Woodland Park Borough, New Jersey Building Permit Guide

In the Borough of Woodland Park, the Department of Inspections on the second floor of the Municipal Building, 5 Brophy Lane (973-345-8100 ext. 103), reviews and inspects all construction work and issues zoning permits; Allan Burghardt is named on the borough page as Construction Official, Building Subcode Official and Zoning Officer. Inspections are booked by phone through Code Enforcement, a zoning permit costs $75 for a home, and every sale or rental needs a continued certificate of occupancy and a fire certificate.

What requires a building permit in Woodland Park?

Woodland Park describes its permits by subcode. The borough page lists what each subcode official approves, which doubles as the borough’s own list of work that needs a permit.

What Woodland Park decides and what the state holds

The construction code itself is New Jersey’s UCC. Woodland Park adds its zoning and site plan rules (Chapters XXII and XXXIII of the borough code), the continued certificate of occupancy under Ordinances 22-50.2 and 14.14, the commercial CCO fee in Ordinance 9-02, the sign permit, the ban on construction on Sundays, and its construction fee schedule. In this borough the Construction Code Official also administers property maintenance enforcement under ordinance, although the Municipal Administrator is the designated enforcement officer. The DCA roster leaves the borough’s elevator line blank, so ask the department who handles elevator permits.

Woodland Park building department: who handles permitting

The Department of Inspections is the borough’s construction code enforcing agency and also covers zoning and code enforcement. The DCA roster (as of September 2, 2026) lists Allan G. Burghardt as construction official and building subcode official at 5 Brophy Lane; he holds the same post in neighboring Totowa. The roster’s electrical and fire protection lines for Woodland Park are blank, while the borough page names its own electrical, plumbing and fire subcode officials, so the borough page is the better guide to who inspects.

Woodland Park permit types

Building, electrical, plumbing and fire permits are applied for on the state’s construction permit packet, which the borough links from its page; the borough’s own forms cover zoning, certificates of occupancy, garage sales and fire prevention.

Residential permits

• Additions, renovations and new homes. Building permit plus the trade sections the work needs; the building inspector checks footings, foundations before backfill, framing, sheathing, insulation and finals.
• Fences, pools and accessory structures. All appear on the building subcode official’s list, with zoning review by the same department.
• Tanks. Abandoning or removing an underground storage tank needs a building permit, and tank work is also inspected by the fire subcode official.
• Heating and fireplaces. Heating units, fireplaces (throat and clearances), wood stoves and chimneys are inspected under the fire subcode.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial projects follow the same subcode route, with sprinklers, standpipes, fire pumps, kitchen suppression systems and commercial alarms under the fire subcode. A commercial zoning permit is $100. When a commercial property is sold, the borough’s commercial resale form asks for every tenant’s location, square footage and contact details, and the continued certificate of occupancy fee under Ordinance 9-02 is $0.04 per square foot with a $100 minimum. A separate commercial rental form covers new commercial tenants.

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

What comes before the construction permit

• Zoning permit. On the borough’s 2024 form, with the owner, the contractor and the contractor’s license number and a description of the work; the department’s construction official is also the zoning officer.
• Planning Board and Board of Adjustment. Both meet in the Municipal Building, usually monthly, with extra meetings for long applications; the borough’s land use rules are in its zoning and subdivision and site plan chapters.
• Flood. The borough’s home page links the National Weather Service gauge for Passaic River flood levels, and Woodland Park takes part in FEMA’s Community Rating System.

Woodland Park permit costs and fees

Construction permit fees are set in the borough’s codified ordinances and are not reproduced on the Department of Inspections page, so the office calculates the fee from the plans and the cost of the work. The fees printed on the borough’s own forms are below, and the state training surcharge is added to construction permits.

The CCO and the fire certificate are paid with two separate checks to the Borough of Woodland Park; cash is accepted, but debit and credit cards are not. If the water meter does not comply, the owner pays a fee at the Water Department and books the replacement with the Department of Public Works.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Each trade has its own subcode section on the state application and its own inspection window. New Jersey licenses electrical contractors and master plumbers; home improvement contractors are registered with the Division of Consumer Affairs rather than licensed, and new-home builders register with DCA. An owner working on their own home does not need a contractor registration, and the borough’s zoning form asks for the contractor’s license number where a contractor is used.

• Plumbing. Plans are reviewed on Monday and Wednesday afternoons, and inspections (underground services, rough piping, water service, sewer and finals) are on Monday and Wednesday mornings from 7 to 9 a.m.
• Electrical. Rough wiring, panels, service and finals, on Monday and Wednesday from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
• Fire. Heating equipment, fireplaces, wood stoves, chimneys, underground tanks and suppression systems, on Monday and Wednesday from 4 to 6 p.m.; later fire safety inspections of approved systems are made by the Bureau of Fire Prevention.
• Fire Prevention permits. Activities regulated by the Uniform Fire Code, such as torch work on membrane roofs, need a separate Bureau of Fire Prevention permit; Type 1 permits cost $55, Type 2 $214, Type 3 $427 and Type 4 $641.

