Piscataway, NJ Accessory Structures: Garage Conversions (2026)

Piscataway's zoning code defines a bulk variance, at § 21-3, as a departure from any provision of a zoning ordinance except use, which covers the setback, lot coverage, floor area and yard standards a garage conversion can run into once a homeowner turns what the Zoning Schedule counts as accessory or non-habitable space into finished living area. Section 19A-6 of the Land Use Procedures Ordinance sets the development application fee for that kind of relief: the standard hardship or bulk variance filed with the Zoning Board of Adjustment costs $350, but subsection 10(a)(1) carves out an exception for residential additions, including sheds, decks, porches, garage conversions, rooms, etc., cutting the fee to $50 for exactly this category of home project.

That $50 rate is a nonrefundable development application fee under § 19A-6.a, paid at the time of filing, and it is added to any other component fees if the same application also needs subdivision, site plan or other relief. A garage conversion that does not trip a bulk standard, for example one that keeps the same footprint and setbacks and only changes the interior use, does not need this variance at all and pays no fee under this section; the $50 rate only applies once the project requires the Board's sign-off on a zoning departure.

Applicants who need a use variance instead, rather than a bulk departure, pay the Township's separate $500 use-variance fee under § 19A-6.a.10(b), and a Zoning Officer opinion letter confirming which category applies starts at $750 under the same fee table.