North Arlington Borough, New Jersey Building Permit Guide

In the Borough of North Arlington, construction permits and inspections come from the Construction Department at Borough Hall, 214 Ridge Road (201-991-6060). The borough’s fee ordinance, Ordinance 2148, charges $65 for the first $1,000 of an alteration and $18 for each $1,000 after that, and a certificate of occupancy is needed every time a property is sold or an apartment or business space is rented. Parcels inside the Meadowlands District also deal with the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority on zoning.

What requires a building permit in North Arlington?

The Construction Department publishes its own list of work that needs a construction permit, and asks owners to call when a job is not on it. Roofing, siding and driveways are on it alongside structural work, although the state’s ordinary maintenance rules cover roof covering replacement on a detached one- or two-family house and siding replacement on a one- or two-family house (not polypropylene siding), so ask the department which applies to your job.

The borough’s fee ordinance also prices a zoning review ($15) and zoning permits for fences of 6 feet or less and sheds up to 100 square feet ($50 each), so small yard projects start with zoning even when the construction side is minor.

What North Arlington decides and what the state holds

The technical code is the state’s. North Arlington’s own pieces are its Chapter 122 construction fee schedule, the certificate of occupancy it requires on every change of owner or tenant, rent control and landlord registration for buildings with three or more dwellings, and its zoning. Part of the borough lies inside the Hackensack Meadowlands District, where the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA) runs zoning and site plan review. Elevator inspections are handled by a private agency: the DCA roster lists Municipal Inspection Corp as the borough’s elevator subcode official.

North Arlington building department: who handles permitting

The Construction Department is the borough’s enforcing agency. The Construction Code Official, the fire subcode official and the fire official keep hours Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the building, electrical and plumbing inspectors keep set weekly hours (see Inspections). Elevator devices go to Municipal Inspection Corp; under Ordinance 2148, elevator fees are a percentage of the state’s departmental fees set by the borough’s contract with its third-party agency.

North Arlington permit types

Applications use the state UCC jacket with the building, electrical, plumbing and fire protection technical sections. Ordinance 2148 builds the fee from the parts of the job: building volume or cost, plumbing fixtures and equipment, electrical fixtures and devices, and fire protection devices, with a $65 minimum for any construction permit.

Residential permits

• New houses and additions are priced by volume, at $0.0371 per cubic foot for one- and two-family dwellings (minimum $400 for new construction and $100 for an addition).
• Alterations and repairs are priced by estimated cost; the Construction Official may ask for an architect’s, estimator’s or contractor’s cost data, or a bona fide bid, and makes the final call on the figure.
• Accessory buildings in Use Group U carry a flat $150 building fee.
• Demolition of a one- or two-family house is $500, and of an accessory structure over 99 square feet $75; interior demolition of a house is $100. Removing or abandoning a residential oil tank is $125.
• Pools carry electrical fees for bonding ($75), each light ($50) and each pump, filter or motor ($65), and the ordinance says no permit is issued for bonding alone.

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

Commercial permits

Assembly, business, educational, factory, hazardous, institutional and mercantile buildings, hotels and multifamily buildings are charged $0.055 per cubic foot, with a $500 minimum. A business moving into space needs a certificate of occupancy ($250 for business or mercantile uses, $400 for others) and zoning approval before the inspection. Interior demolition in commercial or multifamily buildings is $200 per floor or dwelling unit, signs are $75 (freestanding $100), and an annual construction permit for facilities with in-house maintenance workers is $600 for up to 25 workers plus $200 for each worker over 25.

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. Borough zoning review comes first; fences of 6 feet or less and sheds up to 100 square feet take a $50 zoning permit.
• Meadowlands District parcels. NJSEA requires a zoning certificate for every new building, addition, site improvement (including fill) and change of use in the District, and its Plan Review group checks the plans against the UCC. NJSEA takes applications only by email to its plans address.
• Rentals. Landlords of buildings with three or more dwellings register, file yearly fire alarm reports from an alarm company or certified electrician, and send monthly rent reports.
• Soil disturbance. Projects disturbing more than 5,000 square feet need a soil erosion and sediment control plan certified by the Bergen County Soil Conservation District.

North Arlington permit costs and fees

Construction fees are set in Chapter 122, Section 3 of the borough code, as amended by Ordinance 2148 (introduced May 14, 2015 and dated June 11, 2015), which the Construction Department links as its fee schedule. The department also says fees depend on several variables and invites applicants to call or stop in for exact amounts.

