​Getting Your Building Permit

One could write a book on the process of getting building permits and why. Maybe one day I might. In New Jersey building permits are principally governed by the NJ Department of Community Affairs via the Uniform Construction Code (UCC). The package usually consists of the file folder, or jacket; and the forms for the specific type of work to be undertaken (Building, Fire, Electric, Plumbing, Mechanical, Demolition). These are usually standard forms; but not in East Orange.

The jacket is the same, but that’s where the similarities with other jurisdictions end. The City of East Orange Building Permit Package contains the following:

Notice of Office Hours, Notice that Permit fees have been increased, Roof Installation Certificate, Notice to Homeowners and Contractors to Obtain Construction Permits, Municipal Referral Form, Application for Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Plan Certification, Zoning Permit, Application for Water and/or Sewer Capping Service at main Line form, Application for New Water Service Line Connection, Chimney Certification .

One of the things I learned as an engineer is that you don’t have to use all the information available to you. Part of the trick is determining what information is irrelevant to the task at hand. Some of the forms and certifications in the Permit Package are not relevant to the renovation of an existing property connected to the municipal water and sewer system and for which no expansion of the building foot print of change in impervious surface is contemplated.

I submitted the permit package on 5/3. A couple of days later, I got a call saying that in order to process my Demo permit, I needed to submit a notarized letter regarding the presence of asbestos. Of all the documents in the Permit Package, there was no mention of this requirement. I submitted the notarized letter and got my demo permit on 5/9; not bad. On 5/16 I got my full permits approved. Less than 2 weeks. Can’t complain about that! The approved permits included forms which I usually use in submission.