N.J. Admin. Code § 5:23-2.15B - Electronic permit submissions

(a) All enforcing agencies shall have a method of accepting and processing electronic permit applications and electronic plan submissions. Such systems shall meet the following criteria:

1. The system shall be accessible through the internet and be available to applicants on a 24-hour basis, seven days a week, provided the site may be temporarily unavailable due to system maintenance or general internet outages;

2. The system shall be capable of accepting all materials necessary for the issuance of a permit, including fees;

3. The system shall incorporate a method to schedule and confirm inspection requests;

4. The system shall provide for the flow of information between the applicant and the enforcing agency regarding necessary revisions, amendments, or supplements that must be made to the application to enable the issuance of a permit; and

5. The required review periods for the electronic permit submission shall be as provided for at N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.15.

(b) Where the Department is the enforcing agency, submissions shall meet the following form and format requirements:

1. The application shall include electronic versions of the permit application and the technical sections relevant to the project. Electronic versions of such forms shall be available on the Department's website;

2. All the necessary plans needed to verify code compliance shall be submitted and must meet the same requirements as described at N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.15, in terms of legibility, clarity, and completeness. Submissions shall be made such that each file submitted shall correspond to a single sheet of the plans. In addition, plans submitted shall meet the orientation, border, and block for placement of the plan review release stamp block requirements, as listed on the Department's website;

3. Files that contain information necessary for determining compliance across multiple disciplines, shall be provided in multiple electronic copies equivalent to the number of disciplines requiring review;

4. Plans, specifications, calculations, and other supporting information shall be submitted in PDF format or in other acceptable file formats and conform to the file size requirements, as listed on the Department's website;

5. Documents that are required to be signed and sealed by applicable professional licensing laws may be submitted with an electronic signature and seal for the purposes of permit issuance. Physical copies of the plans to be provided on the worksite shall require an appropriate signature and seal in accordance with the licensing law applicable to the relevant discipline; and

6. Such electronic applications shall be subject to surcharge fees in accordance with N.J.A.C. 5:23-4.22.

(c) Local enforcing agencies may elect to use the Electronic Permit Processing Review System (NJEPPRS). In such cases, the Department may reimburse the maintenance and licensing fees incurred by the local enforcing agency for the use of such system. Where the local enforcing agency elects to use a different electronic permit submission system, the system shall have equivalent functionality to NJEPPRS, pursuant to this section and shall be compatible with the Department's system to the extent necessary to transmit, read, and review documents in cases where the permit is issued by the local enforcing agency, but the plan review is performed by the Department.

(d) Where permits are issued electronically, the applicant shall provide a physical copy of the released plans at the worksite that are sealed and wet signed by the design professional pursuant to licensing law applicable to the relevant discipline.

Notes

N.J. Admin. Code § 5:23-2.15B

Adopted by 56 N.J.R. 2229(a), effective 11/18/2024