Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Hillside Township, New Jersey

Hillside Township’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Erecting, constructing, or altering buildings or structures designed for human occupancy inside Hillside Township.

  • A written permit must be obtained before construction begins.
  • The Township page warns that Uniform Construction Code violations carry fines starting at $2,000.

  “Requirement to apply for and to obtain a written permit to erect, construct or alter any building or structure or parts thereof designed for human occupancy.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Construction inside Hillside Township under the Township's construction-enforcement system.

  • The cited code text identifies the adopted editions as 2006 editions.
  • Copies are to be kept in the Construction Official's and Township Clerk's offices.

  “The Township of Hillside adopts the 2006 International Mechanical Code, the 2006 International Residential Code, the 2006 International Building Code, the 2006 International Fire Code, the 2006 National Standard Plumbing Code, the 2006 International Fuel Gas Code, and the 2006 International Energy Conservation Code, as the Township's Mechanical Subcode, One- and Two-Family Dwelling (Residential) Subcode, Building Subcode, Fire Subcode, Plumbing Subcode, Fuel Gas Subcode, and Energy Subcode, respectively.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Buildings or parts of buildings erected, altered, converted, enlarged, or transferred inside Hillside Township.

  • The certificate must show conformity with the zoning article and other applicable ordinances.
  • The Construction Official must grant or deny the occupancy permit in writing within five days of a written request.
  • For certain manufacturing, solid-waste, chemical, or potentially health-impacting buildings, the application must include local health administrator and appropriate fire official approval.

  decision period: 5 days (from filing of written request)

  “It shall be unlawful for any owner to use or permit the use of any building or part thereof hereafter erected, altered, converted or enlarged wholly or in part or transferred until a certificate of occupancy shall have been issued by the Construction Official.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Hillside Township; the Township publishes and administers Chapter 188, Land Use, including zoning and land-use review.

  • The Township's Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment administer the land-use and zoning functions.

  “This article shall be known and may be cited as the "Zoning Ordinance of the Township of Hillside."”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts and bulk regulations inside Hillside Township.

  • The Township's official Planning and Zoning page links to the Chapter 188 Land Use Ordinance, Zoning Map, and Zoning Bulk Regulations Schedule.

  “Chapter 188 - Land Use Ordinance Zoning Map Zoning Bulk Regulations Schedule”

• Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Dwelling units in townhouse and condominium-flat developments permitted in Zones OC, RC, HC, and LI.

  • Each dwelling unit must contain a separate living room, bedroom, bath, and kitchen.
  • The rule applies to the townhouse and condominium-flat use regulated by § 188-65, not necessarily every single-family district.

  minimum floor area: 450 square feet (plus 150 square feet for each habitable room other than a living room, dining room, or kitchen)

  “Minimum floor area. Each dwelling unit shall have a minimum floor area of 450 square feet, plus 150 square feet for each habitable room other than a living room, dining room or kitchen.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Townhouse and condominium-flat developments permitted in Zones OC, RC, HC, and LI.

  • The cited minimum is for the development, not necessarily an individual detached single-family lot.

  minimum development area: 30000 square feet

  “Minimum area. Each development shall have a minimum area of 30,000 square feet.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Principal buildings in townhouse and condominium-flat developments regulated by § 188-65.

  • The rule applies to the townhouse and condominium-flat development standards.

  street right-of-way setback: >= 30 feet · property-line setback: >= 15 feet

  “No principal building shall be located within 30 feet of a street right-of-way nor within 15 feet of any property line.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Townhouse and condominium-flat developments regulated by § 188-65.

  • The code states both a ground-floor building-area limit and an impervious-surface limit.

  impervious surface coverage: <= 65 percent of lot area

  “The total area of all impervious surfaces, including buildings, shall not exceed 65% of the lot area of the apartment development.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Townhouse and condominium-flat buildings regulated by § 188-65.

  • The cited height limit applies to the townhouse and condominium-flat development standards.

  maximum building height: <= 40 feet (Main roofs must have a minimum grade of five inches per foot)

  “Height. No building shall exceed a height of 40 feet. Main roofs shall have a minimum grade of five inches per foot.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  New dwellings and subdivision applications inside Hillside Township.

  • The Planning Board hears minor and major subdivision applications.
  • A new dwelling in a subdivision requires Planning Board approval before a building permit may issue.

  “No building permit shall be issued for any new dwelling located in a subdivision unless that subdivision is duly approved by the Planning Board in accordance with the provisions of Article I, Subdivision of Land, of this chapter.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Construction-code and zoning-related permitting inside Hillside Township.

  • The construction plan-review fee is calculated as 25% of the construction-permit fee and is nonrefundable.
  • The zoning permit fee is $35 according to § 188-44(D).

  plan review fee: 25 percent of construction permit fee (paid before plan review; credited toward construction permit fee; nonrefundable) · zoning permit fee: 35 USD (payable to Township of Hillside)

  “The fee for plan review shall be 25% of the amount to be charged for the construction permit and shall be paid before the plans are reviewed. The amount paid for this fee shall be credited toward the amount of the fee to be charged for the construction permit. The plan review fee shall be nonrefundable.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning and construction-permit applications inside Hillside Township.

  • Zoning reviews require a sealed survey, plans, a complete description for a change of use, and two application sets.
  • The Zoning Official must issue a permit or written denial within 20 days after a complete application and required submissions.

  zoning review decision period: 20 days (after completed application and all appropriate submissions)

  “All zoning reviews are to be conducted by the Zoning Official, and either a permit shall be issued or a written statement of denial shall be provided to the applicant, within 20 days of the completed application and all appropriate submissions having been provided to the Zoning Official.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Hillside Township or Union County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemptions from Hillside construction-permit requirements.
• Living in an RV — Residential or long-term occupancy of recreational vehicles on land inside Hillside Township.
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Hillside Township.
• Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Hillside Township.
• Manufactured homes — Manufactured-home occupancy inside Hillside Township.

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 Hillside Township 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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