10 published records
Business licenses and permits in Camden County, New Jersey
Camden County, New Jersey, seat the City of Camden. The New Jersey Division of Taxation's county and municipal code list names 36 municipalities: Audubon, Audubon Park, Barrington, Bellmawr, Berlin Borough, Berlin Township, Brooklawn, Camden City, Cherry Hill, Chesilhurst, Clementon, Collingswood, Gibbsboro, Gloucester City, Gloucester Township, Haddon Township, Haddonfield, Haddon Heights, Hi-Nella, Laurel Springs, Lawnside, Lindenwold, Magnolia, Merchantville, Mount Ephraim, Oaklyn, Pennsauken, Pine Hill, Runnemede, Somerdale, Stratford, Tavistock, Voorhees, Waterford, Winslow and Woodlynne. According to the NJ Department of Health directory dated 10/05/2026, the Camden County Department of Health & Human Services is the local health department for all of them, so county food, mobile food, pool, body art, animal facility and septic records apply countywide. The Department of Public Works issues permits for work and driveways on county roads under its Permit Book adopted August 17, 2023, and the County Planning Board reviews subdivisions and site plans that affect county roads or drainage facilities. Each municipality runs its own mercantile licensing, construction office, zoning and municipal licenses, which stack on the county records here; the county's kennel page, for example, tells operators to contact their municipality regarding local licensing, zoning, construction and fire requirements. The population figure of 533,988 is the 2024 Census estimate supplied with the assignment.
What are you opening in Camden 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
- Food trucksMobile food is the one category with no certificate of occupancy — but it gains a commissary agreement, and the unit itself is inspected rather than the premises.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 Camden County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Road Opening, Access and Right-of-Way Permitonly if it applies to you | Camden County Department of Public Works, Office of Permits | Per the Camden County Permit Book (adopted August 17, 2023), Section 6, selected items: Commercial Access $600.00; Commercial Development With Widening $1,500.00; Occupying Lane/Shoulder/ROW $200.00 per day; Wide Load or Heavy Transport on County Road $500.00 per trip; Commercial/Non-Residential sidewalk $150.00 per 16 linear feet; Commercial/Non-Residential crosswalk $200.00 each; curb and gutter 0 to 100 feet $1,200.00, over 100 feet $2,000.00; road opening, single opening up to 16 SF $150.00, multiple openings over 16 SF up to 200 SF $300.00, each additional 200 SF $125.00; cable up to 1,500 feet $300.00, 1,501 to 2,000 feet $375.00, each 1,000 feet thereafter $60.00; jack/boring up to 100 feet $250.00, each additional 50 feet $100.00. The book also lists, as item 1, 'Utility/Commercial Application fee $1,200.00'. Where one application covers several permit types, the highest-cost permit fee applies; fees are doubled on roads under the seven-year moratorium. Fees are non-refundable, by check or money order to the County of Camden Treasurer. | permit expires if construction is not started within 90 calendar days of issuance | 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 Camden County?
County Road Opening, Access and Right-of-Way Permit
The fee figures are those listed in Section 6 of the Camden County Permit Book, whose cover states that it was adopted by the Camden County Board of Commissioners on August 17, 2023; the county's 'Updated Fees (as of August 2023)' document, linked from the live Department of Public Works page, lists the same amounts. The book lists 'Utility/Commercial Application fee $1,200.00' as its own line under the permit fees and states that resubmission of an expired permit is $200.00 plus the application fee; the book does not state how that line combines with the individual permit fees, so it is quoted here as listed. Section 6 states that where an application covers different types of permits, 'the fee associated with the highest cost permit shall be applicable', and that fees are non-refundable. Permit fees are doubled for work within county roads under the seven-year moratorium after repaving. A permit is void if work does not start within 90 calendar days. A restaurant, shop, studio or other business needs this permit only when it builds or alters a commercial driveway, sidewalk or curb on a county road; contractors need it for any work in the county right-of-way.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Camden County Permit Book (adopted by the Board of Commissioners August 17, 2023)Camden County, New Jersey · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
- Camden County Permit Fines and Fees, updated fees as of August 2023Camden County, New Jersey · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
- Camden County Department of Public Works pageCamden County, New Jersey · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
Who issues business permits in Camden County?
Permitting in Camden County is split across 5 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.
Camden County issuing agencies
- Camden County Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Environmental & Consumer HealthPermits and inspects stationary and mobile retail food establishments under N.J.A.C. 8:24, according to the county's Stationary & Mobile Retail Food page · Permits and inspects public recreational bathing facilities (N.J.A.C. 8:26) and body art establishments and practitioners (N.J.A.C. 8:27) · Reviews plans for and inspects kennels, pet shops, pounds and shelters before municipal licensing (N.J.A.C. 8:23A) · Serves all 36 municipalities, according to the NJ Department of Health Directory of Local Health Departments dated 10/05/20266 permits
- Camden County Department of Children's Services (Child Care Resource and Referral agency)Serves as the State-listed Child Care Resource and Referral agency for Camden County, which sponsors voluntary family child care provider registration1 permit
- Camden County Department of Public Works, Office of PermitsIssues road opening, access and right-of-way permits on county roads under the Camden County Permit Book adopted by the Board of Commissioners on August 17, 20231 permit
- Camden County Planning Board, Division of PlanningReviews and approves subdivisions and site plans that abut or affect county roads and drainage facilities under the Camden County Development Regulations (revised February 2020) and N.J.S.A. 40:27-6.2 and 40:27-6.61 permit
- Camden County Septic and Wells Unit, Department of Health and Human ServicesOversees individual sewage disposal system reviews, including plan review, installation, repair and issuance of compliance certificates, according to the county's Septic and Wells page1 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.