Bolthole Index

Bergen County, New Jersey

Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Palisades Park, New Jersey

The Borough of Palisades Park, New Jersey requires a construction permit for new construction and work on existing buildings, issued through its own Department of Building Inspection12. Zoning comes from the borough's own ordinance, Chapter 300, not from Bergen County34. We could not confirm who issues septic permits inside the borough, so ask the borough health department5.

At a glance

Building permit
Required; issued by the borough's Department of Building Inspection12
Zoning
Borough zoning ordinance (Chapter 300); Bergen County does not zone34
Septic
Health department certification is required before a building permit; the borough's own septic authority is unconfirmed6
Certificate of occupancy
Required before use of a new or changed building7
Owner-builder
Exempt from builder registration, not from permits; an owner affidavit is needed for the certificate of occupancy89
Permit fees
Minimum building fee $70; new residential $0.04 per cubic foot10

Who to call

Building permits

Palisades Park Building Department

Construction permits and inspections inside the Borough of Palisades Park

(201) 585-4108

Health department

Palisades Park Health Department

Borough environmental health inspection services; first call for septic and well questions

(201) 585-4105

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 Palisades Park means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Do you need a building permit in Palisades Park, New Jersey?

Yes. The Borough of Palisades Park has established its own State Uniform Construction Code enforcing agency, the Department of Building Inspection1. New Jersey's Uniform Construction Code requires a construction permit for new construction and for structural, plumbing, mechanical and electrical work on existing buildings; only ordinary maintenance such as routine repair is excepted2.

The borough's published fee schedule sets a minimum building fee of $70, $0.04 per cubic foot for new residential construction and additions, a plan review fee of 20% of the permit fee, and $100 for a certificate of occupancy10. A complete application must be approved or denied within 20 business days under the state code11.

A certificate of occupancy must be issued by the Building Inspector before any building or area that is created, erected, changed, converted, altered or enlarged is used7.

Who issues building permits in Palisades Park, and how do you reach them?

Inside Palisades Park, building permits come from the borough's own Building Department, not from Bergen County. The department's page lists a telephone of (201) 585-410812. The state code says applications are processed by the local enforcing agency, which here is the borough's Department of Building Inspection21.

Because the borough is its own enforcing agency, the county planning and health offices are not the place to file a construction permit. Bergen County's site-plan and subdivision review applies only where a project touches a County road, County drainage facility, or County-owned land13.

For the rest of Bergen County, see the Bergen County page.

Does Palisades Park have zoning, and what does it mean for setbacks and lot size?

Palisades Park has its own zoning. Chapter 300 of the borough code is the borough's zoning ordinance, adopted by the Mayor and Council3. Bergen County has no zoning authority of its own, because New Jersey municipalities, not counties, zone land414.

Rules differ by district. In the AA Residential District, the front setback is the average of existing residences on the same side of the street within the same block, but never more than 35 feet or less than 20 feet15. Side yards in AA are 5 feet on one side and 14 feet when both are provided, and the rear yard is 25 feet15.

A side yard used as access to off-street parking requires a driveway at least 12 feet wide16. A zoning permit expires automatically 12 months after issuance and is void if work does not begin within six months17.

We could not confirm the borough's rules on minimum dwelling size, accessory dwelling units, RVs or tiny homes; ask the Building Department before you buy.

How do septic permits work in Palisades Park?

We could not confirm which office administers septic permits inside Palisades Park. State law requires the board of health having jurisdiction to certify the septic plan before any building permit is issued, and requires an inspection before the system is covered618.

The borough has its own health department, which lists environmental health inspection services5. Bergen County's Department of Health Services serves only the municipalities that contract with it, so it may or may not cover the borough19. Call the borough health department first to find out which board of health has jurisdiction for your address.

Most of Bergen County appears to be on public sewer20, so many lots in a dense borough connect to sewer instead of a septic field; confirm sewer availability for the specific lot.

Building a home in Palisades Park: the steps, in order

  1. Confirm the district and setbacks with the borough's zoning ordinance, Chapter 300, and with the Building Inspector, who handles zoning permits317.
  2. Get septic or sewer certification from the health department having jurisdiction before the construction permit is issued6.
  3. Apply to the Department of Building Inspection for the construction permit and pay the plan review fee110.
  4. Build with the required stage inspections: footing trenches, rough plumbing and electrical, and framing before they are covered21.
  5. Owner-builders must file an affidavit with the construction official before a certificate of occupancy can be issued9.
  6. Obtain the certificate of occupancy before using the building7.

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

A driveway that opens onto a Bergen County road needs a county road-access permit, with a $250 review fee for a residential driveway not subject to site plan approval22. A driveway onto a State highway needs a State access permit23.

The county's typical home value is $791,11624, and its effective property tax rate is 1.7%25; these are county-level figures, not borough figures. A construction permit cannot issue until all required State, county and local approvals are in place26.

For land outside the borough, see the Bergen County page.

Watch-outs

  • We could not confirm who administers septic and well permits inside Palisades Park; call the borough health department at (201) 585-4105 before you rely on a septic or well plan5.
  • Floodplain rules, subdivision requirements and the borough's Required Connections (sewer) article exist in the borough code but we could not confirm their details; ask the Building Department12.
  • Owner-builder status exempts a person from new-home-builder registration, not from construction permits or code compliance27.

