Union Township's Building Department at the Municipal Building, 1976 Morris Avenue, administers zoning, property maintenance and the Uniform Construction Code for the Union County township that wraps around Kean University — not Union City, the Hudson County city with which it is confused daily, and not the Union Township in Hunterdon County where the state enforces the code. Chapter 447, Rental Property, sets the township's own rule: every leased or rented building, structure or unit is inspected by the code official on every initial occupancy and every change of occupancy, a rental certificate of occupancy issues only after the premises are found to comply with township ordinances and the Uniform Construction Code, and no tenant may occupy the unit until it has.
The department's zoning list is long and specific. A zoning permit, with a copy of the survey, is required for a new house, an addition or alteration, a deck, a pool, a fence, a shed or a driveway expansion before the construction permit, and the zoning officer answers use, parking, setback and height questions. Inspection requests go through the township's online portal or by email with the permit number and are processed within 24 hours, and the owner of any vacant property under Ordinance 5440 registers it with the Construction Code Official within 14 calendar days of it becoming vacant or of taking ownership.
This guide covers Union Township in Union County. Elizabeth, Kenilworth, Hillside, Springfield and Roselle Park are separate municipalities with their own enforcing agencies; Union County issues no construction permits; Union City is a different municipality in Hudson County; and Union Township in Hunterdon County is a different municipality enforced by the state.
No tenant until the certificate. Chapter 447 requires the owner, rental agent or manager to notify the code official in writing that a unit is leased, rented or offered for rent so that it can be inspected, and provides that no tenant shall occupy any building, structure or unit until a rental certificate of occupancy has been issued. The certificate is posted in each rented unit, and the township holds its inspections to no more than one per unit in any two-year period once compliance is shown.
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Get a free quote →What requires a building permit in Union Township?
Typically permit required
- Every rented unit, which needs a Chapter 447 rental certificate of occupancy on initial occupancy and on each change of tenant, after the owner's written notice
- New houses, additions, alterations, decks, pools, fences, sheds and driveway expansions, which need a zoning permit with a copy of the survey before the construction permit
- Any vacant property under Ordinance 5440, which is registered with the Construction Code Official within 14 calendar days
- 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 — though the zoning permit list still governs what goes in the yard
- 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 Township'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 rental certificate regime under Chapter 447 and the vacant property registration under Ordinance 5440 that the same department administers.
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 Township?
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; the same department administers zoning and property maintenance. The zoning officer issues zoning permits with the survey attached, the code official inspects rentals under Chapter 447, and the Construction Code Official receives vacant property registrations under Ordinance 5440. Commercial resales file the department's commercial resale application.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Department | Union Township Building Department, Union County |
| Office | Municipal Building, 1976 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ 07083 |
| Phone | (908) 851-8509 (Construction Code Official’s office); township main line (908) 688-2800 |
| Hours | Not published on the department’s page; call ahead |
| Inspections | Online inspection request portal only, processed within 24 hours; Friday, weekend and holiday requests the next business day |
| Rentals | Rental certificate of occupancy under Chapter 447 before any occupancy |
Permit types
Residential permits
A Union Township house project takes the zoning permit with a copy of the survey, then files the state UCC jacket with the subcode sections at Morris Avenue, with the home improvement registration number on the application; inspections are requested through the online portal and processed within a day. A house that will be rented needs the Chapter 447 rental certificate of occupancy before the tenant moves in, with the owner's written notice to the code official starting the inspection, and a house left vacant is registered within 14 days.
Commercial permits
Commercial work in Union Township clears site plan review, then the zoning permit, then construction review through the same department. A commercial resale files the department's commercial resale application, a change of tenant in rented commercial space is inspected under Chapter 447 like any other rental, and a vacant commercial building is registered under Ordinance 5440.
Prior approvals, subcode review and the 20-day clock
In Union Township the Elizabeth River and Rahway River corridors bring DEP flood hazard approvals into the file, the Joint Meeting of Essex and Union Counties signs off on sewer connections, and the Union 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 Township permit costs and fees
Fees follow the township's construction code chapter — the sum of the subcode fees plus the state training fee — with zoning permit, rental certificate and registration fees charged separately.
| Item | Fee or rule |
|---|---|
| Construction permit | Sum of the subcode fees under the township's construction code chapter, paid before issuance |
| Zoning permit | Required with a survey for new houses, additions, decks, pools, fences, sheds and driveway expansions |
| Rental certificate of occupancy | Chapter 447 inspection fee on initial occupancy and each change of tenant |
| Commercial resale | Department's commercial resale application and inspection |
| Vacant property registration | Ordinance 5440 registration within 14 calendar days |
| State training fee | Added to most permits under N.J.A.C. 5:23-4.19 (demolition and abatement permits are exempt) |
The survey is not optional. The department's zoning permit list runs from a new house down to a fence, a shed and a driveway expansion, and every application needs a copy of the survey. A permit filed on a sketch or a tax map is returned; a property without a survey on file needs one drawn before the fence goes up.
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Get a free quote →Trade permits and who may pull them
Permit required
- Rented units — Chapter 447 inspection and rental certificate before occupancy
- 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 Township 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.
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Get a free quote →Review, corrections and what actually causes delay
Union Township reviews on the state's 20-business-day clock, with inspection requests turned round in a day. What delays a file here is a zoning permit filed without the survey, a tenant placed before the rental certificate, and an application meant for Union City or the Hunterdon Union arriving at the wrong Morris Avenue.
Inspections in Union Township
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 Township takes inspection requests through its online portal or by email with the permit number, mobile number and inspection type, processed within 24 hours on business days; Chapter 447 rental inspections and vacant property inspections run through the same department.
Union Township permit search and official resources
- Union Township Building Department — zoning permits, inspection requests and vacant property registration
- Union Township Code Chapter 447 — Rental Property — rental inspections and certificates of occupancy
- New Jersey Uniform Construction Code — the statewide code the township enforces
- 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 Township or Union City?
Union Township in Union County, around Kean University. Union City is a Hudson County city, and Union Township in Hunterdon County is a different township where the state enforces the code.
Do I need a certificate to rent out a unit?
Yes. Chapter 447 requires an inspection on every initial occupancy and change of tenant, and no tenant may occupy the unit until the rental certificate of occupancy has issued.
Does a fence need a zoning permit?
Yes, with a copy of the survey; the department lists fences, sheds, decks, pools, driveway expansions, additions and new houses among the work that needs one.
How do I request an inspection?
Through the township’s online inspection request portal, which the department now requires for all construction inspection requests; requests are processed within 24 hours, and those sent on a Friday, weekend or holiday on the next business day.
What if a property is vacant?
The owner registers it with the Construction Code Official within 14 calendar days of it becoming vacant or of taking ownership, under Ordinance 5440.
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 Township permitting with Alliance Permitting
Union Township asks for the survey before the permit and the certificate before the tenant. We file the zoning permit with the survey, the construction permit complete, and the rental notice early enough that the certificate lands before the lease starts.
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Send us the scope and the parcel. We confirm the review path with the Union Township 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 Township permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.