Elizabeth, NJ Building Safety: Childcare Center Rules (2026)

Elizabeth's construction permit fee schedule at Chapter 15.04 sets a dedicated $450.00 fee for 'Renewal of Certificate of Occupancy For Day Care,' listed in the Miscellaneous Permit Fees table alongside charges for dumpsters and scaffolding in the public right-of-way. That placement singles day care out from the standard certificate-of-occupancy schedule, where new one- and two-family homes pay five percent of the permit fee (minimum $75), new commercial buildings pay fifteen percent (minimum $200), and renovations to residential or commercial space pay flat $60 or $65 charges. Because day care is billed as a renewal rather than a one-time issuance, an operator must return to the Department of Construction periodically to keep the certificate current, distinct from the temporary CO renewal fee of $30.00 that applies to other uses awaiting final approval.

The construction official, who under Section 15.04.010 is 'the chief administrator of the enforcing agency' with 'primary administrative responsibility for the issuance of all construction permits within the city... and all certificates of occupancy,' oversees the renewal along with the building, electrical, plumbing and fire protection subcode officials who each report findings before a certificate issues. A day care center that expands, alters its space, or changes its use group must also secure the corresponding construction permits and pass the relevant subcode inspections before the renewed certificate is granted, since the fee schedule ties every certificate of occupancy to completed subcode sign-off rather than a simple administrative renewal.