Southampton Township, New Jersey Building Permit Guide

Construction permits in Southampton Township come from the township’s Construction & Zoning office in the Municipal Building at 5 Retreat Road (609-859-2786), where Tom Boyd is the Construction Official and building subcode official. The township’s own officials review building, electrical, plumbing and fire work, while the state Department of Community Affairs holds the elevator subcode. Inspection requests must be emailed at least 24 hours ahead, and the zoning officer works from the same office.

What requires a building permit in Southampton Township?

Southampton enforces New Jersey’s Uniform Construction Code, which, in the words the township quotes, bars constructing, extending, repairing, removing or altering a building without a permit “except for ordinary repairs.” The township office posts its own “When Don’t You Need Them?” list to help residents, and says plainly that the list is not complete.

The township list is older than the current state text. Its roofing and siding entries stop at repairs to 25% of the roof or wall area in a year, while the version of N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7 that DCA now publishes treats repair or replacement of the roof covering on a detached one- or two-family house, and of siding on one- and two-family houses other than polypropylene siding, as ordinary maintenance. The office notes that plumbing items were left for a later newsletter; the state list covers faucets, traps, valves, leak repairs and like-for-like fixture swaps. Minor work under N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.17A, such as replacing a water heater, furnace or air conditioner with one of like capacity, still needs a permit: the office is told before work starts and the application follows within five business days.

Alliance handles electrical permits for contractors here. More on this: who pulls the electrical permit.

What Southampton decides and what the state holds

The building standards come from the state. The township sets its construction fees and land use rules in the Southampton code (Chapter 12 covers land use, Chapter 21 stormwater), keeps rental registration and rental and resale inspections, and has a Historic Preservation Commission that takes applications for certificates of appropriateness. Southampton is also on the Pinelands Commission’s list of Burlington County Pinelands municipalities, and the Township Clerk’s page links the Commission’s property maps.

Southampton Township building department: who handles permitting

The township’s Construction & Zoning office is the local enforcing agency. Its web page names Tom Boyd as Construction Official and building subcode official, and he also handles resale inspections. Separate township subcode officials cover plumbing and mechanical work and electrical work, each keeping limited office hours, and DCA’s Local Construction Contacts roster (as of September 2, 2026) puts the elevator subcode with the Department of Community Affairs. A zoning officer and a code enforcement officer work from the same office.

Southampton Township permit types

The township’s document center lists the forms it uses: the construction permit application (the state F100 jacket), a building technical card, 2025 versions of the electrical, plumbing, fire protection and mechanical cards, a chimney verification card, the framing checklist and the state application for a variation. Because the subcode officials keep different hours, ask which day a plan will be looked at before you drop it off.

Residential permits

• Houses, additions and remodels. Building card plus each trade card that applies; the framing checklist goes with framed work.
• Heating equipment. Fuel-burning appliance changes use the mechanical card and the chimney verification card; a like-capacity furnace, boiler or air conditioner swap is minor work.
• Outdoor wood boilers. The township posts a separate permit notice and acknowledgement form for these units.
• Electric vehicle chargers. A homeowner’s guide to charging stations sits with the construction forms.
• Rentals. Landlords use the rental registration form, the rental inspection application and a rental insurance application and a lead-based paint application dated December 2024.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial jobs use the same jacket and technical cards, with the fire protection card for sprinklers, alarms and hoods. Projects that need site plan approval use the township’s site plan application and its minor, preliminary and final checklists, and Ordinance 2025-07 shows how use rules shift by zone (it added dog training and enrichment facilities to the Highway Commercial zone).

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 permit. The township’s zoning permit application is filed with the zoning officer in the same office, and the township also posts a land use and development bulk requirements sheet.
• Land Development Board. Bulk and use variances, appeals, nonconforming use and special requests, subdivisions and site plans each have their own application, with a board fee sheet and an escrow agreement.
• Historic review. The Historic Preservation Commission meets monthly at 6 p.m. at 5 Retreat Road and takes applications for a certificate of appropriateness; the master plan includes a Route 70 historic district map.
• Pinelands. Check the Pinelands Commission’s property map for the lot before designing a project.
• Septic and wells. The Burlington County Health Department in Westampton (609-265-5548) handles septic and well matters.
• Soil. Disturbing more than 5,000 square feet needs a plan certified by the Burlington County Soil Conservation District, 1971 Jacksonville-Jobstown Road, Columbus (609-267-7410).

Southampton Township permit costs and fees

Southampton’s construction fees are set by ordinance in the township code, which the township publishes through its code of ordinances link rather than as a separate fee sheet on its construction page. Each technical card carries its own fee, so to price a job call 609-859-2786 with the cost of work, the volume of any new space and a count of fixtures and devices.

State rules frame the bill whatever the township rate: the plan review fee, a share of the permit fee, is paid at submission and credited at issuance unless the ordinance collects it with the permit; a certificate of occupancy carries its own fee; and the state surcharge adds $0.00371 per cubic foot of new buildings and additions and $1.90 per $1,000 of value on other work. Zoning, Land Development Board and escrow charges are separate from the construction fee, and the board’s fee sheet and escrow agreement come with the board applications.

