Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Little Ferry, New Jersey

At a glance

Building permit

Required; issued by the Little Ferry building department¹⁶

Zoning

Set by the borough's combined planning/zoning board and ordinances, not by Bergen County³⁴

Septic

Needs board of health approval before a building permit; the borough contracts with Bergen County for health services⁷⁵

Owner-builder

Owner may skip builder registration but still needs permits and a certificate-of-occupancy affidavit⁸⁹

Floodplain

Borough floodplain regulations apply alongside the construction code¹⁰

Minimum home size and lot size

Set by borough zoning district; we could not confirm the numbers¹¹

Who to call

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

Do you need a building permit in Little Ferry, NJ?

Yes. New Jersey's Uniform Construction Code requires a construction permit for new construction and for work on existing buildings, including structural, plumbing, mechanical and electrical work; ordinary maintenance such as routine repair is excepted⁶. Inside the Borough of Little Ferry the code is enforced by the borough's own enforcing agency¹.

A complete application must be approved or denied within 20 business days⁶. The permit does not issue until every required state, county and local approval is in place¹².

Who issues building permits in Little Ferry, and how do you reach them?

The Little Ferry Building Department handles building permits. The borough describes it as administering and enforcing zoning, building and other codes, and as enforcing the New Jersey State Uniform Building Code². Borough Hall is at 215-217 Liberty St, Little Ferry, NJ 07643, phone 201.641.9234².

Bergen County does not issue building permits for a house in Little Ferry. Permits come through the municipal construction official¹³.

Does Little Ferry have zoning, and what does it mean for lot size, setbacks and RVs?

Little Ferry zones its own land. Bergen County has no zoning power over municipal land use, because New Jersey gives that authority to municipalities³. The borough's combined planning and zoning board reviews variance applications and enforces the borough's zoning ordinances⁴.

Minimum lot size, setbacks, building height and minimum floor area vary by zoning district in New Jersey¹⁴¹⁵. We could not confirm Little Ferry's numbers or its rules on RV, tiny-home or accessory-dwelling occupancy, so ask the building department for your parcel's district before you buy. Portions of the Hackensack Meadowlands District inside Little Ferry fall under regional planning and zoning by the NJSEA¹⁶, so check whether a parcel sits in that district.

How do septic permits work in Little Ferry?

Septic is a health-department matter, not a building-department one. New Jersey requires the board of health with jurisdiction to certify the sewerage facilities before any building permit is issued⁷, and a septic system may not be covered until a board of health representative has inspected it¹⁷.

The Little Ferry Board of Health says the borough contracts with Bergen County for health services⁵. County Health Services reviews septic engineering plans for contracting towns¹⁸. We could not confirm the septic rules for a specific Little Ferry lot, so call the Bergen County Department of Health Services¹⁹ and the borough clerk before you rely on a septic or well plan.

Building a home in Little Ferry: the steps, in order

1. Ask the Little Ferry Building Department which zoning district the parcel is in and whether a variance would be needed²⁴.
2. Check floodplain exposure; the borough's floodplain regulations apply together with the Uniform Construction Code¹⁰.
3. Get health-department approval for any septic or well plan, since the construction permit cannot issue without it⁷.
4. File the construction permit application with the borough construction official⁶.
5. Pass inspections at the required stages, including footings, rough plumbing and electrical, and framing²⁰.
6. Obtain the certificate of occupancy; the building must be properly numbered and identified first²¹. An owner who built the home must also file an affidavit with the construction official⁹.

What stays with Bergen County and the state in Little Ferry?

Subdivisions are submitted to the Bergen County Planning Board for review, with county approval limited to those that touch a county road, county drainage facility or county-owned land²². A driveway onto a county road carries a $250 road-access permit fee when it is not subject to site plan approval or exemption²³. A driveway onto a state highway needs a state access permit²⁴.

For land outside Little Ferry, see the Bergen County page.

Watch-outs

• Owner-builders in New Jersey are excepted from builder registration only; they still need construction permits and must file an affidavit before a certificate of occupancy is issued⁸⁹.
• Part of Little Ferry lies in the Hackensack Meadowlands District, where the NJSEA handles regional planning and zoning, so confirm which agency governs a given parcel¹⁶.
• Bergen County Health Services serves only about 30 contracting towns, so confirm with the Little Ferry Board of Health which office handles septic and well approvals for your parcel¹⁸.
• Lot size, setbacks, height and minimum floor area are set district by district in New Jersey¹⁴; Little Ferry's own numbers and its RV and tiny-home rules were not confirmed, so ask the building department before you buy.

Sources

1. Chapter 13: Building and Construction (Borough of Little Ferry), quoted and re-checked
2. Little Ferry Building Department (littleferrynj.org)
3. Bergen County Standards for Sustainable Land Development—Site Plans, quoted and re-checked
4. Little Ferry Planning and Zoning Board (littleferrynj.org)
5. Little Ferry Board of Health (littleferrynj.org)
6. Uniform Construction Code General Information, quoted and re-checked
7. New Jersey Statutes, R.S. 58:11-23 through 58:11-43 (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
8. Builder Registration and New Home Warranty for Builders, quoted and re-checked
9. N.J.A.C. 5:23, Uniform Construction Code (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
10. Chapter 25: Flood Prevention and Protection (Borough of Little Ferry), quoted and re-checked
11. P.L. 2013, c.106 (Municipal Land Use Law amendments) (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
12. New Jersey Uniform Construction Code, N.J.A.C. 5:23 (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
13. The New Jersey State Uniform Construction Code, quoted and re-checked
14. P.L. 2013, c.106 (Municipal Land Use Law amendments) (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
15. P.L. 2013, c.106 (Municipal Land Use Law amendments) (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
16. Bergen County Master Plan: Public Facilities and Services, quoted and re-checked
17. New Jersey Statutes, R.S. 58:11-23 through 58:11-43 (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
18. bergencountynj.gov, quoted and re-checked
19. Bergen County Department of Health Services (bergencountynj.gov)
20. New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, New Home Warranty—Consumer Information (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
21. Chapter 13: Building and Construction (Borough of Little Ferry), quoted and re-checked
22. Bergen County Standards for Sustainable Land Development—Subdivisions, quoted and re-checked
23. Fee Schedule for Site Plan Application, quoted and re-checked
24. Major Access Permits (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked

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.