Plainfield, NJ Rental Inspections: Tenant Complaint Process (2026)

Section 6:5-7(b) of the Plainfield Municipal Code sets the clock for complaint inspections in the City of Plainfield. Subsection (b)(4) says that within 72 hours of the receipt of a complaint alleging a violation of Chapter 6, a City Inspector shall conduct an inspection. The same subsection builds the routine side of the program. The Division of Inspections inspects every multi-family dwelling with four or more units every two years: buildings whose addresses end in an odd number are inspected in odd numbered years, and even-ending addresses in even numbered years. An inspector must give the owner written notice within seven days of a re-inspection.

Access is not optional. A City Inspector is authorized to enter, examine and survey each unit within a multi-family dwelling, and the owner or occupant of every multi-family dwelling must give the inspector free access to the building and each unit at all reasonable times. Owners of buildings with four or more units that need property maintenance inspections pay $25.00 per unit per inspection. An owner who refuses access is assessed a mandatory fine under § 6:5-13.

What an inspector looks for comes from the same article. Section 6:5-9 lists conditions that justify denying a certificate of compliance, including no running water, no hot water where the operator must supply it, defective heating equipment, defective toilets, absent or inoperable smoke detectors, and rat, mouse or severe roach infestation. Under § 6:5-10, notice is served personally or by first class mail to the last known address, and if no address can be found the notice is posted on the outside front entrance of the building.