Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Borough of Penns Grove, New Jersey

Borough of Penns Grove’s own rules

• InspectionsLimited

  Inspections for certificates of occupancy on dwelling units and commercial property inside Penns Grove borough (borough Housing Officer)

  • Inspection is triggered by a certificate of occupancy application; it is not a general construction inspection.
  • Owner must correct violations noted by the Housing Officer and request reinspection.

  “upon making of said application, the housing officer shall arrange for inspection of the dwelling structure to determine that its condition complies with the regulations governing zoning, building, plumbing, electrical, health and safety”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Dwelling units inside Penns Grove borough that are occupied by a tenant, rented, leased or re-rented, and commercial property rented or leased; issued by the borough Housing Officer

  • Not required on a transfer of title (§ 213-2 a).
  • Tenant means any person occupying a unit not also occupied by the owner of record (§ 213-1).
  • Certificate must be secured before the unit is occupied, rented, leased, let, sublet or re-rented (§ 213-2 b and c).
  • Issuance requires compliance with zoning, building, plumbing, electrical, health, safety, fire and minimum housing ordinances (§ 213-5 a).
  • Outstanding real property taxes and water and sewer charges must be current, except on change of ownership (§ 213-3).

  “no person, persons, association, partnership or corporation or other entity or any combination thereof who or which owns, manages, conducts or operates a dwelling unit shall occupy, rent, lease, let or sublet or permit the same to be tenant or owner occupied or re-rented without first securing from the housing officer of the borough a certificate of occupancy for said dwelling unit.”

• Local zoningPresent

  All land inside Penns Grove borough limits (Chapter 450, Zoning, of the Borough of Penns Grove code)

  • The borough's zoning chapter establishes its own districts, use tables, dimensional requirements and zoning map (attachments 1-3).

  “§ 450-6 zoning map. districts are bounded and defined as shown on the map titled "zoning map of the borough of penns grove,"”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  R-1 Residential 1 district inside Penns Grove borough: single-family residential purpose

  • Purpose statement: retain single-family character, maintain existing low residential density and preserve open space (§ 450-8 a). Numeric dimensional limits are in Attachment 2.

  “the purpose and intent of this district is to retain the character of existing single-family residential areas, to maintain the existing low residential density and to encourage the preservation of permanent open space”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Published — Zoning districts inside Penns Grove borough: R-1 Residential 1, R-2 Residential 2, R-3 Residential 3-multifamily, COS commercial/office/service, H-C/I highway-commercial/industrial, M-1 and M-2 marina districts

    “§ 450-5 types of districts. the districts are established and designated as follows: r-1 district — residential 1 r-2 district — residential 2 r-3 district — residential 3-multifamily cos district — commercial, office, service h-c/i district — highway-commercial/industrial m-1 — marina district 1”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Certificate of occupancy inspection fees for dwelling units inside Penns Grove borough

  • Fee is per dwelling unit for the initial inspection and first reinspection; each additional reinspection is charged separately.
  • Violation of Chapter 213 is a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $2,000 or imprisonment up to 90 days, or both (§ 213-8).

  initial inspection and first reinspection fee: 50 USD per dwelling unit (additional reinspections charged $25 each (§ 213-7)) · additional reinspection fee: 25 USD per reinspection (applies to each additional reinspection necessary)

  “all applicants for the issuance of a certificate of occupancy shall be charged $50 per dwelling unit for the initial inspection and the first reinspection. a fee of $25 will be charged for each additional reinspection necessary, said charges being payable to the borough of penns grove.”

• Permit processPartial

  Certificate of occupancy application process for dwelling units and commercial property inside Penns Grove borough

  • Application is made to the Housing Officer's office on an approved form with all required information (§ 213-3).
  • Process for construction permits is not published in Chapter 213 or Chapter 223 (state UCC procedure applies).

  “applications to secure a certificate of occupancy shall be made to the housing officer's office upon approved form, submitting all required information.”

Rules another office applies inside Borough of Penns Grove

Borough of Penns Grove does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Building code adoptedPartial

  New Jersey Uniform Construction Code as applied inside Penns Grove borough; the borough itself no longer administers or enforces it

  • Borough relinquished its jurisdiction for administration and enforcement of the UCC to the NJ Department of Community Affairs under N.J.S.A. 52:27d-119 et seq. and N.J.A.C. 5:23-4.3.
  • Transfer takes effect after 120 days from forwarding to DCA or when DCA exercises jurisdiction, whichever is sooner.
  • Borough must deliver its UCC records and files to DCA on request (§ 223-2).

  “the borough of penns grove, pursuant to n.j.s.a. 52:27d-119 et seq. and n.j.a.c. 5:23-4.3, hereby relinquishes its jurisdiction for the administration and enforcement of the uniform construction code and hereby transfers jurisdiction for the administration and enforcement of the uniform construction code to the department of community affairs of the state of new jersey.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Borough of Penns Grove or Salem County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for residential construction inside Penns Grove borough
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area inside Penns Grove borough
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Penns Grove borough
• Tiny homes — Tiny home occupancy inside Penns Grove borough
• Manufactured homes — Manufactured or mobile home occupancy inside Penns Grove borough

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 Borough of Penns Grove 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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