Plainfield, NJ Rental Inspections: Inspection Programs (2026)

Section 6:5-7(b) of the Plainfield Municipal Code sets the recurring inspection program. The Division of Inspections inspects all multi-family dwellings with four or more units in the City every two years, with odd-numbered addresses on odd-numbered years and even-numbered addresses on even-numbered years. An inspector must give the owner written notice within seven days of the re-inspection, and owners of buildings with four or more units pay $25.00 per unit per inspection.

A City inspector is authorized to enter, examine and survey each unit within a multi-family dwelling to safeguard the health, safety and welfare of occupants. The owner or occupant must give free access to the building and each unit at all reasonable times. An owner who refuses access is assessed a mandatory fine under § 6:5-13. Within 72 hours of receiving a complaint alleging a violation of the chapter, an inspector must conduct an inspection.

The same section governs inspections tied to a certificate of compliance. Within five business days of the application, the Division uses reasonable efforts to inspect and telephones the applicant with the scheduled date. The owner, operator and applicant must make the property accessible and have an authorized person present. The Division then sends either the certificate or a notice of violations, and posts a notice stating the total number of persons permitted to occupy the property. A $50 fee applies when the Division cannot enter on the scheduled date (§ 6:5-6).

Grounds for denying a certificate under § 6:5-9 include illegal occupancy, over-occupancy, lack of exterior maintenance, no running water, no hot water where the operator must supply it, defective toilets, major plumbing leaks, sewer line blockage, mixed utilities, defective heating equipment, absent or inoperable smoke detectors, broken window glass, defective stoves or refrigerators, severe roach, mouse or rat infestation, broken floor boards, broken steps and roof leaks.