Union City's Building Department at City Hall, 3715 Palisade Avenue, enforces the Uniform Construction Code for the most densely populated city in New Jersey — a Hudson County city on the Palisades that is routinely confused with Union Township in Union County and shares nothing with it but a name. Chapter 122 of the city code carries a waiver found nowhere else: the city waives all building construction permit fees for improvements to buildings constructed after 2002 that currently use exterior ceramic tiles, alongside waivers for qualified New Jersey nonprofit corporations' construction and for improvements that make structures more accessible for disabled persons.
The city's other rules follow the building after the permit. Under the building requirements and maintenance article, owners of all occupied buildings submit an annual certification to the Health Department by June 30 that there is no visible mould and no pending tenant mould complaint; an owner whose illegal occupancy displaces tenants is responsible for their relocation costs under state law; and the Rent Leveling Board, at the same City Hall address, administers rent control over the city's rental stock.
This guide covers Union City in Hudson County. West New York, North Bergen, Weehawken and Hoboken are separate Hudson County municipalities with their own enforcing agencies, Hudson County issues no construction permits, and Union Township in Union County is a different municipality with a different code.
Ceramic tile is a fee waiver, not a violation. Chapter 122 says the city shall waive all building construction permit fees for any building constructed after 2002 currently utilising exterior ceramic tiles, to promote replacement of those facades. The waiver covers the city's fees, not the state training fee, and it applies to the improvement of the building — ask for it on the application rather than after the fee is paid.
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Get a free quote →What requires a building permit in Union City?
Typically permit required
- Facade replacement on a post-2002 ceramic-tile building, which takes a permit like any other but with the city's fees waived on request
- Nonprofit construction and accessibility improvements, which take permits with the city's fees waived under Chapter 122
- Any renovation to a rent-controlled unit, which the Rent Leveling Board registers alongside the construction permit
- New buildings, additions and any structural work on an existing building
- Interior alterations that reconfigure space, add plumbing fixtures or extend circuits — renovation, alteration and reconstruction under the rehabilitation subcode
- Decks, and sheds over 200 square feet, over 10 feet tall or with a water, gas, oil or sewer connection
Often exempt
- Ordinary maintenance under N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7, which the Building Department does not need to hear about
- Painting, wallpapering and interior finishes on less than a quarter of the wall area of a house
- Like-for-like replacement of windows and doors in the same opening, and glass in any window or door
- Roof covering replacement on a detached one- or two-family dwelling, and siding replacement on a one- or two-family dwelling (not polypropylene siding)
- Garden sheds up to 200 square feet and 10 feet high with no water, gas, oil or sewer connection (wiring still needs an electrical permit), and fences up to 6 feet other than pool barriers — local zoning rules still apply to both
What is actually local, and what is not
Technical standards are the state's. Union City's layer is the local enforcing agency — the construction official and the building, electrical, plumbing and fire subcode officials, each licensed by the state under N.J.A.C. 5:23-5 — plus the municipal fee ordinance, the zoning officer's sign-off, and the Chapter 122 fee waivers and the annual mould certification and rent control regimes that follow every occupied building.
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
Who handles permitting in Union City?
The Building Department is the enforcing agency, with the Construction Official and the building, electrical, plumbing and fire subcode officials reviewing their sections of the state UCC jacket at City Hall. The zoning officer signs off before the permit, the Planning Board and Zoning Board hear applications, the Health Department receives the annual mould certifications, and the Rent Leveling Board administers rent control from the same building.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Department | Union City Building Department |
| Office | City Hall, 3715 Palisade Avenue, Union City, NJ 07087 |
| Phone | (201) 348-5710 |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm |
| Rent Leveling Board | 3715 Palisade Avenue — (201) 348-5734 |
| Fee waivers | Post-2002 ceramic-tile buildings, nonprofit construction and accessibility work under Chapter 122 |
Permit types
Residential permits
A Union City house project files the state UCC jacket with the subcode sections at City Hall, with zoning sign-off attached and the home improvement registration number on the application. A post-2002 building with a ceramic-tile facade files the same jacket and requests the Chapter 122 waiver of the city's fees; a rent-controlled building registers the renovation with the Rent Leveling Board; and every occupied building's owner files the mould certification with the Health Department by June 30 each year.
Commercial permits
Commercial and multi-family work in Union City clears site plan review, then files for construction review under Chapter 155's subcode fee schedule, amended most recently in 2024 and 2025. Nonprofit corporations building in the city and any project improving accessibility for disabled persons request the Chapter 122 waiver, and a change of use takes the certificate of occupancy or continued occupancy priced under the fee chapter.