Sources

  1. Chapter 116: Construction Codes, Uniform (Borough of Palisades Park), quoted and re-checked
  2. The New Jersey State Uniform Construction Code, quoted and re-checked
  3. Chapter 300: Zoning (Borough of Palisades Park), quoted and re-checked
  4. Bergen County Standards for Sustainable Land Development—Site Plans, quoted and re-checked
  5. Palisades Park Health Department (palisadesparknj.org)
  6. New Jersey Statutes, R.S. 58:11-23 through 58:11-43 (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  7. ecode360.com (Borough of Palisades Park), quoted and re-checked
  8. Builder Registration and New Home Warranty for Builders (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  9. N.J.A.C. 5:23, Uniform Construction Code (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  10. Chapter 116: Construction Codes, Uniform (Borough of Palisades Park), quoted and re-checked
  11. Uniform Construction Code General Information, quoted and re-checked
  12. Palisades Park Building Department (palisadesparknj.org)
  13. Bergen County Standards for Sustainable Land Development—Subdivisions, quoted and re-checked
  14. P.L. 2013, c.106 — Municipal Land Use Law amendments (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  15. Schedule II, Schedule of Area, Bulk and Yard Requirements (Borough of Palisades Park), quoted and re-checked
  16. Schedule II, Schedule of Area, Bulk and Yard Requirements (Borough of Palisades Park), quoted and re-checked
  17. ecode360.com (Borough of Palisades Park), quoted and re-checked
  18. New Jersey Statutes, R.S. 58:11-23 through 58:11-43 (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  19. bergencountynj.gov, quoted and re-checked
  20. Bergen County Department of Health Services - Environmental Health (2026 county census)
  21. New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, New Home Warranty—Consumer Information (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  22. Fee Schedule for Site Plan Application, quoted and re-checked
  23. Major Access Permits (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  24. Typical home value (Zillow): Bolthole Index county data
  25. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  26. New Jersey Uniform Construction Code, N.J.A.C. 5:23 (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  27. Builder Registration and New Home Warranty for Builders, 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.

Answers from the rulebook for Borough of Palisades Park

Borough of Palisades Park’s own rules

  • Building code adoptedAdopted

    Construction inside Palisades Park borough under the State Uniform Construction Code administered by the borough's Department of Building Inspection.

    • The ordinance permits retention of an on-site inspection agency for specified subcodes pursuant to N.J.A.C. 5:23-4.6.
    “There is hereby established in the Borough of Palisades Park a State Uniform Construction Code enforcing agency, to be known as the "Department of Building Inspection,"”
  • Certificate of occupancyRequired

    Any building or area created, erected, changed, converted, altered or enlarged inside Palisades Park borough.

    • A certificate must be applied for and issued by the Building Inspector before use or permitted use.
    “It shall be unlawful to use or permit the use of any building or area hereafter created, erected, changed, converted, altered or enlarged, wholly or in part, unless and until a certificate of occupancy shall have been applied for and issued by the Building Inspector.”
  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Palisades Park borough; Chapter 300 is the borough's zoning ordinance.

    “HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Palisades Park 9-20-1994 by Ord. No. 1190. Amendments noted where applicable.”
  • SetbacksSpecified

    AA Residential District.

    • Front setback is the average of existing residences on the same side of the street within the same block; it may not exceed 35 feet or be less than 20 feet.
    • Minimum side yards are 5 feet on one side and 14 feet when both side yards are provided; rear yard is 25 feet.

    minimum front yard: 20-35 feet (Average of existing same-block residences; no less than 20 feet and no more than 35 feet.) · side yard, one: >= 5 feet · side yards, both: >= 14 feet · minimum rear yard: >= 25 feet

    “AA 5,000 50 Note 1 5 14 25 2½/25 40 -- [...] Note 1: The setback shall be the average of the existing setback of residences on the same side of the street within the same block, except that the setback in no case need exceed 35 feet nor shall be less than 20 feet.”
  • Driveway accessLimited

    A side yard used as access to off-street parking in any district governed by Schedule II Note 3.

    • The driveway may be located in a side yard used for access to off-street parking only if it is at least 12 feet wide.
    • Other district and buffer-strip requirements may also apply.

    minimum driveway width: >= 12 feet (Applies when the side yard is used as access to off-street parking.)

    “If such side yard is used as access to off-street parking, such driveway shall not be less than twelve (12) feet in width.”
  • Permit feesPublished

    Construction permits and related subcode permits inside Palisades Park borough.

    • The fee schedule was amended through Ordinance 2022-4 dated 2022-06-29 in the displayed history.

    minimum building fee: 70 USD · residential new/addition fee: 0.04 USD per cubic foot · plan review fee: 20 percent of permit fee (Nonrefundable) · UCC certificate of occupancy: 100 USD

    “Minimum Building Fee | $70 Plan review fee (nonrefundable) | 20% of permit fee New/Addition | Residential | $0.040 per cubic foot [...] Certificate of occupancy (UCC) | $100”
  • Permit processPartial

    Zoning-permit process for development inside Palisades Park borough.

    • A site plan must first be approved by the Planning Board or Board of Adjustment when required.
    • A zoning permit expires automatically 12 months after issuance; it may be renewed for an additional six months if the Building Inspector is satisfied that the proposal conforms.

    commencement deadline: 6 months from issuance (Permit is void if work is not commenced.) · automatic expiration: 12 months from issuance (Additional six-month renewal may be granted.)

    “The permit shall be void and of no force and effect should the person to whom such permit was issued fail or neglect to commence building or improvement within a period of six months from the date of issuance, and provided further that such permit shall automatically expire 12 months from the date of issuance.”

Still unanswered

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

  • Building permit — Building permits for construction inside Palisades Park borough.
  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder work inside Palisades Park borough.
  • Minimum dwelling size — Residential dwellings inside Palisades Park borough, including the AA district.
  • Living in an RV — RV occupancy on land inside Palisades Park borough.
  • Camping on your land — Temporary camping on land inside Palisades Park borough.
13 more unanswered
  • Tiny homes
  • Manufactured homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Who permits septic
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Subdividing land
  • Building in a floodplain
  • Short-term rentals

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 Palisades Park publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Bergen County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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