STEPS
1. Must apply for a Zoning Permit. Zoning Department is located in City Hall Room 220 Phone# 856-757-7191.
2. After you received ZONING APPROVAL
3. You will then submit an application to Construction/Building Bureau to receive the Certification of Continual Occupancy Form –Fee is $200. Construction/Building Bureau is located in City Hall Room 403 Phone# 856-757-7032
You will have Four (4) Inspections from Construction/Building Bureau: Building, Plumbing, Electric, Fire**
**To be paid-Fee $64. Located at 4 N. 3rd Street, Camden, NJ 08102. Phone# 856-757-7510 or 7514
The City of Camden requires that a Certificate of Continued Occupancy (CCO) shall be applied for and issued prior to the sale or conveyance of any property within the city. The application is the responsibility of the seller. The buyer, with sellers written permission, may submit the application as their agent. However, the certificate goes to the BUYER NOT THE SELLER. A Certificate of Continued Occupancy is necessary wherever there is a change of ownership (as when the building is being sold) not when there is a change of occupancy (Renting the property to a new tenant). For change of occupancy contact the Housing Department 856-757-7075. The fee to apply for a Certificate of Continued Occupancy (CCO) is $200.00. This fee DOES NOT include the Fire Safety fee of $64.00. The application is good for 6 months. After 6 months a new application must be filled out and paid for, unless there are open permits.
If a buyer fails to obtain a Certificate of Continued Occupancy and closes title, the buyer shall remain liable for all penalties until a Certificate of Continued Occupancy is issued. Penalties up to $2,000, may be levied by the Building Bureau.
It is also necessary to “close out” all existing open permits prior to the CCO inspection. No Certificate of Continued Occupancy will be issued until all open building permits are closed.
If a property is not habitable, the buyer can sign an “Agreement To Not Occupy” agreeing to obtain all permits and do all work diligently and apply for a CO. The Certificate of Continued Occupancy shall be evidence that only a general inspection of the visible parts of the building has been made and that no violations of N.J.A.C 5:23-214 have been determined to have occurred and no violations of N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.32(a) have been found.
The Camden City Building Bureau is no longer accepting Paper Plans. Plan Review will not commence until we receive digitally-transmitted plans with electronic seals affixed in accordance with N.J.A.C. 13:40-8.1 and 8.1A.
Please note:
Pursuant to the rules adopted for digital sealing by the Board of Architects and the Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors, the digital signature and seal must be: (1.) Unique to the licensee; (2.) Verifiable by a trusted third party or some other approved process as belonging to the licensee; (3.) Under the licensee’s direct and exclusive control; and (4.) Linked to a document in such a manner that the digital signature and seal is invalidated if any data in the document is changed. Once the digital signature and seal are applied to the document, the document shall be available in read-only format if the document is to be digitally transmitted. You can send in any way that is convenient, but please send in PDF format. If you can provide us with access to a Cloud-Based Storage”, We will download directly to our Hard Drive. This applies only to Plans. All other documents (Jacket, Technical Sections etc.) will be submitted as usual. We will retain one paper copy (that we obtain from Zoning) to stamp and return to you for use on-site.
“Ordinary maintenance” does not require a permit. “Ordinary maintenance” means restoration or improvement of a routine or usual nature, which is done by replacing a part of, or putting together, something that is worn or broken in a building, electrical, plumbing, heating, ventilation or air conditioning system.
The following do not require a permit:
Building:
•Painting (interior and exterior) ANY building;
•Interior finishes (installation, repair, or replacement) of less than 25 percent of the total wall area or ceiling of ONE- or TWO-FAMILY DWELLINGS. This includes plastering and drywall installation. It also includes vinyl wall or ceiling covering of any amount. This does NOT include paneling;
•Wallpapering at ANY location;
•Glass (replacement) in ANY window or door, being of a type and quality that complies with code;
•ANY window or door (replacement), including storm windows, storm windows and garage doors, in the same opening without altering the dimensions or framing 0of the original opening. More specifically, means of egress doors and emergency escape openings may be made in the same opening without altering the dimensions or framing of the original opening, as long as there is no reduction in the required height, width, or net clear opening of the previous window or door assembly;
•ANY non-structural component (repair or replacement), such as a partition railing in one- and two-family dwellings;
•ANY non-structural elements, such as cabinets;
•ANY interior or exterior trim, decoration, or moldings;
•ANY flooring material with a new material;
•Roof covering (repair or replacement) on DETACHED ONE- and TWO FAMILY DWELLINGS;
•Siding (repair or replacement) of like material on ONE- and TWO-FAMILY DWELLINGS. Siding (repair or replacement) of like material on all OTHER buildings is limited to 25% of the total building area. In ALL cases, the repair or replacement of polypropylene siding shall not be ordinary maintenance;
•ANY PART of a deck, porch, or stoop (repair or replacement) that does not provide structural support for any roof or portion of a building. TOTAL replacement of a deck, porch, or stoop requires a permit.
