Carlstadt Borough

Certificate of Occupancy Required

Certificate of Zoning & Property Maintenance Compliance (Certificate of Zoning Compliance on change of ownership) · Borough of Carlstadt Zoning Department (Zoning Officer / zoning code enforcement official)

• On-site inspection by a Zoning Inspector under Borough Ordinance 95-3 (zoning and property maintenance)
• Required on the change of ownership of any residential property, whether one-, two- or multi-family
• Complete and submit the Supplemental Information for Residential Certificate of Zoning Compliance with the application
• Separate smoke detector / carbon monoxide alarm inspection by the Carlstadt Bureau of Fire Safety (separate fee)
• For dwellings built before 1978, the residential supplement asks for a lead dust wipe test report from a licensed lead evaluation contractor (the form ties this to the lead-safe rental law; confirm whether it applies to an owner-occupied sale)

• Phone: (201) 939-2304
• Timing: Payment and application must be received before the inspection is scheduled. No published turnaround time.
• Application: https://www.carlstadtnj.us/_Content/pdf/forms/Commercial-Residential-Zoning-Compliance.pdf

Smoke and CO alarm certificate Required

• Smoke alarm on every level and within 10 feet of every bedroom door; hardwired alarms may not be replaced with battery-operated ones
• Alarm type depends on the year the house was built or renovated (sealed battery alarms for pre-1977 homes, electric/interconnected alarms for newer homes, per the Bureau's table)
• Carbon monoxide alarm within 10 feet of every bedroom door in homes with a fuel-burning device or an attached garage (listed to UL-2034)
• Central station / low voltage fire alarm systems must be tested and certified by the alarm company on an NFPA form; the Bureau will not test them
• Owner or authorized agent must be present at the inspection
• Portable fire extinguisher (still mentioned on the Borough's zoning supplement form, although state law dropped it from the sale certificate in February 2025)