This covers the City of Newark. East Orange, Irvington, Belleville and the rest of Essex County have their own construction offices.
The three levels in New Jersey's code
| Level | What it covers on a one- or two-family home | What you file |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary maintenance (N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7) | Painting; interior finishes under 25% of the wall area; flooring; cabinets and built-ins; trim; a replacement window or door in the same opening without altering its dimensions or framing; roof covering (detached homes) and siding repair or replacement; gutters; replacing faucets, traps, valves and like fixtures with no piping change; like-for-like switches, receptacles and light fixtures | Nothing: "No permit for, inspections of, or notice to the enforcing agency" |
| Minor work (N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.17A) | Renovation or alteration that alters no primary structural member and is not reconstruction; replacing piping with like capacity; a water heater, furnace or AC of like capacity; five or fewer new outlets on adequate circuits | Notice to the construction office before work starts, then a permit application within five business days; inspection within three business days of a request |
| Permit | Cutting a load-bearing wall or beam, changing egress, new or relocated plumbing piping or electrical wiring, additions, reconstruction | A full construction permit before work |
The state's ordinary-maintenance rule excludes any work "affecting structural or fire safety" and any addition, alteration or relocation of water, sewer, gas or vent piping or electrical wiring (text read 24 October 2026). Minor work still ends with a certificate of approval from the construction official.
Who can file, and how Newark takes it
Newark's Construction Check List 2026 asks for the building technical sheet, two sets of drawings "signed and sealed" by the design professional, the electrical, plumbing and fire technical sheets where those trades apply, a REScheck energy report for residential work, zoning approval, and the contractor's licenses, listing home improvement, new home builder, state electrical business, state plumbing and HVAC licenses by project. The City's FAQ adds:
- Applications are filed in person at the Construction Department or mailed to Room B-23; "Incomplete applications will not be accepted."
- Trade sections completed by licensed electricians, plumbers or HVACR contractors "must be signed with a raised seal on all pages."
- Payment is by business check, certified bank check or exact money order to the City of Newark; payments over $10,000 must be a certified bank check.
- Inspections are requested through the FastTrackGov portal, by emailing the inspection request form, or in person.
- If a previous owner left permits open, "the current owner is responsible for closing them, regardless of who performed the work."
The FastTrackGov portal says that, "Due to state requirements for raised seals on plans", Newark accepts online applications only for tank removal permits. The Building Division is at 920 Mayor Kenneth A. Gibson Blvd, Room B23, 973-733-3957 (Building Division). We could not find Newark's fee schedule published online, so ask the office or your contractor for the permit fee.
What 2,535 remodel permits show
| Measure | Newark remodels and repairs |
|---|---|
| Permits, August 2024 to July 2026 | 2,535 (38% of all Newark permits) |
| August 2024–July 2025 / August 2025–July 2026 | 1,322 / 1,213 (−8%) |
| One- and two-family homes (Alteration, R-3) / apartment buildings (Alteration, R-2) | 1,822 (72%) / 710 (28%) |
| Usual declared value | $10,810 (middle half $3,200 to $20,000) |
| Busiest / quietest month | March (163) / September (39) |
Newark's filing swings widely by month: March runs 63% above an average month and December 36% above, while September is 61% below. More than a quarter of remodel permits are in apartment buildings. Monthly counts are on Newark remodel permits, every kind of work on Newark permit statistics, and the rows on browse Newark permits.
Before you hire
Ask for the contractor's New Jersey home improvement number, which Newark's checklist lists among the licenses it wants with the application, and check your property's past permits by block and lot in the state register, as the Newark building permit search guide shows. Elsewhere: do I need a permit to remodel, a kitchen and a bathroom; filed values in home remodel cost.
What this does not tell you
These are the permits Newark reports to the state; the register names no contractor, has no ZIP code and shows a certificate for only about one permit in seven, so we show no firms, no ZIP split, no finished share and no time to final. Any job with a building fee counts as a remodel here, so its electrical and plumbing parts are not counted separately. The register was last updated in August 2026.
How we know this
The ordinary-maintenance and minor-work rules are quoted from N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7 and 5:23-2.17A (text via Cornell's Legal Information Institute), and Newark's filing rules from its Building Division page, Construction Check List 2026, Construction Department FAQ and FastTrackGov portal, all read 24 October 2026. Our counts are Newark's rows in the NJ Department of Community Affairs' NJ Construction Permit Data, read 23 October 2026: remodel and repair permits issued August 2024 to July 2026.
Numbers come from public permit records in 57 cities, data through October 23, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Do I need a permit to redo a kitchen in Newark, NJ?
Usually. New cabinets, counters, trim and flooring are ordinary maintenance under the state's Uniform Construction Code and need no permit, but moving or adding plumbing piping or electrical wiring is not, and removing a load-bearing wall never is. Newark applies the state code.
- Can I replace windows in Newark without a permit?
Yes, if the new window or door goes in the same opening without changing its size or framing. New Jersey's code calls that ordinary maintenance, needing no permit, inspection or notice. Enlarging an opening needs a permit.
- What is minor work in New Jersey?
Renovation or alteration in an existing one- or two-family home that does not alter primary structural members or amount to reconstruction, among other items. Work can start after notice to the construction office, with the permit application filed within five business days and an inspection within three business days of a request.
- Can I apply for a Newark building permit online?
No. Newark's FastTrackGov portal says that because of state requirements for raised seals on plans it accepts online applications only for tank removal permits. Other applications are delivered to Room B-23 at 920 Mayor Kenneth A. Gibson Blvd, in person or by mail.
- How many remodel permits does Newark issue?
2,535 remodel and repair permits from August 2024 to July 2026, 38% of all the permits Newark reported to the state. The usual one was declared at $10,810.
Build your own list
Pick your city and the kind of work. Every firm with a permit on record, sorted by what you value.
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- N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7, Ordinary maintenance (text via Cornell LII) (2026-10-24)
- N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.17A, Minor work (text via Cornell LII) (2026-10-24)
- Building Division, Office of Uniform Construction Code — City of Newark (2026-10-24)
- Construction Check List 2026 — City of Newark (2026-10-24)
- Construction Department FAQ — City of Newark (2026-10-24)
- City of Newark FastTrackGov portal links (2026-10-24)
- NJ Construction Permit Data — NJ Department of Community Affairs (data.nj.gov) (2026-10-23)