5 published records
Business licenses and permits in Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County, New Jersey, seat Hackensack. Its municipalities are listed on the county's Municipalities page. The county-level records here follow the county road and drainage network: County Planning Board site plan review for development along county roads or affecting county drainage facilities, outdoor dining encroachment agreements in the county right-of-way, permits to connect to a county storm drain, and the Department of Public Works road opening permit. A fifth record covers commercial weighing and measuring devices, which are registered with the State and inspected by the county Division of Weights & Measures. Municipal items and local board of health items are outside the scope of this entry and are not itemised here. The population figure of 978,641 is the 2024 Census estimate supplied with the assignment.
What are you opening in Bergen County?
- RestaurantsFull-service restaurants carry the densest permit load of any small business: food, fire, occupancy, waste, and usually alcohol.See the full permit list
- Coffee shopsCafés are permitted as food service establishments even where no cooking happens, and the plan review step catches most operators by surprise.See the full permit list
- Retail storesRetail is the lightest common permit load, but the sales tax permit and the certificate of occupancy are non-negotiable in every jurisdiction.See the full permit list
- Salons and barbersPersonal care is licensed at state board level as well as locally, so the shop license and the practitioner licenses are separate obligations.See the full permit list
- Fitness studiosPrepaid memberships trigger state registration and often a surety bond, which catches operators who budgeted only for the fit-out.See the full permit list
- Childcare centresThe heaviest permit load of any small business: state agency licensing, per-person background checks, and a stricter fire standard than ordinary commercial use.See the full permit list
- Contractors and tradesLicensed at state board level rather than locally, and the only common category with no premises permits at all — the bond is usually the long pole.See the full permit list
- Auto repair shopsOrdinary commercial permitting plus an environmental layer: waste oil, solvents and stormwater are each registered separately.See the full permit list
- Veterinary clinicsA state facility permit, controlled substances registration at both state and federal level, and a medical waste manifest — none of which a general business license covers.See the full permit list
Permits that apply to every type of business in Bergen County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Planning Board Site Plan Review (Development on a County Road or Affecting County Drainage)only if it applies to you | Bergen County Department of Planning & Engineering / County Planning Board | Per Ordinance 24-28, Section I (adopted December 4, 2024): initial filing fee $1,500.00; exemption fee $250.00; processing fee $20.00 per car stall and $100.00 per truck stall; final approval fee $250.00; inspection fee 6% of the performance guarantee, $350.00 minimum; reprocessing fee (revised joint report) $300.00; extension fee $300.00; waiver fee $150.00 per waiver; violation fee $125.00 for each business day work continues without approval from the date of written notice. | one-time approval per application; the $300.00 extension fee applies if the application is not approved within one calendar year of filing | 2026-10-08 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
What do these permits involve in Bergen County?
County Planning Board Site Plan Review (Development on a County Road or Affecting County Drainage)
Section III.A of the Bergen County Site Plan Review Ordinance (adopted June 6, 2018) states that all site plan applications and subsequent revisions along county roads or affecting county drainage facilities shall be submitted to the County Planning Board for its review and approval as set forth in N.J.S.A. 40:27-6.6. The applications covered include commercial or industrial development or redevelopment, and any other land development proposing five or more additional on-site parking spaces. Section III.B.1 states that site plan applications not along a county road that include less than one acre of new impervious surface are exempt from county approval, and Section V.F states that a fee is charged for processing a site plan exemption. The fee figures are those in Section I of Ordinance 24-28, a certified county ordinance adopted by the Board of County Commissioners on December 4, 2024 and approved by the County Executive on December 9, 2024. The county Development Review Documents page links Ordinance 24-28 as the site plan fee ordinance, and the county's 2026 Site Plan & Subdivision Appendices reproduce the same figures. According to those appendices, federal, state, county and municipal governments, houses of worship and 501(c)(3) non-profits are exempt from the fees but still post the performance guarantee and inspection fee.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Bergen County Ordinance 24-28, Ordinance Amending the Bergen County Planning Board's Site Plan Review Fee Schedule (adopted December 4, 2024; certified copy)County of Bergen, New Jersey · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
- Bergen County Site Plan Review Ordinance, Standards for Sustainable Land Development – Site Plans (adopted June 6, 2018)County of Bergen, New Jersey · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
- Bergen County Department of Planning & Engineering, Development Review Documents pageCounty of Bergen, New Jersey · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
- Bergen County Site Plan & Subdivision Appendices (2026)County of Bergen, New Jersey · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
- Bergen County Department of Planning & Engineering, About Development Review pageCounty of Bergen, New Jersey · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
Who issues business permits in Bergen County?
Permitting in Bergen County is split across 3 agencies we hold records for, with tax registration handled at state level. No single office issues everything, which is why an opening usually means filing in several places rather than one.
Bergen County issuing agencies
- New Jersey Office of Weights and Measures, Division of Consumer AffairsRegisters weighing and measuring devices used for commercial purposes under N.J.A.C. 13:47F-1.3 · Sets the registration fee schedule under N.J.A.C. 13:47F-1.74 permits
- Bergen County Department of Planning & Engineering / County Planning BoardReviews and approves site plans along county roads or affecting county drainage facilities under N.J.S.A. 40:27-6.6 and the Bergen County Site Plan Review Ordinance (adopted June 6, 2018) · Collects site plan review, outdoor dining encroachment and storm drain connection fees under Ordinance 24-28 (adopted December 4, 2024)3 permits
- Bergen County Department of Public Works, Operations DivisionIssues road opening permits and road and lane closure approvals for work on county roads, under the authority delegated by Ordinance 20-25 (adopted October 7, 2020) · Releases the permit to connect to a county drain after Engineering Division approval, as stated on the county's drain connection application form1 permit
Other New Jersey jurisdictions we cover
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.