Jersey City building department

The Division of the Construction Code Official administers the New Jersey Uniform Construction Code (UCC) for Jersey City. It is the city’s central office for issuing permits and inspecting work, and it also:

• inspects elevators, swimming pools and backflow preventers on an ongoing basis
• condemns unsafe properties
• registers contractors who do not hold a state license

The office is in the City Hall Annex, One Jackson Square (364 MLK Drive), and the Construction Code Official is Joseph Severini. Office hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The permit counter runs 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the last customer for full-service permitting or pickup is admitted at 3 p.m. Construction site work is allowed Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., excluding federal holidays.

Zoning comes first

For new construction, additions, renovations, tenant fit-outs and solar panels, the first step is a Zoning Review Application (ZRA). The same applies to any work that needs a building permit or Historic Preservation approval. Zoning approves the project, and then construction code reviews it.

Zoning does not take applications in person. All zoning filings go through the city’s online permitting and licensing portal.

A separate Zoning Determination Letter (ZDL) is for official use interpretations, for example for financing or insurance. Under Ordinance 25-033, Zoning now also requires:

• photos of the front and rear of the property
• tree information on site plans, because a Forestry Permit is part of the construction permit process

Applying in the permit portal

Jersey City’s permit portal, at jcnj.org/permitportal, runs on Tyler EnerGov self-service. To apply:

1. Register and log in.
2. Click Apply, search for “construction permit application,” and submit it.
3. Go back to the application, open Sub-records, and apply for each tech card you need: building, plumbing, electrical, fire or elevator. The tech cards link to the main permit automatically.

Before you file:

• Complete all tech cards. Only the contractor field may be left blank.
• The owner’s name must match the tax record. If it does not, attach the deed or contract of sale.
• If the owner or contractor is a corporation or LLC, fill in the LLC form naming the registered agent.
• An owner doing their own work on a one- or two-family home signs the owner certification inside the folder.
• Anyone filing for someone else must be a registered Permit Processor.

Allow 20 business days for review.

Drawings

• Submit one set for initial review.
• Submit two sets only if you want partial releases. One- and two-family homes do not get partials.
• An electronic copy of the plans and the certification form, completed by the design professional, is required before the plans can be released.
• Specifications and cut sheets go in through SharePoint.

Common project questions

• Fence: no construction permit unless it is over 6 feet tall or serves as a pool barrier. You still need zoning approval.
• Shed: zoning approval is always required. A building permit is not required for sheds of 200 sq ft or less and 10 ft or less in height, accessory to residential (R-2 to R-5) uses, with no water, gas, oil or sewer connection. Any electrical work still needs an electrical permit.
• Deck: a new deck needs zoning approval, a permit and building technical section, and plans by a NJ-licensed design professional. Structural repairs need a permit. Non-structural repairs do not.
• Pool: zoning approval first. Any pool over 24 inches needs a permit with building and technical sections. In-ground pools need a bonding and grounding certificate and an annual city inspection ($25), invoiced each May.
• Pavers, backyard concrete and driveways: zoning approval only. Construction code has no role.
• Sidewalks, dumpsters and sidewalk closures: these permits come from the Department of Infrastructure.
• Interior demolition: you need a permit application, building technical section and a photo of the property. For attached properties, add proof that the neighbor was notified.

Ordinary maintenance needs no permit. The city’s list follows the state rule and includes painting, flooring, trim, like-for-like windows in the same opening, and non-structural deck repairs. That list does not override historic-district approvals.

Prior approvals for new buildings and additions

Depending on the site, you may need any of the following before plan release:

• a Passaic Valley Sewer Commission release and a JCMUA release (both required for footings and foundations)
• soil conservation district approval (hepsoilnj.org) when 5,000+ sq ft of soil is disturbed. A non-applicability determination costs $95.
• an NJDEP waterfront development permit within 500 feet of the Hudson River
• an NJ Sports and Exposition Authority release
• a rodent control plan filed with the Health Department
• a traffic safety plan approved under Ordinance 19-014
• flood-zone compliance
• an engineering report protecting adjoining buildings

If an existing building must come down first, its demolition permit has to be issued and inspected before new-construction plans can be submitted.

Inspections and certificates

Schedule every inspection in the portal:

1. Go to Dashboard, then View my permits.
2. Open the permit. Inspections are listed under each tech card; for example, a footing inspection sits under the BLD card.
3. Open the Inspections tab, check the inspection you need, and click Request inspection.

Inspections take place 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Have these documents ready where they apply:

• a foundation survey at footing and foundation
• the framing checklist at framing
• the air barrier checklist at insulation
• NFPA certifications for sprinklers, fire pumps and alarms

Jersey City does not issue new COs for property sales. A new CO is needed after new construction, a major renovation or a change of use. A business moving into a space with no major renovation and no change in use does not need one.

For a one- or two-family CO, the requirements after zoning approval are:

• JCMUA and Passaic Valley prior approvals
• a Veolia Water clearance
• a new-home warranty, with one per unit for condos. Owner-builders sign an affidavit instead, and rentals file a notarized affidavit.
• possibly soil erosion sign-off or an elevation certificate

Multi-family COs also need DCA multi-unit registration. A Temporary CO needs the same documents as a final CO, and every subcode must sign off.

Contractor registration

A Jersey City Contractor license is required for:

• every contractor who does not hold a state license
• all work on commercial property

Register in the portal, and do not pay until every document is ready. To change the contractor on a permit, file a Permit Update. A new electrical or plumbing contractor must seal it.

Codes in effect

The state Department of Community Affairs lists the current UCC editions with an adoption date of August 17, 2026:

• IBC and IRC 2024, NJ editions
• National Standard Plumbing Code 2024
• NEC 2023
• IMC and IFGC 2024
• IECC 2024 and ASHRAE 90.1-2022 for energy