Clifton, NJ Building Safety: Building Inspections (2026)

Under Clifton Code Chapter 210, every owner and tenant must file a dwelling certificate with the City before any change of occupancy, new lease, or conveyance of title, and (except for the initial 1996 filing) that filing triggers a mandatory inspection under § 210-3. An inspection tied to a sale must occur before title transfers to the new owner (§ 210-3A); an inspection tied to a new lease or rental may happen either before or after the tenant moves in, so long as the certificate naming the new occupants has already been filed with the City (§ 210-3B).

The owner or tenant must give the City access to the premises, common areas, basement or cellar, and attic at a time the City designates so the inspection can be completed (§ 210-3C); a completion certificate then sets out the dwelling's permitted use (§ 210-3D). No inspection is required if the same unit already had a dwelling certificate and was inspected within the prior six months. The inspection checks compliance with Chapter 233, Article III (smoke detectors) and Chapter 273 (Housing Standards). Fees run from $5 for a certificate that needs no inspection up to $75 for a change-of-occupancy inspection (bundling smoke detector, CO detector, and fire extinguisher certification) and $125 to $300 for a title-conveyance inspection depending on how close to closing the request is made (§ 210-4).

Under § 210-5, a title transfer cannot legally occur until the required inspection has been completed, and refusing the City access triggers an additional inspection fee under § 210-4B.