Zoning, building permits and sewer rules in Stone Harbor, New Jersey

At a glance

Building permit

Required; issued by the borough's department of construction inspection under the state Uniform Construction Code¹²

Zoning

Borough zoning ordinance with residential, business, waterfront, light industry, public and conservation districts; no agricultural district³⁵

Septic

Not permitted where the borough sanitary sewer serves the property⁴

Mobile homes

Prohibited by the zoning chapter⁶

Owner-builder

Statewide: an owner building a home to live in files an affidavit with the construction official before a certificate of occupancy; permits and inspections still apply⁷

Minimum lot, Residential A

6,600 sq ft with 60 ft of frontage⁸

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 24, 2026.

Do you need a building permit in Stone Harbor, NJ?

Yes. New Jersey law makes it unlawful to construct, enlarge, repair, renovate, alter or demolish a structure, or change its use, without first filing an application and getting the required permit¹. Ordinary maintenance is the exception, and minor work still needs a permit although it can start after notice¹.

Inside the Borough of Stone Harbor, the borough's own department of construction inspection enforces the state Uniform Construction Code². Cape May County does not issue building permits for private homes here; municipal enforcing agencies do⁹.

Permit fees are set by borough ordinance. The state requires a plan-review fee of at least five percent and no more than 25 percent of the construction-permit fee¹⁰.

Who issues building permits and zoning approval in Stone Harbor, and how do you reach them?

The Stone Harbor Office of Code Enforcement sits on the first floor of Borough Hall. According to the borough, that office is where all applications for construction, zoning, planning board, zoning board and site plan are submitted¹¹. The address is 9508 Second Avenue and the phone number is 609-368-6814¹¹.

Because the borough enforces its own code, a reader inside Stone Harbor should not go to the Cape May County Planning Department for building permits or zoning. The county reviews subdivisions and site plans, and its land-use decisions on lot size and use are made by municipalities¹².

A building permit cannot issue until every required state, county and local approval is in place, and zoning approval must come first for an owner-occupied one- or two-family addition or alteration¹³.

Does Stone Harbor have zoning, and what does it mean for lot size, setbacks and height?

Yes. The borough adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance, and use and dimensional rules vary by district³. The districts include Residential A, B, B-P, C and D, Business, Waterfront Business, Light Industry, Public Use and Conservation Management, and the district list has no agricultural or rural-residential district⁵.

In the Residential A single-family district, the minimum lot is 6,600 square feet with 60 feet of frontage⁸. Principal-structure setbacks are 10 feet in front, 10 feet on each side and 25 feet in the rear¹⁴. Building coverage is capped at 25 percent and impervious lot coverage at 55 percent, rising to 70 percent with semi-pervious surfaces¹⁵. Height is limited to 23 feet with a flat roof or 31 feet with a peaked roof, and 24 and 32 feet in coastal high hazard areas¹⁶.

In Residential B, a single-family lot is also 6,600 square feet, and a two-family lot needs 12,500 square feet¹⁷.

How do septic and sewer work for a new home in Stone Harbor?

Inside Stone Harbor, sewage goes to the borough's sanitary collection system. Borough rules cover disposal of sewage from all properties through that system and state that no other means of sewage disposal are permitted¹⁸. A septic system is therefore not an option on a property the borough system serves⁴. The borough council operates the water and sanitary systems¹⁹.

Written application to the borough's Utilities Collector is needed before a new water service line or building sewer connection, though we could not confirm the exact connection rules for a new home, so ask the Office of Code Enforcement before you buy.

The Cape May County Health Department's Environmental Services Division handles septic design and inspections elsewhere in the county²⁰, and its office is at 6 Moore Road, Cape May Court House, phone 609-465-1209²¹. We could not confirm a borough well rule, because the borough rules require supply from the municipal water system.

Can you live in an RV, mobile home or tiny home in Stone Harbor?

Mobile homes are prohibited. The zoning chapter bars any use it does not explicitly permit, and trailers and mobile homes are named in that prohibition⁶. Because of that blanket rule, a camper or trailer is not a safe assumption as a dwelling either.

We could not confirm whether a tiny home qualifies as a permitted single-family dwelling; the zoning chapter uses no tiny-home term, so ask the zoning office at 609-368-6814 before buying¹¹.

Accessory apartments are allowed only under the borough's affordable-housing program, which limits new units to 10, five of them affordable to low-income households²². A unit inside a principal structure must be at least 650 square feet²².

