River Vale Township

Certificate of Occupancy Required

Resale and/or Rental Certificate (RRC) · River Vale Building Department (Construction Official / Zoning Official), with the Fire Prevention Bureau doing the smoke/CO part

• Building inspection for compliance with Township ordinances, including: sealed furnace/boiler flue connections; permitted and inspected water heaters and mechanical equipment; sump pumps discharging outside, not to the sanitary sewer; anti-tip brackets on stoves where required; rigid visible kitchen exhaust ducts; covered outlets, switches, boxes and panels; no lamp cords on fixed appliances
• Handrails on 4 or more risers; guards on landings 30 inches above floor or grade and on open basement stairs; sheetrock on garage walls/ceilings next to the house
• Pool fence and gate rules (self-closing, self-latching, outward swing, latches 54 inches high); hot tubs need approved latches
• Lawn and bushes neatly trimmed
• No open permits, unpaid fees or property maintenance violations; open permits must be inspected and closed before the RRC inspection
• Number of bedrooms and bathrooms must match the current property tax record
• Smoke/CO and secondary power source label inspection by the Fire Prevention Bureau
• Someone 18 or older must be at the house for the whole inspection window

• Phone: 201-664-2346 ext. 1065
• Timing: Fee depends on business days of notice before the inspection: 11 or more business days for the lowest combined fee. Inspections are Monday or Wednesday afternoons or Friday mornings; no specific time can be requested.
• Application: https://files-backend.assets.thrillshare.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/4491/Trv/3bb0cf3c-093c-47f6-85b5-d8fc71a3ccc2/Resale_Rental_Certificate__RRC__Residential_Co.pdf?disposition=inline

Smoke and CO alarm certificate Required

• Smoke alarms on every level including the basement, within 10 feet of all bedroom doors on sleeping floors; type depends on build/renovation date (battery before 1977, electric for later homes, interconnected with battery backup for March 1991 and later)
• Electric alarms cannot be replaced with battery alarms; smoke alarms over 10 years old must be replaced; no Velcro or tape mounting
• Two-family homes need a smoke alarm at each landing of common hallways and stairs
• Carbon monoxide alarm outside each sleeping area within 10 feet of all bedroom doors (UL 2034, NFPA 720); CO alarms over 5 years old are treated as expired unless the maker documents a longer life
• Secondary Power Source Identification Label within 18 inches of the main electric panel and meter if there is a generator, solar panels or battery storage
• Low voltage fire alarm systems need an NFPA 72 Report of Inspection from an approved contractor done no more than 30 days before
• An agent, owner or representative must be present during the inspection window