How to apply for a Woodland Park building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Under state rules the department must decide a complete application within 20 business days, but that period does not begin until zoning and any board approval are in place. The office calendar matters too: the department closes at 3:30 p.m., closes on Fridays in summer, and each subcode inspects only on its listed days, so plan trade inspections around the Monday and Wednesday windows. The borough’s inspection sheet also warns that skipping a final plumbing inspection is a code violation carrying a penalty of up to $250 a day.

Inspections and certificates in Woodland Park

Call Code Enforcement at 973-345-8100 ext. 103 to book any inspection. The borough’s 2026 inspection sheet says the code requires rough and final inspections on all permitted work, and lists building inspections Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to noon, electrical and plumbing on Monday and Wednesday mornings, and fire on Monday and Wednesday from 4 to 6 p.m.

Selling or renting a property

Under Ordinances 22-50.2 and 14.14, a continued certificate of occupancy and dwelling certificate is needed for every residential sale and rental. The fee is $100 for a one-family resale or rental, $200 for a two-family resale and $100 per unit for multifamily buildings, and the department needs a photo ID for every adult moving in and a birth certificate or passport for each child. Before the certificate issues, the Water Department confirms the water meter, open permits must be closed, and the building inspection is done Monday to Friday between 10 a.m. and noon. The fire certificate is separate: the Bureau of Fire Prevention charges $50, $100 or $150 depending on how soon you want the inspection, issues the certificate at the inspection if the home passes, and sends a copy to the department the next morning. The bureau’s checklist asks owners to test every alarm beforehand, since one dead alarm means no certificate: battery smoke alarms must be 10-year sealed units, hard-wired alarms stay hard-wired and interconnected, and all smoke and carbon monoxide alarms must be under 10 years old. Alarms go on every floor with sleeping areas, within 10 feet of them and at least 4 inches away from the wall or ceiling; a bedroom opening off the kitchen gets its alarm inside the bedroom; any level with an attached garage or a gas appliance needs a carbon monoxide alarm; and a house with a second power source must have its panel and meter labeled “CAUTION: MULTIPLE SOURCES OF POWER.” An adult must be present, and the bureau will not schedule the visit before the waiting period chosen on the application. Rentals of homes built before 1978 also need a lead-safe certificate, and landlords must show liability insurance of $300,000 if they live in the building or $500,000 if they do not.

New Jersey building code in Woodland Park

Woodland Park enforces the state code through its own Department of Inspections. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Woodland Park (community 340412) in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps dated April 17, 2020 and a Community Rating System class 8, worth a 10% discount on eligible flood policies.

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

Woodland Park permit search and official resources

The borough’s online permitting system (Edmunds Construction Permit Self Service) lets owners and contractors look up permits; older permit files and certificates are requested from the Borough Clerk under the Open Public Records Act. Recent ordinances, including zoning amendments, are posted on the borough’s government documents page alongside a link to the codified ordinances.

• Department of Inspections: subcodes, contacts and hours
• Woodland Park online permitting system
• Inspection requirements and inspector hours (2026)
• Zoning permit application (2024)
• Residential certificate of occupancy forms
• Residential CO application process (2026)
• Residential resale CCO application (2026)
• Commercial certificate of occupancy forms
• Commercial resale CCO application
• Fire Prevention smoke and CO certificate application
• Fire Prevention permit application and fees
• Municipal boards
• Government documents and codified ordinances
• DCA Local Construction Contacts roster
• FEMA Community Status Book, New Jersey

Woodland Park building permit FAQs

Can I work on my house on a Sunday in Woodland Park?

No. The Department of Inspections states that construction is prohibited on Sundays.

How much is a zoning permit?

$75 for a residential project and $100 for a commercial one, on the borough’s 2024 zoning application.

How do I book an inspection?

Call Code Enforcement at 973-345-8100 ext. 103; each trade inspects only on its set days and hours.

What does it cost to sell a one-family house?

$100 for the continued certificate of occupancy plus $50, $100 or $150 for the fire certificate, depending on how quickly you want the fire inspection.

Does a fence need a permit?

Yes. Fences are on the building subcode official’s permit list, and the same department handles the zoning side.

Who is the zoning officer?

The borough page lists the Construction Official, Allan Burghardt, as Zoning Officer, with a separate code enforcement and zoning inspector.

What does a commercial building sale cost?

The commercial continued certificate of occupancy is $0.04 per square foot with a $100 minimum under Ordinance 9-02, so a 10,000-square-foot building pays $400; the form also lists every tenant space and its contact.

Do rentals need a lead certificate?

Yes, for homes built before 1978: about $295 in total, plus proof of the landlord’s liability insurance.

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