Building permits, zoning and septic in the Borough of Park Ridge, NJ

At a glance

Building permit

Required; issued by the borough's construction office¹

Zoning

Borough zoning districts and map²

County zoning

None; New Jersey municipalities zone, not counties³

Living in an RV or trailer

Unlawful for dwelling or sleeping in the borough⁴

Septic

Health department having jurisdiction must approve before a permit; borough authority unconfirmed⁵

Owner-builder

Exempt from builder registration only; permits and inspections still apply⁶

Who to call

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

Does Park Ridge, NJ have zoning, and what does it mean for RVs and lot size?

Yes. The Borough of Park Ridge divides the borough into zone districts under its own zoning chapter². Bergen County does not zone land, because New Jersey gives zoning authority to municipalities rather than counties³.

The district decides minimum lot size, setbacks, lot coverage and building height. New Jersey law lets each municipality set these by district rather than one statewide number⁷. We could not confirm Park Ridge's dimensional numbers, so ask the borough zoning officer for the district of your parcel before you buy.

Living in a trailer or camp car is unlawful in Park Ridge: the borough's code bars parking or storing one on private or public land for dwelling or sleeping⁴. A trailer of 18 feet or less may be parked or stored on private property only if it sits at least 15 feet from the side property line and behind the building setback line⁴. Tiny-home rules inside the borough are unconfirmed; ask the zoning officer.

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

Yes. Construction inside the Borough of Park Ridge requires permits, and the borough's construction department issues them¹. New Jersey's Uniform Construction Code requires a permit for new construction and for work on existing buildings, including structural, plumbing, mechanical and electrical work, with ordinary maintenance excepted⁸.

Because the state code is uniform, a complete application must be approved or denied within 20 business days⁹. The borough sets its own fee schedule by ordinance⁹. Bergen County does not issue building permits for private homes; the permit comes from the borough⁸.

Building in Park Ridge also means inspections at set stages and a certificate of occupancy before anyone uses a new building¹⁰¹¹.

How do septic permits work inside Park Ridge?

New Jersey law bars a building permit until the board of health having jurisdiction certifies that the water supply and sewerage facilities comply with state standards⁵. A septic system also must be inspected and approved before it is covered¹².

We could not confirm which health department has jurisdiction inside Park Ridge. Bergen County Health Services reviews septic plans only for the roughly 30 towns that contract with it, not for every municipality¹³. Call the borough's construction office or the county health department at 201-634-2600¹⁴ to confirm who reviews septic plans for your lot.

Well permits inside the borough are also unconfirmed. Statewide, a New Jersey DEP drilling permit is required and municipal or county health officials issue the well construction permit¹⁵.

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

1. Ask the borough zoning officer which district your parcel is in and what lot, setback and height limits apply².
2. Confirm who reviews septic plans, or whether public sewer is available, and get health-department approval first⁵.
3. If the project is a subdivision or site plan, expect borough approvals conditioned on its affordable-housing rules for five or more new dwelling units¹⁶.
4. File for construction permits with the borough's construction department¹.
5. Stop work for the staged inspections¹⁰.
6. Obtain a certificate of occupancy before moving in¹¹.

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

Bergen County has no zoning power, but its Planning Board reviews subdivisions, and approval is required only where a subdivision abuts a County road or drainage facility or affects county property¹⁷. A driveway onto a County road carries a $250 road-access permit fee¹⁸; a driveway onto a State highway needs a NJDOT access permit¹⁹.

If you build the home for your own use, New Jersey exempts you from new-home builder registration, but not from construction permits or code compliance⁶. Bergen County's effective property tax rate is 1.7%²⁰ and the median bill is $10,001 a year²¹. The typical home value is about $791,116²². For land outside the borough, see the Bergen County page.

Watch-outs

• Septic authority, well permits and the borough's lot-size, setback and height numbers inside Park Ridge are unconfirmed; ask the borough construction office and the Bergen County Department of Health Services¹⁴.
• Sleeping or dwelling in a trailer or camp car anywhere in the borough is unlawful, so an RV is not a place to live while you build⁴.
• The 2024 International Building Code, New Jersey edition, is the current building subcode, with amendments effective August 17, 2026²³.
• An owner who builds their own new home must file an affidavit before a certificate of occupancy is issued, and the work is not covered by the New Home Warranty²⁴.

Sources

1. Park Ridge NJ - Construction (Borough of Park Ridge), quoted and re-checked
2. Article III: Establishment of Zoning Districts and Map (Borough of Park Ridge), quoted and re-checked
3. Bergen County Standards for Sustainable Land Development—Site Plans, quoted and re-checked
4. Chapter 93: Trailers and Camp Cars (Borough of Park Ridge), 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. Builder Registration and New Home Warranty for Builders, quoted and re-checked
7. P.L. 2013, c.106 (Municipal Land Use Law amendments) (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
8. The New Jersey State Uniform Construction Code, quoted and re-checked
9. Uniform Construction Code General Information, quoted and re-checked
10. New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, New Home Warranty—Consumer Information (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
11. N.J.A.C. 5:23, Uniform Construction Code (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
12. New Jersey Statutes, R.S. 58:11-23 through 58:11-43 (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
13. bergencountynj.gov, quoted and re-checked
14. Bergen County Department of Health Services (bergencountynj.gov)
15. Bulletin 88-10: Private On-Site Water Supply Systems (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
16. ecode360.com (Borough of Park Ridge), quoted and re-checked
17. Bergen County Standards for Sustainable Land Development—Subdivisions, quoted and re-checked
18. Fee Schedule for Site Plan Application, quoted and re-checked
19. Major Access Permits (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
20. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
21. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
22. Typical home value (Zillow): Bolthole Index county data
23. Current Construction Codes (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
24. N.J.A.C. 5:23, Uniform Construction Code (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.