Bolthole Index

Morris County, New Jersey

Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Long Hill Township, New Jersey

Building a home in Long Hill Township, New Jersey requires a construction permit from the Township's own Construction Code Enforcing Agency under the state Uniform Construction Code1. Zoning is set by the Township, not Morris County2. Septic approval comes from a local health department, not the Construction Office, and must be in hand before a building permit issues3.

At a glance

Building permit
Required; issued by the Long Hill Township Construction Office under the state UCC1
Inspections
Required; request at least 24 hours ahead, done within three business days4
Zoning
Municipal; New Jersey counties have no zoning authority2
Septic
Local health department approval before the building permit issues3
RV living
Only as temporary quarters for up to six months after a home is made uninhabitable5
Owner-builder
Homeowners may pull permits for work on their own owner-occupied home6

Who to call

Building permits

Long Hill Township Construction Office

Building, electrical, plumbing and fire permits and inspections under the Uniform Construction Code; inspections are scheduled at extension 217

908-647-8000

915 Valley Road, Gillette, NJ, 07933

Septic permits

Bernards Township Health Department

Local health department the Morris County health-department list shows serving Long Hill, alongside Chester Borough and Mendham Borough

908-204-3067

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 Long Hill Township means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

These are affiliate links — we may earn a commission, at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, Bolthole Index earns from qualifying purchases.

Do you need a building permit in Long Hill Township, NJ?

Yes. Long Hill Township operates its own Construction Code Enforcing Agency, made up of a Construction Official and building, plumbing, electrical and fire protection subcode officials1. New Jersey regulates all construction work through the statewide Uniform Construction Code, so a permit is part of every new home, addition or major renovation7.

Morris County does not issue building permits for Long Hill; the Township does8. A homeowner doing the work on their own owner-occupied house may sign the application as the exempt applicant, but the work must still follow the code and be inspected6.

Who issues building permits in Long Hill Township and how do you reach them?

The Long Hill Township Construction Office handles building permits and inspections from the municipal building at 915 Valley Road, Gillette9. Inspections are scheduled by phone at 908-647-8000 extension 217, with the permit number, work address and a callback number9.

Inspections must be requested at least 24 hours ahead and are done within three business days of the request4. Construction cannot proceed in a way that conceals work from the inspector, and a final inspection is required for each subcode with a permit4.

Does Long Hill Township have zoning, and what does it mean for RVs and tiny homes?

Zoning in New Jersey is a municipal power: counties have no zoning authority, so Long Hill's own land-use ordinance sets lot sizes, setbacks and permitted uses2. Those dimensional rules differ by zoning district, so check the district for the specific parcel with the Township before you buy10.

Long Hill's land-use code allows trailer coaches or house trailers as temporary living quarters for six months, on application to the Construction Official, only when a dwelling has been made uninhabitable by fire, flood, wind or similar destruction5. That is not a rule for living in an RV while you build. We could not confirm any Township provision on tiny homes or manufactured homes, so ask the Construction Office.

How do septic permits work in Long Hill Township?

Septic is handled separately from the building permit. Before the Construction Office issues a permit for a building on a septic system, it must receive the health department's approval of the septic plan, and before a certificate of occupancy it must receive a Certificate of Compliance3. Local health departments permit single-family septic systems with design flows under 2,000 gallons per day11.

Morris County's health-department list shows Long Hill among the towns served by the Bernards Township Health Department, not the county's own Division of Public Health12. We could not confirm Long Hill's specific septic permit steps or well permit rules; ask that department before you commit to a lot.

Building a home in Long Hill Township: the steps, in order

  1. Confirm the zoning district and what it allows with the Township before you buy10.
  2. Get septic plan approval from the local health department, which the Construction Office requires before it issues a building permit3.
  3. Apply to the Long Hill Construction Office for building, electrical, plumbing and fire permits9.
  4. Call in each required inspection at least 24 hours ahead4.
  5. Obtain the certificate of occupancy once final inspections pass; utilities such as water, sewer and electric must be in service first13.

What to check before you buy land in Long Hill Township

Long Hill sits in a dense part of Morris County, so land is priced like suburban New Jersey: the county's typical home value is about $717,39014 and its effective property tax rate is 1.8%15. Morris County's median property tax bill is about $10,001 per year16.

Only about 12% of Morris County soils rate as not limited for a conventional septic drain field, so expect a site evaluation and possibly an engineered system17. A driveway onto a county road needs a county right-of-way permit after Planning Board approval18. Outside Long Hill, the county page covers the rest of Morris County.

Watch-outs

  • Long Hill's own rules for flood hazard areas, driveway access, well permits and short-term rentals were not confirmed; ask the Construction Office before you rely on any of them9.
  • The Township's RV rule is a six-month disaster-relief allowance, not permission to live in an RV on vacant land5.
  • A certificate of occupancy is required before a new home is occupied, and utilities must be in service first19.