Building a home in Stone Harbor: the steps, in order

1. Confirm the lot's zoning district and its lot, setback, coverage and height limits with the Office of Code Enforcement¹¹.
2. Check flood rules: the borough's flood damage prevention ordinance applies to land in the borough³.
3. Confirm sewer and water connection with the borough before design is final¹⁸.
4. Get zoning approval, then file the construction permit application with the construction official¹³.
5. Stop for inspections at the footing trench, rough plumbing and electrical, and framing stages²³.
6. If you built or worked on the home yourself, file the owner's affidavit with the construction official, which is required before a certificate of occupancy⁷.
7. Obtain the certificate of occupancy before anyone uses or occupies a new building²⁴.

What to check before you buy in Stone Harbor

Cost matters here more than rules. Cape May County's typical home value is about $804,637²⁵, its effective property tax rate is 1.3%²⁶, and the typical home insurance premium is about $2,322 a year²⁷. These are county-level figures, not Stone Harbor's own.

Flood exposure and the sewer connection are the items to confirm first. For land outside the borough, see the Cape May County page, where the county's own answers apply.

Watch-outs

• We could not confirm Stone Harbor's rules on driveway access, short-term rentals, or a general minimum dwelling size; ask the Office of Code Enforcement at 609-368-6814¹¹.
• New Jersey's owner-builder exception covers new-home builder registration only; building permits and inspections still apply⁷.
• Cape May County's rules for unincorporated land do not apply inside Stone Harbor; the borough sets its own zoning³.

Sources

1. N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.14, Construction permits—when required (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
2. Chapter 230 Construction Codes, Uniform, Borough of Stone Harbor NJ (Borough of Stone Harbor), quoted and re-checked
3. Chapter 560 Zoning, Article IV Zoning District Regulations, Borough of Stone Harbor NJ (Borough of Stone Harbor), quoted and re-checked
4. Chapter 542 Water and Sewers, Borough of Stone Harbor NJ (Borough of Stone Harbor), quoted and re-checked
5. Chapter 560 Zoning, Article IV Zoning District Regulations, Borough of Stone Harbor NJ (Borough of Stone Harbor), quoted and re-checked
6. Chapter 560 Zoning, Article V General Provisions and Exceptions, Borough of Stone Harbor NJ (Borough of Stone Harbor), quoted and re-checked
7. N.J.A.C. 5:23, Uniform Construction Code (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
8. Chapter 560 Zoning, Article IV Zoning District Regulations, Borough of Stone Harbor NJ (Borough of Stone Harbor), quoted and re-checked
9. The Uniform Construction Code (NJAC 5:23), quoted and re-checked
10. New Jersey Uniform Construction Code, N.J.A.C. 5:23 (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
11. Borough of Stone Harbor, Office of Code Enforcement (Construction) (stoneharbornj.org)
12. Cape May County Farmland Preservation Plan, quoted and re-checked
13. New Jersey Uniform Construction Code, N.J.A.C. 5:23 (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
14. Chapter 560 Zoning, Article IV Zoning District Regulations, Borough of Stone Harbor NJ (Borough of Stone Harbor), quoted and re-checked
15. Chapter 560 Zoning, Article IV Zoning District Regulations, Borough of Stone Harbor NJ (Borough of Stone Harbor), quoted and re-checked
16. Chapter 560 Zoning, Article IV Zoning District Regulations, Borough of Stone Harbor NJ (Borough of Stone Harbor), quoted and re-checked
17. Chapter 560 Zoning, Article IV Zoning District Regulations, Borough of Stone Harbor NJ (Borough of Stone Harbor), quoted and re-checked
18. Chapter 542 Water and Sewers, Borough of Stone Harbor NJ (Borough of Stone Harbor), quoted and re-checked
19. Chapter 542 Water and Sewers, Borough of Stone Harbor NJ (Borough of Stone Harbor), quoted and re-checked
20. Septic Systems, quoted and re-checked
21. Cape May County Health Department, Environmental Services Division (capemaycountynj.gov)
22. Chapter 560 Zoning, Article V General Provisions and Exceptions, Borough of Stone Harbor NJ (Borough of Stone Harbor), quoted and re-checked
23. New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, New Home Warranty—Consumer Information (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
24. N.J.A.C. 5:23, Uniform Construction Code (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
25. Typical home value (Zillow): Bolthole Index county data
26. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
27. Typical home insurance premium: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 24, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.