning Officer. The department issues residential, commercial and industrial permits and inspects building, electrical and plumbing work; contractors who work in the borough register with it first, paying a $50 processing fee and naming the borough on their insurance certificate. Changes of use and new tenants go through the zoning office for a resale or new tenant certificate.

What requires a building permit in Lodi?

Whether a job needs a construction permit is decided by the state code: ordinary maintenance needs none, minor work needs a permit but may start after notice, and other work must wait for the permit. Lodi adds its own local permits, a zoning permit and a contractor registration, so most projects touch more than one form.

A zoning approval does not replace any construction, fire or health permit: the zoning permit form says those may still be needed once the zoning official has approved the project.

What Lodi decides and what the state holds

The building, electrical and plumbing standards, the exemptions and the review deadlines are set by the state. Lodi sets its zoning, subdivision and site plan ordinances, its construction fees, the contractor registration, the street opening rules and the resale and new tenant certificate. The roster shows that DCA, not the borough, holds Lodi’s elevator subcode. For health matters, the borough’s site sends residents to the Bergen County Department of Health Services.

Lodi building department: who handles permitting

The Building Department, which the borough’s forms also call the Department of Inspections, is Lodi’s enforcing agency. DCA’s roster (as of September 2, 2026) lists Nicholas Melfi Jr. as construction official and building subcode official, one borough official for both electrical and fire protection, a separate plumbing official, and the Department of Community Affairs for elevators. The Zoning Department shares Room 204 and administers the zoning, subdivision and site plan ordinances.

Appeals of construction code decisions go to the Bergen County Construction Board of Appeals, 201-336-6987.

Lodi permit types

Construction work is filed on the state’s permit application and technical sections. The borough adds its own forms, all posted on the Building Department page.

Residential permits

• Zoning permit. The first step for most exterior work and additions; an owner who sends someone else to apply signs an authorization naming that designee.
• Local permit application. A one-page borough form recording the type of permit, contractor and license number, description, estimated cost and fee, with spaces for the zoning official and inspector.
• Soil movement. Regrading or importing and exporting soil uses the soil movement application under Chapter 470 of the Land Use Ordinance. It must include soil quantity computations, building plans for any new construction that causes the soil movement, design computations for retaining walls over 5 feet and, when more than 200 cubic yards move or an in-ground pool is built, a topographic plan of the whole site. Projects adding more than 500 square feet of impervious surface need seepage pits or other on-site detention.
• Sewer connections. Anyone connecting to the sewer, or changing how an existing connection is used, completes the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission connection unit form, which PVSC describes as a UCC prior approval; projects that need a treatment works approval use PVSC’s longer application.

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

Commercial permits

A business moving into a space, or a commercial property being sold, needs a certificate of occupancy through the zoning office; the borough posts an application for commercial sales and new tenants and an online resale and new tenant certificate application covering business certificates, business resales, business tenancies and mixed commercial and residential buildings. For a site plan waiver, the Planning Board’s checklist asks for 14 copies plus the original of the application and of a survey no more than a year old (or architect’s plans) and a drawing of the building exterior, filed with the Zoning Department at least 10 days before the meeting with a $250 non-refundable fee and a $1,500 professional review escrow. The board generally expects perimeter sidewalks, curbs and landscaping to be in good condition. The separate certificate of occupancy packet for commercial sales and new tenants, also heard by the Planning Board with the same fee and escrow, asks for 14 packages of the survey, drawings and plans of the space, accepts a survey up to 10 years old if a survey affidavit is attached, and requires a corporation or LLC to be represented by an attorney.

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

What comes before the construction permit

• Zoning approval. The Zoning Officer checks the use, setbacks and bulk rules before construction permits follow.
• Boards. Lodi has a separate Planning Board, which meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers, and a Zoning Board; each has its own hearing application, and both the applicant and the owner must attend a Planning Board hearing.
• Sewer. The PVSC connection form goes in before the permit as a prior approval.
• Soil and county approvals. Disturbing more than 5,000 square feet needs soil conservation district certification, and county roads need Bergen County’s road opening permit.

Lodi permit costs and fees

Lodi’s UCC construction fees are fixed by ordinance in the borough code, published on eCode360, and the Building Department does not post the schedule on its page; ask the department at 973-859-7410 for the fee on your project before you file the application. Fees the borough prints on its own forms are:

Worked example from the Chapter 470 schedule: moving 4,000 cubic yards on a commercial site costs 3,000 × $0.20 ($600) plus 1,000 × $0.15 ($150), or $750; moving 400 cubic yards on a single-family lot works out to $80 and is charged the $300 minimum. The escrow pays the board’s attorney, engineer and other professionals, and property taxes must be current before a site plan waiver is heard. Construction permits also carry the state’s training-fee surcharge, and under state rules the plan review fee is normally due when the application is filed.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical, plumbing and fire protection work is applied for on the matching technical sections of the construction application. In Lodi a single borough official holds both the electrical and fire protection posts, a separate official handles plumbing, and DCA covers elevators.