Sources

  1. Chapter 29 Uniform Construction Code and Construction Requirements (Long Hill Township), quoted and re-checked
  2. P.L. 2013, c.106 — Municipal Land Use Law amendments (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  3. DCA Bulletin 79-7: Septic Systems, quoted and re-checked
  4. Required Inspections (Long Hill Township), quoted and re-checked
  5. Chapter LU Land Use - Township of Long Hill, NJ (Long Hill Township), quoted and re-checked
  6. nj.gov, quoted and re-checked
  7. Construction Code FAQs for New Home Buyers, quoted and re-checked
  8. Town of Morristown - Division of Building and Uniform Construction Code (2026 county census)
  9. Long Hill Township Construction Office (longhillnj.gov)
  10. P.L. 2013, c.106 (Municipal Land Use Law amendments) (New Jersey statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  11. NJDEP Permitting Information, quoted and re-checked
  12. Bernards Township Health Department (morriscountynj.gov)
  13. N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.23 Certificate requirements, quoted and re-checked
  14. Typical home value (Zillow): Bolthole Index county data
  15. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  16. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
  17. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
  18. Morris County Land Development Standards, quoted and re-checked
  19. Construction Code FAQs for New Home Buyers, 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 Long Hill Township

Long Hill Township’s own rules

  • Building code adoptedAdopted

    Construction inside Long Hill Township under the New Jersey Uniform Construction Code administered by the Township enforcing agency.

    • The Township agency includes construction, building, plumbing, electrical, and fire-protection 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 Township a State Uniform Construction Code enforcing agency to be known as the "Long Hill Township Construction Code Enforcing Agency," consisting of a Construction Official, Building Subcode Official, Plumbing Subcode Official, Electrical Subcode Official, Fire Protection Subcode Official and such other subcode officials for such additional subcodes as the Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs, State of New Jersey, shall hereafter adopt as part of the State Uniform Construction Code. The Construction Official shall be the chief administrator of the Enforcing Agency.”
  • InspectionsRequired

    Permitted construction work inside Long Hill Township.

    • Inspection requests must be made at least 24 hours before the desired inspection.
    • Inspections are conducted within three business days of the request.
    • Work may not proceed in a manner that conceals it from inspection.
    • Final inspections are required for each subcode area for which a permit was issued.
    • The Construction Official or subcode officials may require additional inspections.

    advance notice: >= 24 hours · inspection response: <= 3 business days

    “Construction work must be inspected as required by the Uniform Construction Code, N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.18. The Construction Office will conduct inspections as often as necessary to insure that all work conforms with the approved plans and the requirements of the Uniform Construction Code. The owner or other person in charge of the work must notify this office when work is ready for inspection. Requests for inspections must be made at least 24 hours prior to the time inspection is desired. Inspections will be conducted within three (3) business days of the request, and work shall not proceed in a manner that will conceal it from the inspection.”
  • Certificate of occupancyLimited

    Occupancy, sale, or commercial rental of structures inside Long Hill Township where the Uniform Construction Code requires a certificate of occupancy or other certificate.

    • The Township Land Use Ordinance states that issuance is governed by the Uniform Construction Code.
    • A temporary certificate may be issued only upon written request and in accordance with the Uniform Construction Code.
    • A CRC is required before occupancy in whole or in part, subject to the listed transaction exceptions.
    “The issuance of certificates of occupancy, certificates of approval and certificates of continued occupancy shall be governed by the standards of the Uniform Construction Code. The Construction Official may issue a temporary certificate of occupancy upon written request from the applicant and in accordance with the Uniform Construction Code.”
  • Living in an RVTemporary only (with conditions)

    Trailer coaches or house trailers used as temporary living quarters inside Long Hill Township.

    • Permission is limited to six months.
    • Application to the Construction Official is required.
    • The dwelling must have been made uninhabitable by fire, flood, winds, or other destruction caused by someone other than the occupant's willful destruction.

    maximum duration: 6 months (temporary living quarters after qualifying dwelling damage)

    “Trailer coaches or house trailers may be permitted in any zone for a period of six months, upon application to the Construction Official for use as temporary living quarters when a dwelling is made uninhabitable by fire, flood, winds or other destruction caused by other than the occupant's willful destruction.”

Still unanswered

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

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from construction permits or inspections inside Long Hill Township.
  • Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Long Hill Township.
  • Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Long Hill Township.
  • Manufactured homes — Manufactured-home occupancy inside Long Hill Township.
  • Septic permit — Septic permits for individual subsurface sewage disposal systems inside Long Hill Township.
7 more unanswered
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Driveway access
  • 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 Long Hill Township publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Morris County’s page lists the county offices to call.

← All of Morris County: county rules, score and offices