Building Bureau FAQs

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 [...]

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 [...]

“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. [...]