West New York, NJ Rental Inspections: Tenant Complaint Process (2026)

Section 198-8 of the Town Code, in the Fire Prevention chapter, adds local inspections and annual fees on top of the state fire code for each building and each use within a multi-use building. Subsection B is the complaint trigger: R uses shall only by inspected upon sale, complaint or change of tenant (the typo is in the printed code). A complaint about a residential building in the Town of West New York is therefore one of three events that opens a fire inspection. The section does not print a complaint form or a deadline for responding to one.

Subsection E limits the scope: all residential uses shall be inspected in the common areas only, so the inspection under this section reaches hallways, stairs and shared spaces, not tenants' individual units. Subsection I puts payment on the owner of the real estate whose use requires fees, and says inspections are conducted annually or more frequently if so determined by the Bureau of Fire Prevention. The annual fee for the residential use group runs by building size: MD-1, a non-owner-occupied two-unit building, $50; MD-2, 3 to 6 units, $75; MD-3, 7 to 12 units, $100; MD-4, 13 to 20 units, $200; MD-5, 21 to 30 units, $300; MD-6, 31 to 75 units, $400; MD-7, 76 to 100 units, $500; MD-8, 101 to 200 units, $700; MD-9, 201 to 300 units, $900; and MD-10, 301 units and above, $1,100. Vacant buildings or tenant areas pay 50% of the normal fee for the last occupant's use group, and a use group that does not pay within 60 days of notification owes an additional fifty-dollar late fee or double.

Inside the unit, the tenant-side process runs through Chapter 260, Article IV, Apartment Certificates of Occupancy. A landlord of a structure with more than two apartment units must obtain an apartment certificate of occupancy before leasing to a new tenant (§ 260-19). A request for inspection to the Division of Housing Inspection comes with a $50 application fee (§ 260-24), the certificate issues within five days when a representative finds all Building and Housing Code requirements met (§ 260-22), and a temporary certificate for minor violations lasts not more than 90 days (§ 260-23). Anyone aggrieved by a denial can appeal in writing to the Director of the Department of Public Affairs (§ 260-27).