Bolthole Index

Bergen County, New Jersey

Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Dumont, New Jersey

The Borough of Dumont, Bergen County, New Jersey sets its own zoning through Chapter 455 and enforces the State Uniform Construction Code through its own Code Enforcement Agency12. Construction needs a permit under state law3. Bergen County does not zone land4. Septic approval comes from the health department having jurisdiction5.

At a glance

Zoning
Set by the Borough of Dumont; Bergen County does not zone14
Building permit
Required for new construction and most work on existing buildings3
Who enforces the building code
Borough of Dumont Code Enforcement Agency2
Minimum lot (RA district)
7,500 sq ft, 60 ft wide, 100 ft deep6
Minimum dwelling size (RA)
700 sq ft of living floor area7
Lot coverage and height (RA)
30% maximum coverage, 28 ft maximum height89
Owner-builder
Exempt from builder registration, not from permits10

Who to call

Building permits

Borough of Dumont Building Department (Construction Official)

Building permits, construction inspections and the State Uniform Construction Code inside Dumont

201-387-5034

50 Washington Avenue, Dumont, NJ 07628

Health department

Bergen County Department of Health Services

Septic plan review for the towns that contract with the county; ask whether Dumont is one of them

201-634-2600

healthdept@bergencountynj.gov

One Bergen County Plaza, 4th Floor, Hackensack, NJ 07601-7076

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 13, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Borough of Dumont means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Does Dumont, NJ have zoning, and what does it mean for lot size and setbacks?

Yes. The Borough of Dumont divides itself into zones on a Building Zone Map, and its code names RA, RB, B2, P, LI, RP1 and overlay districts1. Bergen County does not zone land; New Jersey leaves that to municipalities4.

Rules differ by district. In the Residential A (RA) one-family district, the minimum lot is 7,500 square feet, 60 feet wide and 100 feet deep6. Maximum lot coverage is 30% and the district also carries a 50% minimum green-area requirement8. Maximum building height is 28 feet9. The minimum living floor area for a dwelling in RA is 700 square feet7.

We could not confirm Dumont's rules on RVs as dwellings, tiny homes, accessory apartments or manufactured homes. Ask the Zoning Officer at the Borough building department before you plan any of them.

Do you need a building permit in Dumont, and who issues it?

Yes, for new construction and for most work on existing buildings. New Jersey law makes it unlawful to build, enlarge, alter or demolish a structure without first filing with the construction official and obtaining the permit3. Ordinary maintenance such as routine repair is excepted11.

Inside Dumont the permit comes from the Borough, through the Borough of Dumont Code Enforcement Agency2. The Borough's Building Department lists inspection windows and takes inspection requests in writing12. Zoning permits are a separate step: applications go on forms from the Zoning Officer with four copies of scaled plans, and a zoning permit lapses unless a certificate of occupancy is issued within one year13.

A certificate of occupancy is required before a new building is used or occupied14.

How do septic permits work in Dumont?

We could not confirm who issues septic permits inside Dumont, or whether the Borough's lots are on public sewer. Dumont's code requires human-occupied buildings to connect to the Borough's sanitary sewer system, and we could not confirm any exception.

The state rule is clear for any lot that does use septic: no building permit may issue until the board of health having jurisdiction certifies the sewerage facilities5. The system must also be inspected before it is covered15.

Bergen County Health Services reviews septic plans for roughly 30 contracting towns, not every municipality16. Call the Bergen County Department of Health Services at 201-634-260017 and ask whether Dumont contracts with the county, or ask the Borough's Building Department.

Can you build your own home in Dumont as an owner-builder?

A person who builds a new home for their own personal use is exempt from New Jersey's builder-registration requirement, but not from construction permits or code compliance10. A certificate of occupancy cannot be issued unless the owner files an affidavit with the construction official certifying that the work conforms to law and acknowledging that it is outside the New Home Warranty program18.

We could not find a Dumont provision that adds to or removes this, so confirm with the Construction Official.

Building a home in Dumont: the steps, in order

  1. Confirm the zoning district and its lot, coverage and height limits with the Zoning Officer1.
  2. Get septic or sewer-connection approval from the health department having jurisdiction before a building permit can issue5.
  3. File the zoning permit application with scaled plans13.
  4. File the construction permit application with the Borough Building Department12.
  5. Request each required inspection in writing as work reaches the stage that must be inspected19.
  6. Obtain the certificate of occupancy before moving in14.

What stays with Bergen County, and what to check before you buy in Dumont?

County review applies to subdivisions that abut a County road or drain to County facilities20, and a driveway onto a County road carries a $250 road-access review fee21. A driveway onto a State highway needs a state access permit22. Floodplain rules also apply: Dumont adopted a floodplain management chapter in 2025, and we could not confirm its permit text.

Bergen County's effective property tax rate is 1.7%23. For land outside the borough, see the Bergen County page.

Watch-outs

  • We could not confirm who issues septic permits inside Dumont; call the Bergen County Department of Health Services or the Borough Building Department before you rely on any lot being sewered or septic16.
  • Dumont's rules on RVs as dwellings, tiny homes, accessory apartments and manufactured homes were not confirmed; ask the Zoning Officer, who applies the Chapter 455 zoning code1.
  • Lot size, coverage and height figures above are for the RA district only; other districts differ6.
  • The owner-builder exemption covers builder registration only, not construction permits10.

