Middlesex Borough

Certificate of Occupancy Required

Residential Sale / Re-Rent Certificate (Residential Resale Certificate) · Department of Code Enforcement, Zoning and Construction

• Smoke alarm on each floor, including the basement, within 10 feet of all sleeping areas (the Borough sheet says alarms must be within 7 years of the manufacture date)
• CO alarm within 10 feet of all sleeping areas, outside the rooms
• Fire extinguisher mounted within 10 feet of the kitchen, ABC type, 2.5 to 10 pounds
• Running water, working electric service and at least one flushable toilet
• Handrails and guards on steps of 3 or more risers or 30 inches
• Well water and/or septic report from the Board of Health, if applicable
• Water heater grounded (jump bonded); relief discharge tube not reduced and ending within 6 inches of the floor
• Solid aluminum dryer vent pipe, not flex pipe
• Anti-tilt device on the stove
• House numbers visible from the street
• Exit doors open from inside without a key or special knowledge
• No mold or water damage
• Any outstanding Borough fines or liens paid in full
• New owner's Resident Info (Police Department emergency file) form must be turned in before inspections are scheduled; the property will be photographed
• Change of title only (vacant, not yet habitable home): floor plan layout of all floors

• Phone: 732-356-7400 ext. 260
• Application: https://www.middlesexboro-nj.gov/s/Updated-ResidentialSaleRe-RentCertificateApplication-1.pdf

Smoke and CO alarm certificate Required

• County letter: smoke alarms on every level (basement, first and second floors, not crawl spaces or unfinished attics) and within 10 feet of sleeping rooms; no older than 10 years or the maker's expiration date
• County letter: CO alarm outside each separate sleeping area; no older than 5 years or the maker's expiration date (other County pages say 7 years for stand-alone CO alarms)
• County letter: house numbers at least 4 inches high, visible from the street and in a contrasting color (2 inches if on both sides of a curbside mailbox)
• County letter: smoke/CO alarms, house numbers and fire extinguisher must all comply; certificate is issued at the inspection and valid for 6 months
• Smoke alarms within 10 feet of every bedroom and at least one on every floor, including finished and unfinished basements (not needed in an unfinished attic)
• Smoke alarms may not be more than 10 years old; stand-alone CO alarms not more than 7 years old; combination alarms not more than 10 years old
• A hard-wired smoke alarm must be replaced with a hard-wired alarm
• A replacement battery smoke alarm must have a sealed 10-year lithium battery
• Fire extinguisher (listed on the County form in the Borough's 2026 packet): 2-A:10-B:C, about 5 pounds, wall-mounted on the way out of the kitchen, no higher than 5 feet, with a receipt or NJ licensed contractor tag from the past 12 months
• Homes built 1984 or later need interconnected electric alarms; homes built 1990 or later also need battery backup and an alarm in each bedroom