Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Raritan Township, New Jersey

Raritan Township’s own rules

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Construction in Raritan township, under the state Uniform Construction Code enforced by the township.

  • Chapter 230 was adopted by the township committee on 10-11-2000 by ord. no. 00-27 (history note as published); later amendments are noted in the chapter.
  • The state UCC subcode structure applies; the enforcing agency is the township construction code enforcement department.

  “there is established in the township a state uniform construction code enforcing agency to be known as the "construction code enforcement department"”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Raritan township limits, under the township's own zoning ordinance (Chapter 296 Land Development, Part 3 Zoning).

  • Zone districts are set by the township code for all land in the township; this is not a county rule.
  • District dimensional limits are in Schedules I to III attached to the chapter; those attachments were not in the eCode360 text reviewed.

  “for the purpose of this chapter, raritan township is divided into the following zone districts: ar-5 agricultural residential district”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Zone districts of Raritan township (ar-5, ar-2, r-1, r-1a, r-2, r-3, r-4, r-5 through r-9, overlay zones, business, industrial and special districts).

  • The district list and purpose statements are published; the dimensional schedules are attachments not in the text reviewed, so this is partial.
  • The zoning map is adopted by ordinance (2025 zoning map, per § 296-93 and the editor's note).

  “r-1a rural residential (low density) district r-2 rural residential (conservation density) district r-3 residential (low density) district”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-family residential permitted use in the R-1A rural residential (low density) district of Raritan township, within the R-1A area defined in § 296-96 (R-3 blocks 60, 63, 63.01, 83, 84, 86 and 86.01).

  • All other R-3 use, height, yard and building requirements apply to R-1A.
  • The R-1A district is the R-3 district with this minimum lot area changed.

  minimum lot area, single-family residential permitted use: >= 100000 square feet (R-1A district only; other districts are in Schedule I, not reviewed)

  “except that the minimum lot area applicable to the r-1a district for a single-family residential permitted use shall be 100,000 square feet”

• Who permits septicLocal

  Individual subsurface sewage disposal systems located inside Raritan township, administered by the township Board of Health.

  • The Board of Health adopts the state standards in N.J.A.C. 7:9A by reference, under N.J.S.A. 26:3-69.1 to 26:3-69.6.
  • The permit issuer is the administrative authority as defined in N.J.A.C. 7:9A-2.1.

  “the raritan township board of health adopts, by reference, n.j.a.c. 7:9a-1 et seq.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Locating, building, or altering an individual sewage disposal system in Raritan township.

  • Permit is issued by the administrative authority (§ 516-4): it may issue a permit if the application complies with the adopted regulations and applicable local ordinances.
  • Construction may proceed only after the permit issues.

  “no person shall locate, construct or alter any individual sewage disposal system until a permit for the location, construction, alteration or repair of said sewage disposal system shall have been issued by the administrative authority”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Raritan Township or Hunterdon County directly.

• Building permit — Building permits for construction in Raritan township.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption in Raritan township.
• Inspections — Construction inspections in Raritan township.
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new dwellings in Raritan township.
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area in Raritan township.

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.

Off-grid gear

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

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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