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.
