Bloomfield, NJ Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)
Key Facts
- Designating body
- Historic Preservation Commission, created by Chapter 302
- Automatic designation
- Properties listed or eligible for State or National Registers
- Certificate of appropriateness fee
- $100
- Commission review deadline
- 45 days from referral; silence counts as approval
- Certificate validity
- One year unless extended
- Penalty ceiling per day
- $100, then $150, then $200 as days pass
- Appeal path
- Zoning Board of Adjustment
Summary
Bloomfield Township's Historic Preservation Commission designates historic sites and districts under § 315-38P, and any property listed or eligible for the State or National Registers is deemed designated. Demolition, relocation, exterior changes and new construction on a designated property need a certificate of appropriateness, with a $100 application fee.
(e) Any property, site, building, structure or district listed or eligible for listing on the State or National Registers of Historic Places is hereby deemed a designated historic site or district under this Subsection P. ... (i) Criteria for designation of a landmark. In considering an individual site, building or structure or district that is of particular historical, archaeological, scenic or architectural significance to the Township of Bloomfield, the County of Essex, the State of New Jersey or to the nation which reflects or exemplifies the broad cultural, political, scenic, economic or social history of the nation, state or locality, the Historic Preservation Commission shall give consideration to the following criteria: [1] May be of particular historic significance to the Township by reflecting or exemplifying the broad cultural, political, economic or social history of the nation, state or community; [2] May be associated with historic personages important in national, state or local history; [3] If a site of a historic event which had a significant effect on the development of the nation, state or community;
Full Breakdown
Landmark rules in Bloomfield Township sit in § 315-38P of the Land Development and Zoning chapter, amended April 17, 2023 by Ord. No. 23-14, and in Chapter 302, which created the Historic Preservation Commission. The Commission documents each district and site worthy of designation in a survey report and notifies each owner by certified mail that the property has been nominated. It publishes the list and map and holds a public hearing, with notice published in the official newspaper and mailed to each owner not less than 10 days before. After the hearing the Commission issues a final report giving its reasons for each designation. No ordinance carrying out the survey report can be introduced until the designations are in the Historic Preservation Element of the Master Plan, and the governing body refers it to the Planning Board before adoption. A certificate of designation goes to each owner by certified mail within 30 days after adoption and once each year after that.
A property listed or eligible for listing on the State or National Registers is deemed designated. The Commission weighs seven criteria: significance in Township, state or national history, association with important historic people, the site of a significant historic event, distinctive architecture or engineering, the work of an important builder, designer, artist or architect, the likelihood of yielding information about prehistory or history, and the National Register criteria in Title 36, Part 60 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
Designation brings review. A certificate of appropriateness is required before a permit for demolition, relocation, a change in exterior elevation such as siding, windows, doors, roofing or fencing, new construction of a principal or accessory building, removal or replacement of bluestone sidewalks, or any change in signs or exterior lighting. Interior work with no exterior impact, landscaping, painting and repair with no change in design do not need one. The application fee is $100. The Commission must report within 45 days of referral, silence counts as approval, and a certificate lasts one year. Appeals go to the Zoning Board of Adjustment. The Bloomfield Green Historic District is designated as an overlay.
Violations & Fines
Doing work that needs Commission approval without it triggers a written notice from the Zoning Officer giving the owner 10 days to restore the property. After that a summons issues in Municipal Court. Penalties are not more than $100 per day for days one through 10, $150 per day for days 11 through 25 and $200 per day beyond 25, with each day a separate violation. The Zoning Officer can seek an injunction in Superior Court instead, or in addition.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who decides whether a Bloomfield Township building is a historic landmark?
Do I need approval to repaint a designated property?
How long does a certificate of appropriateness take in Bloomfield Township?
What if the Commission denies a demolition permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bloomfield
Compare Bloomfield to another location·View the New Jersey historic preservation overview
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Historic-Cultural Monuments in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Essex County handle historic-cultural monuments.