One more fee can apply to building projects. Ordinance 2025-02 amended Section 12-4.12 of the code so that the township can collect development fees in support of affordable housing, and Ordinance 2026-01, adopted on March 10, 2026, replaced Section 12-4.12 with a new “Affordable Housing” section; ask the office whether your project is subject to the fee before you budget.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Each trade is a card inside the one construction permit, reviewed and inspected by that trade’s township subcode official. In Southampton one official covers both plumbing and mechanical work, and the electrical official keeps separate hours, so time trade questions to those days.

• Electrical: service upgrades, new circuits and EV chargers go on the electrical card; like-for-like device swaps on the township’s list do not, and up to five new outlets on an adequate circuit in a house count as minor work.
• Plumbing: new or relocated fixtures, water heaters, gas piping and water or sewer work use the plumbing card.
• Mechanical: furnace, boiler and air conditioning replacements in one- and two-family homes use the mechanical card with a chimney verification for fuel-burning equipment.
• Fire protection: sprinklers, alarm systems, kitchen hoods and fuel tanks use the fire card.

Electrical contractors, master plumbers and HVACR contractors hold New Jersey licenses, contractors who improve homes register with the Division of Consumer Affairs, and new-home builders register with DCA. An owner may do the work on a home they own and live in. The township posts a “Homeowner Beware” notice for owners to read before signing the certification in lieu of oath on a permit application.

How to apply for a Southampton Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

A complete application must be approved or denied within 20 business days under the state code, with the construction official acting for building work and each subcode official for a trade-only permit. Drop-offs line up with each subcode official’s hours, and a missing zoning approval or an open Pinelands or county health question stops the file until it is answered.

Inspections and certificates in Southampton Township

Southampton takes inspection requests in writing only, by email to construction@southamptonnj.org, following N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.18. The request must arrive at least 24 hours before the inspection is wanted, and one sent outside office hours counts as received the next business day. In making the request, the owner or person in charge (other than a single-family owner doing their own work) attests that the work is finished and ready.

Plan the usual stages: footings and foundation, rough plumbing, electrical and framing, insulation, and finals for each trade. A new building needs a certificate of occupancy before anyone uses it, and altered space a certificate of approval; minor work must be inspected within three business days of the request.

Resales and rentals

Resale inspections are part of the construction office’s work in Southampton: the township posts a 2026 resale inspection application, and the Construction Official is listed for resale inspections. Rental units have their own inspection application and registration form. Sellers also need the smoke alarm and carbon monoxide alarm certificate that the state fire code requires before a home changes occupant; ask the office whether the township resale inspection covers it and what it checks.

New Jersey building code in Southampton Township

The township applies the Uniform Construction Code as DCA adopts it: the 2024 I-codes and National Standard Plumbing Code with the 2023 NEC since August 17, 2026, with the 2021 codes still allowed for complete applications holding every prior approval until February 17, 2027. FEMA lists Southampton (community 340115) as a participating National Flood Insurance Program community, with flood maps effective December 21, 2017; the Township Clerk’s page links FEMA’s flood map viewer.

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

Southampton Township permit search and official resources

Old permits, certificates and inspection files are public records: file the township’s OPRA request form with the Township Clerk, who is the records custodian (609-859-2736, option 5). The Clerk’s page also points buyers of new homes to NJDEP’s Data Miner for the off-site conditions lists that state law requires the clerk to keep.

• Construction & Zoning page, forms and inspection rules
• Township code of ordinances
• Township ordinance list (2025 and 2026)
• Historic Preservation Commission
• Boards and committees
• Township Clerk, OPRA and Pinelands map links
• DCA construction permit forms
• N.J.A.C. 5:23-2, permits and ordinary maintenance
• DCA Local Construction Contacts roster
• Pinelands Commission municipality list
• Burlington County Health Department, environmental health
• NJ soil conservation district directory
• FEMA Community Status Book, New Jersey

Southampton Township building permit FAQs

How do I schedule an inspection in Southampton Township?

Email construction@southamptonnj.org at least 24 hours ahead; phone requests do not meet the written-notice rule the township follows.

Who is the construction official?

Tom Boyd, who is also the building subcode official and handles resale inspections; he is in the office Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Do I need a permit for a new roof?

The current state rule makes replacing the roof covering on a detached one- or two-family house ordinary maintenance, even though the township’s older list mentions only repairs up to 25%; confirm with the office if the deck or structure is also being changed.

How much will my permit cost?

The fee comes from the township’s construction fee ordinance and is calculated per technical card; call 609-859-2786 with the job cost for a figure.

Is Southampton in the Pinelands?

It is one of the Burlington County municipalities on the Pinelands Commission’s list, and the Clerk’s page links the Commission’s property map.

What do I need to sell my house?

A township resale inspection through the Construction & Zoning office, plus the state fire code’s smoke and carbon monoxide alarm certificate before the new occupant moves in.

Where do variances go?

To the Land Development Board, using the bulk or use variance application and the board’s fee sheet and escrow agreement.

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