Cherry Hill's Building Safety: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles building safety a little differently. In Cherry Hill, New Jersey, there are 6 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Lead Paint

Cherry Hill Township requires painted surfaces on dwellings and child or day care facilities that carry more than 0.06 percent lead by weight to be removed or safely covered, with any covered surface marked to warn of the lead content underneath.

Key details: Governing section: § 15-25.4, Lead-based Paint. Lead threshold: Over 0.06% by weight. Covered surfaces: Must be marked with warnings. Testing cost: Borne by premises owner. Enforcement referral: Camden County Dept. of Health and Human Services.

A lead-based paint complaint or violation under Section 15-25.4 is referred to the Camden County Department of Health and Human Services for enforcement rather than prosecuted by the Township's own Municipal Court process, and testing costs are borne by the premises owner.

Electrical Permits

Cherry Hill Township requires a construction permit for electrical work under the State Uniform Construction Code, enforced by the Electrical Subcode Official. Permits are priced per fixture, receptacle, motor and panel, and every occupied building's wiring must meet the National Electrical Code.

Key details: Enforcing agency: Electrical Subcode Official, Dept. of Construction Code Enforcement. Base fee (1-50 fixtures): $50.00. Larger panel fee (to 225A): $65.00. Minimum service required: 60 amperes, 3 wires. Appeals board: Camden County Construction Board of Appeals.

Doing electrical work without the required construction permit, or maintaining wiring found to be a hazard under § 15-40.2 (inadequate service, improper fusing, insufficient outlets, deteriorated wiring), draws an order from the Property Maintenance Inspector to correct the defect. Where no specific penalty applies, Chapter 1, § 1-5.1 sets the general municipal penalty at up to $2,000.00, up to 90 days' imprisonment, or up to 90 days of community service, with each day of continued violation a separate offense under § 1-5.5.

Elevator Maintenance

Cherry Hill Township's Property Maintenance Regulations require elevators to be kept safe and operational, and buildings with passenger elevators must keep at least one running whenever the building is occupied, with a narrow testing exception for single-elevator buildings.

Key details: Operating rule: At least 1 elevator running while occupied. Testing exception: Single-elevator buildings only. Periodic inspection cycle: Annual, plus 6-month routine check. Reinspection fee: $200.00 after a violation order. Enforcing official: Elevator Subcode Official / Property Maintenance Inspector.

A building owner who allows every elevator in an occupied multi-elevator building to sit idle outside the testing/servicing exception is out of compliance with § 15-42.2, and the Property Maintenance Inspector can order the defect corrected. Because Chapter 15 carries no elevator-specific fine, the general penalty in § 1-5.1 applies: up to $2,000.00, up to 90 days' imprisonment, or up to 90 days of community service, with each day of noncompliance a separate violation under § 1-5.5.

Plumbing Permits

Cherry Hill Township requires a construction permit before any plumbing work begins, issued through the state-adopted Uniform Construction Code enforcement program. The Township's Department of Construction Code Enforcement and Inspections charges its own local plumbing subcode fee schedule on top of that state framework.

Key details: Permit required: All plumbing work, few exceptions. Per-fixture fee: $15 per fixture/appliance/stack. Special device fee: $91 (boilers, backflow preventers, etc.). Minimum plumbing permit fee: $65. Backflow preventer certificate: $25 per device annually.

Performing plumbing work without the required construction permit exposes an owner or contractor to enforcement action by the Department of Construction Code Enforcement and Inspections, which can order work stopped until a permit is obtained and the applicable subcode fee paid. Unpermitted plumbing also blocks issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy or Certificate of Continued Occupancy for the property until the work is inspected and approved, and disputed enforcement decisions are appealable only to the Camden County Construction Board of Appeals, not a local body.

Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Cherry Hill Township requires every one- and two-family dwelling to keep a working smoke alarm in each sleeping area, and it requires smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors alike to be no more than ten years old. The Fire Marshal's Office checks compliance at annual inspections and again whenever a home is sold.

Key details: Covers: one- and two-family dwellings (NJAC 5:10-1.5). Requirement: smoke alarm in every sleeping area. Backup alarm: within 10 feet outside sleeping area. Age limit: alarms and CO detectors, max 10 years. Checked: annual inspection and at property sale.

A dwelling found without a compliant, sufficiently current smoke or carbon monoxide alarm at a Fire Marshal inspection or a pre-sale inspection is in violation of § 16-1.11(q). Chapter 16's general penalty at § 16-1.11(a)(5) exposes an owner to a fine of up to $50.00, up to fifteen days' imprisonment, or both, unless a different penalty applies under state law.

Building Inspections

Cherry Hill Township runs building inspections through its own Department of Construction Code Enforcement and Inspections, staffed by a Construction Official plus Building, Electrical, Fire, Plumbing and Elevator Subcode Officials under the New Jersey Uniform Construction Code. The public deals with the agency at the Municipal Building on Mercer Street, and every appeal goes to Camden County.

Key details: Enforcing agency: Dept. of Construction Code Enforcement and Inspections. Office location: 820 Mercer Street, Cherry Hill. Office hours: Mon-Fri, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.. Appeals body: Camden County Construction Board of Appeals. Elevator reinspection fee: $200 per reinspection.

Building code violations without a chapter-specific penalty default to Cherry Hill's general penalty at § 1-5.1: a fine up to $2,000, imprisonment up to 90 days, or up to 90 days of community service, at the Municipal Court judge's discretion. Elevator devices that fail inspection and draw a Notice of Violation and Order to Terminate incur a separate $200 reinspection fee before the device can be cleared to operate again.

The Bottom Line

Cherry Hill's building safety rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Cherry Hill is broadly strict or permissive.

All of the above reflects Cherry Hill's municipal code as of our last review. If you need specifics on fines, exemptions, or filing requirements, the detailed ordinance pages linked above have the full breakdown.