Kearny Town

Certificate of Occupancy Required

Residential Certificate of Continued Occupancy (Certificate of Occupancy for resale), with a Zoning Permit · Town of Kearny Construction Code Enforcement Department (Construction Official/Zoning Officer)

• Smoke alarms and CO alarms within 10 feet outside each bedroom; smoke alarms must be 10-year sealed units (CO alarms may be battery or plug-in); basement and first floor alarms usually on the ceiling within 3 feet of the stair opening
• Portable fire extinguisher, 2A:10B:C, no more than 10 lb, mounted within 10 feet of the kitchen in the path of egress (still listed on the Town package; see fire notes)
• Cover plates on all switches, outlets and junction boxes
• Handrail on any interior or exterior stair (including decks) with more than three risers, graspable and no wider than 2 5/8 inches
• Pressure relief discharge pipe on heating units and water heaters, ending 6 to 8 inches above the floor
• Faucets and toilets installed and working
• Attached or built-in garage keeps its fire rating; door into the house fire rated and self-closing; holes from repairs patched
• Sheds at least 3 feet from property lines and in good condition
• Exit doors open from inside without keys; no double cylinder deadbolts
• Gas piping strapped with shutoff valves near appliances, capped if an appliance was removed; no aluminum gas piping
• No broken, cracked or missing glass
• Guards/railings where the drop is 30 inches or more
• Sidewalks, stairs, driveways and walkways in good repair
• Yard clear of debris; grass, bushes and weeds cut
• House numbers at least 4 inches high and visible from the street; roof, leaders, exterior walls, fences, sheds and interior surfaces in good repair

• Phone: (201) 955-7880 ext. 3005
• Timing: No fixed number of days is published. The Town says to allow significant time before the closing date, last-minute inspections just before closing cannot be accommodated, and the checklist recommends the inspection as soon as the sales contract is signed.
• Application: https://www.kearnynj.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Residential-CO.pdf

Smoke and CO alarm certificate Required

• Smoke alarms for resales must be 10-year sealed battery units (Town sheet says required as of January 22, 2019); A/C powered or interconnected alarms in homes built after January 1977 must be kept working
• Smoke alarm on each level and outside each sleeping area within 10 feet; CO alarm outside each sleeping area within 10 feet (battery, hard-wired or plug-in, UL 2034, 85 dBA)
• The Town's February 2024 package still requires a 2A:10B:C portable fire extinguisher, 10 lb or less, mounted within 10 feet of the kitchen in the path of egress and no higher than 5 feet (a 1A:10B:C unit is shown as not acceptable). The state removed the extinguisher from its requirement in February 2025 (P.L.2025, c.19); no newer Town form was found.