Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Borough of North Caldwell, New Jersey

Borough of North Caldwell’s own rules

• InspectionsRequired

  Approved environmental design and site plans and developments requiring site-plan approval inside North Caldwell borough.

  • The Construction Official must inspect approved environmental design and site plans; this excerpt is specific to development requiring site-plan approval.

  “An inspection shall be made by the Construction Official of all approved environmental design and site plans.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Use of structures on premises subject to site-plan approval inside North Caldwell borough.

  • Final Planning Board approval in writing is required before issuance.
  • A temporary certificate may be issued before complete installation of plantings or other requirements due to seasonal or other special circumstances, with a specific completion time limit.
  • The applicant must request final site-plan approval before issuance.

  “A certificate of occupancy for the use of any structure on the premises shall not be issued until the Planning Board gives final approval”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside North Caldwell borough.

  • The code includes zoning districts, district boundaries, permitted uses and dimensional regulations.

  “For the purposes of this chapter, the Borough of North Caldwell is hereby divided into the following districts, known as:”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside North Caldwell borough.

  • The zoning map is dated September 6, 2024 and is incorporated into the chapter by reference.
  • The code states that the zoning map is on file in the Borough Offices.

  “In determining the boundaries of districts shown on the Zoning Map of the Borough of North Caldwell, dated September 6, 2024, delineating the boundaries of the above districts, which map is incorporated herein and made a part hereof by reference, the following rules shall apply:”

• Who permits septicLocal

  Individual subsurface sewage disposal systems inside North Caldwell borough.

  • The Health Officer or the Health Officer's designee issues the permit.
  • The Board of Health administers additional septic permits and enforcement provisions.

  “issued by the Health Officer or the Health Officer's designee”

• Septic permitRequired

  Installation, construction, alteration or repair of an individual subsurface sewage disposal system inside North Caldwell borough.

  • A permit must be issued by the Health Officer or designee before work begins.
  • The cited section references N.J.A.C. 7:9A-3.5.

  “No person shall install, construct, alter or repair any individual subsurface sewage disposal system until a permit”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Individual sewage facilities on land inside North Caldwell borough where a public sewer system is unavailable.

  • The sewer code identifies an individual facility requirement where the sewer system is not available.
  • Separate septic permits and Health Officer approval are required.

  “Individual facility required where sewer system not available.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Creation of subdivisions inside North Caldwell borough.

  • Subdivision review is required whenever an owner desires to create a subdivision as defined in Article II.

  “Subdivision review is required whenever an owner of land in the Borough of North Caldwell desires to create a subdivision”

Rules another office applies inside Borough of North Caldwell

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

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  One-story and one-and-one-half-story dwellings in the R-1 Residence District.

  • One-story dwellings require at least 1,600 square feet of minimum living floor space.
  • One-and-one-half-story dwellings require 1,200 square feet on the first floor and 600 square feet on the second floor.

  minimum living floor space: >= 1600 square feet (one-story dwelling) · first-floor minimum living floor space: >= 1200 square feet (one-and-one-half-story dwelling) · second-floor minimum living floor space: >= 600 square feet (one-and-one-half-story dwelling)

  “Minimum size. Every one-story dwelling hereafter erected or placed in an R-1 Residence District shall have a minimum living floor space, as herein defined, of not less than 1,600 square feet. In a one-and-one-half-story dwelling, there shall be a finished minimum living floor space of 1,200 square feet on the first floor and a minimum of 600 square feet on the second floor.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R-1 Residential Cluster District inside North Caldwell borough.

  • The requirement is subject to site-plan review and approval, downstream drainage study and availability of utilities.

  gross density: 30000 square feet (R-1 Residential Cluster District) · minimum lot size: >= 15000 square feet (R-1 Residential Cluster District)

  “In R-1 Residential Cluster Districts: a gross density of 30,000 square feet and a minimum lot size of 15,000 square feet, subject to site plan review and approval, downstream drainage study and availability of utilities.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  New dwellings in the R-1, R-2, R-1 Residential Cluster and R-3 Residential Cluster Districts.

  • A garage for not more than three and not less than two motor vehicles must be provided.
  • The garage must be connected by a driveway to the adjacent street, roadway or lane.

  “No building permit shall hereafter be granted for the erection of a new dwelling in the R-1 or R-2 Residence District and the R-1 or R-3 Residential Cluster Districts unless provisions have been made for the construction of a garage for not more than three motor vehicles nor less than two motor vehicles, connected by a driveway to the adjacent street, roadway or lane.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Borough of North Caldwell or Essex County directly.

• Building permit — Building permits for construction inside North Caldwell borough.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders performing construction inside North Caldwell borough.
• Setbacks — Single-family residential districts inside North Caldwell borough.
• Building height — Principal single-family residential buildings inside North Caldwell borough.
• Living in an RV — Recreational-vehicle occupancy on private land inside North Caldwell 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 North Caldwell 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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