Worked example from the alteration rate: a $20,000 kitchen renovation in a house carries a building fee of $65 for the first $1,000 plus 19 × $18 = $342, or $407, before the separate plumbing and electrical items and the state surcharge, which the ordinance collects under N.J.A.C. 5:23-4.19. No local permit fee is charged for work done solely to make an existing building accessible to people with disabilities. Other items in the ordinance include $92 for a tent over 900 square feet or more than 30 feet in any dimension, $10 per $1,000 (minimum $200) to move a building, $85 for a lead hazard abatement permit, $14 for an asbestos removal certificate of approval, $125 for a variation on a one- or two-family dwelling ($200 for a commercial structure, and no fee for an accessibility variation on a house), and $200 or $500 for energy subcode review of alternate or renewable energy systems. Commercial backflow devices are tested annually for $75 each. Ordinance 2148 is the newest fee ordinance the department links; ask the office whether Chapter 122 has been amended since 2015.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Plumbing, electrical and fire work are separate technical sections of the same application, each inspected on its own schedule. Electrical contractors and master plumbers hold state licenses; home improvement contractors register with the Division of Consumer Affairs, and an owner working on their own home is exempt from that registration.

• Plumbing fees run per fixture, appurtenance and appliance, with flat fees for a house sewer line ($85), a water service line ($65), lawn sprinklers ($65 for a house) and subsoil drains ($50). Roof and area drains carry no fee in one- and two-family dwellings.
• Electrical fees run per group of fixtures, motor size, service or panel size and appliance rating; fire alarm panels in houses are $50.
• Fire protection work is reviewed by the fire subcode official; smoke-control and similar systems are charged $65 for the first $1,000 of cost and $18 per $1,000 after that, minimum $100.
• Elevators are inspected by Municipal Inspection Corp.

How to apply for a North Arlington building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

A missing prior approval is the most common hold-up: the borough requires zoning approval before a business inspection, and District parcels need the NJSEA certificate before plan review. Disputes over the estimated cost of work also slow alteration permits, because the fee is calculated from it. Once an application is complete, the state’s 20-business-day review period applies.

Inspections and certificates in North Arlington

New buildings receive a certificate of occupancy at $100 per dwelling unit for residential uses, or $200 to $400 for other buildings depending on size and height. The first renewal of a temporary certificate costs $25.

Certificate of occupancy on sale or rental

North Arlington requires a certificate of occupancy whenever a property is sold or changes owner, and every time an apartment or business space is rented. Since July 1, 2015 the borough page lists $75 for a one-family home or each apartment, $125 for a two-family, $175 for a three-family and $225 for a four-family home, which matches the ordinance’s $75 for the first unit and $50 for each additional unit; larger complexes should call for the fee. Business and mercantile spaces are $250 and other uses $400. For a rental, the request form asks for the move-in date and the landlord’s and tenant’s details, and the inspection is not scheduled until every field is filled in.

Buildings with three or more dwellings are also under the borough’s rent control: rents above $500 may rise no more than 4% a year, with a separate senior rent increase ordinance (Ordinance 2258).

New Jersey building code in North Arlington

North Arlington enforces the statewide UCC through its own Construction Department, with a private agency holding the elevator subcode and NJSEA handling zoning in the borough’s share of the Meadowlands District. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists North Arlington (community 340055) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps dated August 28, 2019.

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

North Arlington permit search and official resources

To see permits, certificates or plans on file for a property, make an Open Public Records Act request to the Borough Clerk at Borough Hall, 214 Ridge Road. For Meadowlands District parcels, NJSEA keeps its own application files and lists opened applications by year.

• North Arlington Construction Department
• Ordinance 2148, construction code fees (Chapter 122)
• Request for certificate of occupancy, rental unit
• NJSEA: the Meadowlands District and its 14 municipalities
• NJSEA land use applications and plan review
• NJSEA Zoning Officer of the Day
• DCA Local Construction Contacts roster
• DCA construction permit forms
• FEMA Community Status Book, New Jersey

North Arlington building permit FAQs

Do I need a permit to replace my roof in North Arlington?

The borough lists replacing a roof and new siding among the jobs that need a construction permit, while the state rules treat roof covering replacement on a detached one- or two-family house as ordinary maintenance; call the Construction Department to confirm what your job needs.

How much is a permit for a kitchen renovation?

The building fee is $65 for the first $1,000 of cost and $18 for each further $1,000, so a $20,000 job is $407 before plumbing, electrical and state fees.

Do I need a certificate to sell my house?

Yes. A certificate of occupancy is required on every sale or ownership change; a one-family home is $75.

Do I need one to rent out an apartment?

Yes, each time an apartment is rented, at $75 per apartment, and buildings with three or more dwellings are also under rent control.

Does a fence need a permit?

Fences are on the borough’s permit list, and the fee ordinance charges $50 for a zoning permit for a fence of 6 feet or less.

Is my property in the Meadowlands District?

Part of North Arlington is; NJSEA’s Zoning Officer of the Day (201-460-1700) answers zoning questions for District parcels.

When does the plumbing inspector come?

Monday and Wednesday between 8 and 10 a.m.

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