•Screens on ANY building;
•ANY insulation, except foam plastic insulation, when installed adjacent to or not more than one and a half inches from an interior finish;
•ANY exterior gutters and leaders; and
•ANY storable spa or hot tub that is provided with a lockable safety cover that complies with ASTM F1346.
Plumbing:
•ANY hose bib valve replacement as long as they are provided with an approved atmospheric vacuum breaker;
•ANY existing fixture refinishing. This does not include relining of fixtures (which would not be considered to be ordinary maintenance);
•ANY ball cock replacement as long as they are an approved anti-siphon type;
•ANY repair of leaks involving the replacement of piping;
•ANY clearance of stoppages;
•ANY faucet replacement or working parts of faucets;
•ANY valve replacement, including shower or combination bath/shower valves;
•ANY replacement of working parts of valves, including, but not limited to, shower or combination bath/shower valves;
•ANY trap replacement;
•Any fixture replacement as long as it is similar fixture and there is no change in the piping arrangement; and
•ANY domestic clothes washer and domestic dishwasher replacement.
Electric:
•Replacement of ANY receptacle, switch, or lighting fixture, or part thereof, not containing emergency battery packs with a like or similar item. Receptacles in locations where ground-fault circuit interrupter protection, damp/wet, or tamper resistant are required shall comply with Section 406.4(D) of the electrical sub code;
•Repairs to ANY installed electrically operated equipment such as doorbells, communication systems, and any motor operated device. Provided, however, that if fire protection systems are interrupted for repairs the fire official shall be notified in accordance with the building sub-code;
•Installation of communications wiring (wiring methods of Chapter 8 and data circuits between IT equipment per Article 725 of the electrical sub-code) in ANY Class 3 structure, provided that the rearrangement does not involve penetration of a fire-rated assembly and is not in a hazardous location as defined in Chapter 5 of the electrical sub-code;
•Replacement of ANY domestic dishwasher;
•Replacement of kitchen range hoods in DWELLING UNITS, provided that the replacement hood exhaust rate does not exceed the exhaust rate of the existing hood or the exhaust rate of the replacement hood does not exceed 400 cubic feet per minute (cfm);
•Installation of a burglar alarm, security system, or doorbell in ONE- and TWOFAMILY DWELLINGS; and
•Installation of a plug-in landscape irrigation unit under 30 volts at ONE- and TWO-FAMILY DWELLINGS.
Fire:
•Replacement of ANY sprinkler or smoke alarm, smoke detector, or heat detector head with a like device;
•Repair or replacement of ANY component of a fire alarm or smoke and heat detection equipment (other than the replacement of a fire alarm control panel);
•Installation of ANY battery-powered smoke alarm; and
•Installation of ANY battery-powered or plug-in type carbon monoxide alarm.
HVAC:
•Replacement of ANY motor, pump and fan of the same capacity;
•Repair and replacement of ANY heating, supply and return piping and radiation elements, which does not require rearrangement of the piping system;
•Repair and replacement of ANY duct work;
•Repair of ANY air conditioning equipment and system;
•Repair or replacement of ANY control device for heating and air conditioning equipment.
•Replacement of kitchen range hoods in DWELLING UNITS, provided that the replacement hood exhaust rate does not exceed the exhaust rate of the existing hood or the exhaust rate of the replacement hood does not exceed 400 cfm;
•Replacement of domestic clothes dryers serving, and located within, DWELLING UNITS, provided that no change in fuel type, pipe size, or location or electrical characteristics is required;
•Replacement of domestic stoves and domestic ovens in DWELLING UNITS, provided no change in fuel type, pipe size, or location or electrical characteristics is required;
•Replacement of bathroom exhaust fans in DWELLING UNITS; and
•Applying liquid lining material inside ANY existing chimney.