• Contractor registration. Before working in Lodi, a contractor files the borough’s contractor application with company and owner details, years in business, insurance policies, at least three references and the type of registration: general, demolition, swimming pool, sign or billboard, roofing and siding, moving or miscellaneous. The Construction Official approves it and issues a registration number, which can be revoked for false statements.
• State credentials. Home improvement contractors also hold the state registration from the Division of Consumer Affairs, and electrical contractors, master plumbers and HVACR contractors hold state licenses.
• Sewer work. Anyone making a new sewer connection or changing how one is used files the PVSC form through the borough or by fax to PVSC.

The local permit form asks for the contractor’s license number, so have the borough registration in place before the permit is filed.

How to apply for a Lodi building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Under the UCC, a complete application must be approved or denied within 20 business days. In Lodi the common delays come before that clock starts: an unregistered contractor, a missing owner authorization on the zoning form, unpaid property taxes holding up a board hearing, or a PVSC approval not yet in the file.

Inspections and certificates in Lodi

The Building Department carries out building, electrical and plumbing subcode inspections; arrange them through the department at 973-859-7410. A new building or a change of use needs a certificate of occupancy before it is used, and the Zoning Department issues the certificates for the use or occupancy of a building, including the resale and new tenant certificate.

Street openings have strict notice rules. The Department of Inspections and Public Works must be told 24 hours before any road is opened, the Police Department 48 hours before (973-473-7600), and roads may not be opened on Fridays. The borough’s backfill guidance calls for dense graded aggregate compacted in 6-inch lifts, saw-cut edges, 5 to 6 inches of stabilized base left 2 to 3 weeks to settle, then 1 to 2 inches of surface pavement with a tack coat.

A roll-off dumpster or storage pod set on or along a street needs a Department of Inspections permit. The container must carry yellow reflective diamond panels at least 18 inches square, mounted at least 3 feet above the road surface and facing traffic; the permit lasts 7 days, can be renewed to a total of 30, and the applicant is responsible for any damage to the roadway.

New Jersey building code in Lodi

Lodi’s inspectors apply the state UCC, built since August 17, 2026 on the 2024 I-codes, the 2024 National Standard Plumbing Code and the 2023 NEC, with complete 2021-code applications accepted until February 17, 2027. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Lodi as community 340047, participating in the National Flood Insurance Program with flood maps dated August 28, 2019, and in Community Rating System class 10, which carries 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

Lodi permit search and official resources

To see permit or inspection files, submit an OPRA request to the Borough Clerk online or in Room 202 of Borough Hall, describing each record you want. Records that are readily available are provided at once; otherwise the clerk has seven business days to respond.

• Lodi Building Department and forms
• Lodi Zoning Department
• Zoning permit application
• Contractor license (registration) application
• Local permit application
• Site plan waiver checklist
• Street opening permit packet
• PVSC sewer connection unit application
• Soil movement application and Chapter 470 fees
• Commercial certificate of occupancy application
• Resale and new tenant certificate application
• Planning Board agendas and minutes
• Open Public Records Act requests
• NJ DCA construction permit forms
• NJ DCA Local Construction Contacts roster
• Bergen County Construction Board of Appeals
• FEMA Community Status Book, New Jersey

Lodi building permit FAQs

Do contractors need to register in Lodi?

Yes. Contractors file the borough’s contractor application with a $50 processing fee, insurance naming the borough and three references, and receive a registration number from the Construction Official.

Is a zoning permit the same as a building permit?

No. Lodi’s zoning permit form says it is not a building, fire or health permit; those may be needed after zoning approval.

When does the Planning Board meet?

On the second Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers; applications are due 10 days before.

Can I open the street on a Friday?

No. Lodi does not allow roads to be opened on Fridays, and the Department of Inspections and Public Works need 24 hours’ notice.

Who handles sewer connections?

The Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission, through its connection unit form filed with the borough or faxed to PVSC.

Who is Lodi’s Construction Official?

Nicholas Melfi, who is also the Zoning Officer, in Room 204 of Borough Hall.

How much is a dumpster permit in Lodi?

$100 for a roll-off dumpster and $150 for a storage pod placed on the roadway, valid for 7 days and renewable up to 30 days in total.

How do I get old permit records?

File an OPRA request with the Borough Clerk; copies cost 5 cents a letter page.

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