Prior approvals, subcode review and the 20-day clock
In Union City the Palisades bring steep-slope and retaining-wall questions to nearly every site, the North Hudson Sewerage Authority signs off on connections, and the Hudson County planning board reviews frontage on county roads. Once complete, N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.16 gives the enforcing agency 20 business days to approve or reject a complete application, with a written list of deficiencies on any rejection.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →New Jersey has no general contractor licence: home improvement contractors register with the Division of Consumer Affairs, new-home builders with the Department of Community Affairs, and the trades hold state licences. New Jersey rules
Union City permit costs and fees
Fees follow Chapter 155 of the Union City code — the building, electrical, plumbing and fire subcode fees and the certificate fees it lists — plus the state training fee, with the Chapter 122 waivers applied on request.
| Item | Fee or rule |
|---|---|
| Construction permit | Sum of the subcode fees under Chapter 155, amended in 2024 and 2025, paid before issuance |
| Ceramic-tile facades | City permit fees waived for improvements to post-2002 buildings with exterior ceramic tile |
| Nonprofits and accessibility | City permit fees waived for qualified nonprofit construction and accessibility improvements |
| Certificates | Certificate of occupancy and continued occupancy fees under Chapter 155 |
| Rent control | Rent Leveling Board registration and any capital improvement surcharge application |
| State training fee | Added to most permits under N.J.A.C. 5:23-4.19 (demolition and abatement permits are exempt) — not waived |
June 30 is a construction deadline too. Every owner of an occupied building in Union City files an annual certification with the Health Department, no later than June 30, that there is no visible mould and no pending tenant mould complaint. A renovation that opens walls in the spring is the moment to fix what the certification will have to swear to.
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Get a free quote →Trade permits and who may pull them
Permit required
- Rent-controlled units — Rent Leveling Board registration alongside the construction permit
- Electrical — state-licensed electrical contractor; electrical subcode section
- Plumbing and gas piping — state-licensed master plumber; plumbing subcode section under the NSPC
- HVAC and fuel-fired equipment — licensed HVACR contractor; mechanical or fire subcode section
- Fire protection, alarms and sprinklers — fire protection subcode section, reviewed by the fire protection subcode official
Typically exempt
- Like-for-like fixture, receptacle, switch and light fixture replacement in the same location
- Communications wiring, doorbells and burglar alarms in a house, where no fire-rated assembly is penetrated
Trade work is permitted through the same construction permit application and inspected by each subcode official. New Jersey rules
How to apply for a Union City building permit
A zoning permit or planning board approval under the Municipal Land Use Law precedes the construction permit.
The home improvement registration number, or the new-home builder registration card, goes on the application.
One F100 application with the building, electrical, plumbing, fire and mechanical sections the scope requires, plus sealed plans where the UCC demands them.
Soil conservation, county planning board, DEP or overlay agency sign-offs are attached before the permit can issue.
Fees follow the local ordinance plus the state training fee surcharge; the plan review fee is usually paid when you apply and the rest before the permit issues.
Footing to final under 5:23-2.18, then the certificate of occupancy or approval that closes the permit.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Review, corrections and what actually causes delay
Union City reviews on the state's 20-business-day clock at a busy counter. What delays a Union City file is a waiver requested after the fee is paid, a rent-controlled renovation the Rent Leveling Board has not seen, and the wrong municipality — applications and calls meant for Union Township in Union County arrive here every week.
Inspections in Union City
N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.18 sets the inspection sequence statewide — bottom of footing trenches, foundation and backfill, rough framing, electrical and plumbing, insulation, and final — and the enforcing agency must inspect within three business days of the request. Work that passes final receives a certificate of occupancy for new buildings or changes of use, or a certificate of approval for everything else. Union City inspects by subcode from the Building Department at City Hall, with certificates of occupancy and continued occupancy priced under Chapter 155; the Health Department's mould certification and the Rent Leveling Board's registrations run on their own calendars beside the construction file.
Union City permit search and official resources
- Union City Code Chapter 122 — Construction Codes, Uniform — the ceramic-tile, nonprofit and accessibility fee waivers
- Union City Code — building requirements and maintenance — the annual mould certification and relocation cost rule
- Union City Rent Control — the Rent Leveling Board
- New Jersey Uniform Construction Code (N.J.A.C. 5:23) — the statewide code and subcode adoptions from the Department of Community Affairs
- DCA rule proposals and adoptions — the August 2026 notice adopting the 2024 model codes and 2023 NEC
- Home improvement contractor registration — Division of Consumer Affairs registration
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Frequently asked questions
Is this Union City or Union Township?
Union City, in Hudson County, on the Palisades. Union Township in Union County is a different municipality with its own enforcing agency and code.
What is the ceramic-tile fee waiver?
Chapter 122 waives all city building construction permit fees for improvements to buildings constructed after 2002 that currently have exterior ceramic tile, to encourage replacement of those facades.
Are there other waivers?
Yes. The same chapter waives the city's permit fees for construction by qualified New Jersey nonprofit corporations and for improvements that make structures more accessible for disabled persons.
What is the mould certification?
An annual certification every owner of an occupied building files with the Health Department by June 30, stating there is no visible mould and no pending tenant mould complaint.
Does a renovation to a rental need rent control approval?
Rent-controlled units are administered by the Rent Leveling Board at City Hall, which registers renovations and hears capital improvement surcharge applications alongside the construction permit.
Which code edition applies?
The New Jersey editions of the 2024 I-codes with the 2023 National Electrical Code and the 2024 National Standard Plumbing Code, effective August 17, 2026, with a six-month grace period during which the 2021 editions may still be used.
Simplify Union City permitting with Alliance Permitting
Union City offers waivers most applicants never claim and calendars most applicants meet late. We claim the Chapter 122 waiver on the application, register the renovation with the Rent Leveling Board, and file complete at Palisade Avenue.
Ready to break ground in Union City sooner?
Send us the scope and the parcel. We confirm the review path with the Union City Building Department, assemble the submittal, file it, and track it through issuance — corrections included.
More New Jersey permitting guides
More New Jersey permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Union City permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.