New Brunswick, NJ Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcing agency
- New Brunswick building department under the construction official
- Where fees are paid
- Central permit office, payable to the City of New Brunswick
- New construction fee
- $0.040 per cubic foot up to 500,000 cubic feet
- Renovation fee
- $40 per $1,000 of estimated cost up to $5,000
- Minimum permit fee
- $100
- Certificate of occupancy fee
- Not less than ten percent of permit fee, $150 minimum
- Plan change after release
- $60 per hour, one-hour minimum
Summary
In the City of New Brunswick, New Jersey, building work is permitted through the New Brunswick building department under the State Uniform Construction Code, and every fee is paid at the central permit office. New buildings pay $0.040 per cubic foot, renovations pay per $1,000 of estimated cost, and both carry a $100 minimum.
A.All construction fees shall be payable to the City of New Brunswick at the central permit office. Fees are calculated to reasonably cover the municipal costs as required in the regulations. ... B.Building Subcode Fees.1.For new building construction and additions to existing buildings of all types, the fee shall be $0.040 per cubic foot of the building or structure volume up to and including five hundred thousand (500,000) cubic feet. ... 2.For renovations, alterations and repairs to all buildings and structures the fee shall be forty dollars ($40.00) per one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) of estimated cost or fraction thereof up to and including five thousand dollars ($5,000.00). From five thousand one dollars ($5,001.00) up to and including twenty thousand dollars ($20,000.00) the fee shall be twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) or fraction thereof. From twenty thousand one dollars ($20,001.00) up, the fee shall be twenty dollars ($20.00) per one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) of estimated cost or fraction thereof. The minimum fee shall be one hundred dollars ($100.00).
Full Breakdown
The City Council adopted the State Uniform Construction Code as the construction and building code of the city in § 15.04.010 and named the New Brunswick building department as the enforcing agency in § 15.04.030. A construction official runs the agency, and the building, fire protection, plumbing, electrical and elevator subcode officials each hold exclusive decision making authority over the technical provisions of their own subcode. The central permit office, under the construction official, receives applications for construction permits and plan review, issues permits and certificates of occupancy, and collects fees, penalties and fines. Inspections take place between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on business days, or while construction is taking place, in an emergency, or with the owner's permission.
Section 15.04.120 sets the fee schedule. A new building or addition pays $0.040 per cubic foot up to 500,000 cubic feet and $0.034 per cubic foot beyond that. Renovations, alterations and repairs pay $40 per $1,000 of estimated cost up to $5,000, $25 per $1,000 from $5,001 to $20,000, and $20 per $1,000 above $20,000. The minimum fee is $100 either way. A certificate of occupancy fee applies to new construction, additions, alterations and renovations at not less than ten percent of the permit fee, with a $150 minimum. Changes to an application that has already been released cost an additional $60 per hour, with a one-hour minimum, and a change of contractor costs $50.
The duty to pull a permit sits in the property maintenance amendments. PM-406 in § 15.08.020 makes it unlawful to alter, renovate or add dwelling units to any building without first obtaining construction permits and all required approvals, and it bars occupancy of the altered building until every approval is received. In a mapped flood hazard area, § 15.36.050 adds a floodplain development permit on top of the building permit. Rooftop solar panels are exempt from zoning permit review under § 17.03.015. When a building permit issues, the code official hands over written instructions on disposal and recycling of construction and demolition waste, and the permittee files a notification form with the Middlesex County division of solid waste management within forty-eight hours (§ 15.04.130).
Violations & Fines
Altering, renovating or adding dwelling units without first obtaining construction permits and all required approvals is unlawful under PM-406, and the owner must remove any work done without them. Violations of the property maintenance code carry a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $1,000, or imprisonment up to 90 days, or both, and each day after due notice is a separate offense (PM-106.2).
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I pay for and file a building permit in New Brunswick?
Do I need a permit to renovate or convert a rental building in New Brunswick?
How long can a temporary certificate of occupancy last?
What does it cost to change plans after a permit application is released?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in New Brunswick
Compare New Brunswick to another location·View the New Jersey building safety overview
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Building Permits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle building permits.