Permitting Process Jersey City NJ

[Patrick Q.]

Hello All,

I spoke with the Construction Code Office of Jersey City this week.

I believe that the following is the way that construction permitting works in Jersey City;

-I deliver two sets of drawings stamped by an architect to the Zoning Office of Jersey City.

-Once my drawings are ‘OKed’ the Zoning Office will give me approval on my plans/drawings.

-I then take the approved architectural drawings along with any specialist permits (such as electrical, plumbing or sprinkler) to the Construction Code Office of Jersey City in a folder/jacket.

-The Construction Code Office will either approve or decline my application for a permit within 20 business days.

-At that point I can make my payment and get the physical permits.

My question is as follows;

Do I need to get an architect involved when it actually comes down to it?

Is there anybody on BP that has actually done this and not used an architect?

I am planning to remodel the kitchen, bathroom and hopefully build an extra room so nothing structural.

I don't actually need an architect for what I am doing, is there a way of doing this that I can avoid getting an architect involved?

Thanking you in advance.

P. Quaid.

[David Edwards]

I don't know your area but look to see if the work you are doing will require a professional stamp. If so, that usually requires an architect or an engineer to sign off on the design. There are plenty of places where single family work doesn't have this requirement unless you are doing something structural. If you know what you want and are knowledgeable enough about the building world, you can often hire a designer or draftsperson to help you get the drawings together but as with all things you get what you pay for. 

It might be worth looking at the value of your time and the benefits of working with professionals who understand how to efficiently navigate these systems. If I remember some of the nuances of working back east correctly, expediters are a thing that come in handy, might be worth reaching out to one of them as well. 

You should also look to see if the work you are doing will even require a permit, if the work is cosmetic only and / or only impacts a low sf then you may fall outside of what they even want to see.

I'd also dig further in to the submittal requirements to confirm that you need to submit hard copies for the work, many jurisdictions have moved to an online submittal system which makes life way easier. 

tldr; no unless a professional stamp is required and you are ready to spend a lot of time learning.