Sources

  1. Chapter 455 Zoning (Borough of Dumont), quoted and re-checked
  2. Chapter 182 Construction Codes, Uniform (Borough of Dumont), quoted and re-checked
  3. N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.14, Construction permits—when required (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  4. Bergen County Standards for Sustainable Land Development—Site Plans, quoted and re-checked
  5. New Jersey Statutes, R.S. 58:11-23 through 58:11-43 (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  6. Article VII: Schedules (Borough of Dumont), quoted and re-checked
  7. ecode360.com (Borough of Dumont), quoted and re-checked
  8. Article VII: Schedules (Borough of Dumont), quoted and re-checked
  9. Article VII: Schedules (Borough of Dumont), quoted and re-checked
  10. Builder Registration and New Home Warranty for Builders (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  11. The New Jersey State Uniform Construction Code, quoted and re-checked
  12. Borough of Dumont Building Department (Construction Official) (dumontnj.gov)
  13. ecode360.com (Borough of Dumont), quoted and re-checked
  14. N.J.A.C. 5:23, Uniform Construction Code (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  15. New Jersey Statutes, R.S. 58:11-23 through 58:11-43 (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  16. bergencountynj.gov, quoted and re-checked
  17. Bergen County Department of Health Services (bergencountynj.gov)
  18. N.J.A.C. 5:23, Uniform Construction Code (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  19. New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, New Home Warranty—Consumer Information (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  20. Bergen County Standards for Sustainable Land Development—Subdivisions, quoted and re-checked
  21. Fee Schedule for Site Plan Application, quoted and re-checked
  22. Major Access Permits (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  23. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 13, 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.

Answers from the rulebook for Borough of Dumont

Borough of Dumont’s own rules

  • Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

    Construction inside Dumont borough through the Borough of Dumont Code Enforcement Agency under the State Uniform Construction Code.

    • The enforcing agency includes municipal construction and subcode officials.
    • Officials must be qualified under P.L. 1975, c. 217 and N.J.A.C. 5:23; an on-site inspection agency may be retained by contract.
    “There is hereby established in the Borough of Dumont a State Uniform Construction Code enforcing agency to be known as the "Borough of Dumont Code Enforcement Agency,"”
  • Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

    Land inside Dumont borough.

    • The Borough zoning chapter and zoning map govern uses and structures in Dumont.
    • The code identifies RA, RB, B2, P, LI, RP1, and overlay districts.
    “the Borough of Dumont is hereby divided into the following classes of zones as shown on the Building Zone Map which accompanies the development regulations:”
  • Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

    Residential A (RA) District, including one-family detached residential dwellings inside Dumont borough.

    • The minimum living floor area is 700 square feet.
    • There must be 150 square feet for the first adult and 100 square feet for each additional adult.

    minimum living floor area: >= 700 square feet · living floor area for first adult: >= 150 square feet · living floor area for each additional adult: >= 100 square feet

    “The minimum living floor area in the Residential A District shall be no less than 700 square feet. There shall be 150 square feet for the first adult residing thereon and 100 square feet for each additional adult.”
  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    RA one-family dwelling district inside Dumont borough.

    • The Limiting Schedule identifies the RA 1-Family Dwelling minimum lot area as 7,500 square feet.
    • The schedule also identifies 60 feet minimum lot width and 100 feet minimum lot depth.

    minimum lot area: >= 7500 square feet · minimum lot width: >= 60 feet · minimum lot depth: >= 100 feet

    “Lot area (minimum square feet) | 7,500 | 15,000 | — | — | 10,000 | 10,000 | 20,000”
  • Lot coverageSpecified

    RA one-family dwelling district inside Dumont borough.

    • Maximum lot coverage is 30%.
    • The RA District also has a 50% minimum green-area requirement in the Limiting Schedule.

    maximum lot coverage: <= 30 percent · minimum green area: >= 50 percent

    “Lot coverage (maximum percent) | 30% | 30% | 70% | 60% | 75% | 75% | 35%”
  • Building heightSpecified

    RA one-family dwelling district inside Dumont borough.

    • Maximum height is 28 feet.

    maximum building height: <= 28 feet

    “Height (maximum feet) | 28 | 28 | 28 | 36 | 36^{4} | 36 | 36^{5}”
  • Permit processPublished (with conditions)

    Zoning-permit applications for land development inside Dumont borough.

    • Applications must use forms provided by the Zoning Officer.
    • Applications require four copies of scaled plans; where site-plan approval or review is required, 12 site-plan copies are required.
    • A permit lapses unless a certificate of occupancy is issued within one year, with a possible additional 90-day renewal approved by the Mayor and Council.

    scaled plan copies: 4 copies · site plan copies when required: 12 copies · permit lapse period: 1 year (possible additional 90-day renewal with Mayor and Council approval)

    “All applications for zoning permits shall be made on forms provided by the Zoning Officer. It shall be accompanied by four copies of plans drawn to scale, showing the locations, shape and dimensions of the lot to be built upon, the location and dimensions, including height, of existing and proposed structures, the existing and intended use of each building or part thereof, including the number of families, if any, intended to be accommodated, and the use of all outdoor areas. Where site plan approval or review is required by this chapter, 12 copies of said site plan shall be submitted with the application. [...] Unless a certificate of occupancy is issued for the structure covered by the zoning permit within one year from the date of the issuance of said permit, the permit shall automatically lapse. Application may, however, be made for the renewal of the permit for an additional period of 90 days, only, however, with the approval of the Mayor and Council.”

Still unanswered

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

  • Building permit — Building permits for construction inside Dumont borough.
  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders performing construction inside Dumont borough.
  • Inspections — Construction inspections inside Dumont borough.
  • Living in an RV — Occupancy of recreational vehicles as dwellings inside Dumont borough.
  • Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Dumont borough.
12 more unanswered
  • Tiny homes
  • Manufactured homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Who permits septic
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Subdividing land
  • Driveway access
  • Building in a floodplain

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.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Borough of Dumont publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Bergen County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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