Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Borough of Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Borough of Englewood Cliffs’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Property improvements inside Englewood Cliffs borough, including additions, decks, roofing, and swimming pools.

  • The borough page says permits are required for many improvements; the cited passage does not state that every type of work requires a permit.
  • Permit pick-up and payment are available Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

  “You are required to obtain a permit for many improvements you make to your property”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Re-sales of homes and rental properties inside Englewood Cliffs borough; new construction is subject to the Uniform Construction Code certificate process.

  • The borough page states a continuing certificate is required on all home re-sales and rental properties.
  • For new construction, the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs states that once final inspections pass, the construction official issues a Certificate of Occupancy.

  residential certificate of occupancy fee: 5% of construction permit fee, minimum $65 USD · certificate of continued residential occupancy fee: 50 USD

  “A Continuing Certificate of Occupancy is required on all re-sales of homes”

• Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

  Connections to the Borough of Englewood Cliffs municipal sewer system.

  • A sewer connection fee is charged under Chapter 11.
  • A sewer connection permit is required for a connection; the permit is specific to the lot and block, or unit or building number, for which it was issued.
  • The reviewed source did not state a distance or availability threshold requiring every new home to connect when a sewer is available.

  “Permits for sewer connections, both storm and sanitary, shall be provided and shall be issued by the plumbing inspector.”

• Agricultural exemptionAvailable (with conditions)

  Division of land for agricultural purposes inside Englewood Cliffs borough.

  • The resulting parcels must be three acres or larger.
  • No new streets or roads may be involved.

  minimum resulting parcel size: >= 3 acres (No new streets or roads involved)

  “no new streets or roads are involved: divisions of land for agricultural purposes where the resulting parcels are three acres or larger in size”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Building and occupancy permits administered by Englewood Cliffs borough.

  • The cited fee schedule includes fees for certificates of occupancy and continued occupancy; other permit fees vary by work type and are not exhaustively captured in this claim.

  residential certificate of occupancy: 5% of construction permit fee, minimum $65 USD · certificate of continued residential occupancy: 50 USD · commercial certificate of occupancy: 5% of construction permit fee, minimum $85 USD

  “The fee for a certificate of continued residential occupancy shall be $50.”

Rules another office applies inside Borough of Englewood Cliffs

Borough of Englewood Cliffs does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Owner-builder exemptionAvailable (with conditions)

  A person constructing a new home inside Englewood Cliffs borough for that person's own personal use.

  • The exception applies to a person constructing a new home for personal use.
  • Other construction-permit and Uniform Construction Code requirements still apply.

  “The only exception is a person who constructs a new home for his or her own personal use.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Borough of Englewood Cliffs or Bergen County directly.

• Living in an RV — Long-term or residential RV occupancy on land inside Englewood Cliffs borough.
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Englewood Cliffs borough.
• Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy on land inside Englewood Cliffs borough.
• Manufactured homes — Manufactured-home occupancy on land inside Englewood Cliffs borough.
• Accessory dwellings — Accessory-dwelling or accessory-apartment occupancy inside Englewood Cliffs borough.

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Borough of Englewood Cliffs means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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