Surf City Borough

Certificate of Occupancy Required

Resale Certificate (continuing Certificate of Occupancy) · Zoning Office

• General interior and exterior condition of the structure
• Visible house numbers
• Final permit approval for all improvements on the lot (sheds, decks, additions, etc.)
• Use of the property matches the tax records
• Smoke and CO detectors installed and working on each floor and within 10 feet of bedrooms
• Living space below base flood elevation checked (whether permitted, flood vents, etc.)
• Bedroom egress: no double-keyed locks on interior egress doors
• Proper fire separation between garage and living areas (solid core full-thickness door, drywall on walls and ceilings)
• Permanent curb in place (curb permit from the Zoning Official)
• Fire extinguisher mounted within 10 feet of the kitchen and not more than 5 feet off the floor
• Sealed Flood Elevation Certificate in the new owner's name (not needed to start, needed for the C.O. for closing)
• Sealed survey in the new owner's name (not needed to start, needed for the C.O. for closing)
• All property taxes, water and sewer charges paid before approval; disaster placard returned (checklist item on the form)

• Phone: (609)494-6448
• Application: https://surfcitynj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Resale-CO-application-2025-updated.pdf

Smoke and CO alarm certificate Required

• Smoke detector on each level including basements (not attic or crawl space), and smoke detector and CO alarm outside each separate sleeping area within 10 feet of bedrooms, all working
• 10-year sealed battery smoke alarms (since January 1, 2019); A/C-powered alarms from original construction may not be replaced with battery alarms
• CO alarms in the immediate vicinity of sleeping areas in homes with a fuel-burning device or attached garage (battery, hardwired or plug-in, UL 2034 listed)
• Fire extinguisher still listed by the Borough (Zoning page for resales and the Borough's rental certification form): listed 2A-10B:C, no more than 10 pounds, within 10 feet of the kitchen in the path of egress, mounted on its bracket with the top no more than 5 feet above the floor, serviced and tagged within 12 months or a recent purchase receipt, manual left for the new occupant