Stafford Township, NJ Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)

Article I of Chapter 187 is the Township's permit system for private work inside the public right-of-way. Section 187-1 sets four prerequisites: a written application to the Township Clerk with a map or sketch of the project, the proper fee, a cash or surety company bond guaranteeing the opening will be properly closed, and a written permit for the specific opening or trench. Section 187-2 applies the same rule to anyone who directs an employee, agent or contractor to dig.

Fees follow § 187-5: $3 per foot for openings up to and including 500 feet, and $1 per foot for each foot over 500 feet. A road opening under 10 feet in length carries a minimum fee of $25, and an opening of 10 feet or more carries a minimum of $150. The bond is sized from a schedule of estimated closing costs per linear foot, $1.25 for unimproved surface, $3.25 for improved surface other than concrete and $6.00 for a concrete roadway, with at least $500 posted in cash or bond before a permit issues (§ 187-4). After satisfactory work the performance bond is released in return for a maintenance bond of at least 25% of the performance bond and not less than $25. A utility company can post a single $5,000 bond each January in place of a separate maintenance bond on each project (§ 187-1C).

Working conditions are in § 187-3. The permittee gives 24 hours' notice to the Superintendent of Public Works and the Traffic Safety Bureau of the Police Department, except in an emergency, and no road can be closed or detoured without the Bureau's preapproval. No opening starts on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday except in an emergency. Warning devices follow the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, the permittee carries liability insurance acceptable to the Township Attorney naming the Township as an additional insured, and no excavation that will damage trees proceeds without the Superintendent's approval. Final pavement goes down not less than 30 days and not more than 45 days after backfilling, and the restoration is maintained for one year. The Superintendent of Public Works inspects the site, the trench, the restoration and the trench again at the end of the maintenance period (§ 187-7).

Permanent structures and obstructions left in the right-of-way are a separate question governed by § 187-18, and § 102-2 prohibits dumpsters, construction materials and portable storage facilities on public streets.