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11 permits · verified 2026-10-08

What permits do you need to open a contractor or trade in Camden County Nj?

In short

A contractor or trade in Camden County Nj, NJ has 1 permit that applies to every business of this type, plus 10 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. New Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services charges $75 a year; $30 for a nonprofit for the annual report. 3 of the 11 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-08 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a contractor or trade in Camden County Nj

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Individual Subsurface Sewage Disposal (Septic) System Permitonly if it applies to youCamden County Septic and Wells Unit, Department of Health and Human ServicesThe permit fee is not published on the county's Septic and Wells page or on its septic application form; contact the Camden County Septic and Wells Unit at (856) 374-6064 for the current amount.per project2026-10-08
County Planning Board Site Plan and Subdivision Review (County Roads and Drainage)only if it applies to youCamden County Planning Board, Division of PlanningPer the fee schedule on the Camden County Planning Board application (matching the Development Regulations revised February 2020): minor subdivision review $200.00; major subdivision review $500.00; design review (site plan only) $500.00; parking $8.00 per space; dwelling units $16.00 per unit; dedication, easement or deed review $150.00; inspection $200.00; preliminary or concept drawing review $200.00; site plan revision $200.00; request for waiver review, letter of no impact or exemption $200.00; signing of filing plats $150.00. Check payable to the Camden County Treasurer.one-time, per application2026-10-08
Home Improvement Contractor Registrationonly if it applies to youNew Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, Office of Consumer Protection, Regulated Business Section$110 initial registration, non-refundable; $90 to renewannual — expires 31 March2026-09-03
Master Plumber Licenseonly if it applies to youNew Jersey State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers, Division of Consumer Affairs$160 biennial renewal; the initial license is $160 or $80 by year of the cyclebiennial — expires 30 June of odd-numbered years2026-09-03
Electrical Contractor License and Business Permitonly if it applies to youNew Jersey Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors, Division of Consumer Affairs$225 triennial license renewal, plus a $150 triennial business permittriennial — the current period runs to 31 March 20272026-09-03

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

Local permits that apply to every type of business in Camden County Nj

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
County Road Opening, Access and Right-of-Way Permitonly if it applies to youCamden County Department of Public Works, Office of PermitsVaries — formula on the Camden County Nj pagepermit expires if construction is not started within 90 calendar days of issuance2026-10-08

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

NJ registrations that apply to every type of business

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Annual Reportonly if it applies to youNew Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services$75 a year; $30 for a nonprofitannual — due the last day of the entity's anniversary month2026-09-03
General Business License — New Jersey Business Action Center Positiononly if it applies to youNew Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise ServicesNo feeset by the municipality2026-09-03
Certificate of Incorporationonly if it applies to youNew Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services$100 one-time filingno expiry, but an annual report is due each anniversary month2026-09-03
Certificate of Formation (LLC)only if it applies to youNew Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services$100 one-time filingno expiry, but an annual report is due each anniversary month2026-09-03
Business Registration (Form NJ-REG)New Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise ServicesNo feeone-time registration — no renewal2026-09-03

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

How much does it actually cost to permit a contractor or trade in Camden County Nj?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 11 records listed for a contractor or trade in Camden County Nj, NJ, 1 apply to every business of this type and 10 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.

3 of the 11 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 2 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Individual Subsurface Sewage Disposal (Septic) System Permit: The permit fee is not published on the county's Septic and Wells page or on its septic application form; contact the Camden County Septic and Wells Unit at (856) 374-6064 for the current amount.

County Planning Board Site Plan and Subdivision Review (County Roads and Drainage): Per the fee schedule on the Camden County Planning Board application (matching the Development Regulations revised February 2020): minor subdivision review $200.00; major subdivision review $500.00; design review (site plan only) $500.00; parking $8.00 per space; dwelling units $16.00 per unit; dedication, easement or deed review $150.00; inspection $200.00; preliminary or concept drawing review $200.00; site plan revision $200.00; request for waiver review, letter of no impact or exemption $200.00; signing of filing plats $150.00. Check payable to the Camden County Treasurer.

The other 1 variable fee belongs to permits that apply to every type of business here; its formula is set out on the Camden County Nj permits page and the NJ state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Camden County Nj?

Permits for a contractor or trade in Camden County Nj, NJ come from 7 separate offices: Camden County Septic and Wells Unit, Department of Health and Human Services, Camden County Department of Public Works, Office of Permits, Camden County Planning Board, Division of Planning, New Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services, New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, Office of Consumer Protection, Regulated Business Section, New Jersey State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers, Division of Consumer Affairs, New Jersey Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors, Division of Consumer Affairs. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.

What does a contractor or trade need in Camden County Nj that other businesses do not?

5 of the 5 permits particular to a contractor or trade here apply to no other business type we cover in Camden County Nj: Individual Subsurface Sewage Disposal (Septic) System Permit, County Planning Board Site Plan and Subdivision Review (County Roads and Drainage), Home Improvement Contractor Registration and 2 more.

Individual Subsurface Sewage Disposal (Septic) System Permit

The county's Septic and Wells page states that 'The Camden County Septic and Wells Unit oversees all individual sewage disposal system reviews, including plan review, installation, repair, and issuance of compliance certificates', and refers to the state Standards for Individual Subsurface Sewage Disposal Systems. The county's septic application form (uploaded July 2023) asks for the 'Type of Septic Permit Needed': new construction, alteration or expansion or change of use, alteration with no expansion, malfunctioning system, deviation from standards, or repairs, for residential or commercial and institutional facilities. Neither the page nor the form states a fee, so this record carries no dollar figure. A business on a public sewer has no septic permit. The New Jersey Department of Health's Directory of Local Health Departments, dated 10/05/2026, lists the Camden County Department of Health & Human Services as the local health department for all 36 municipalities in the county.

County Planning Board Site Plan and Subdivision Review (County Roads and Drainage)

The fee figures are those printed in the fee schedule of the Camden County Planning Board application, linked from the county's live Planning Documents page; the same figures appear in the Development Regulations revised February 2020, also linked from that page. The county resolution adopting the 2020 revision is not published on the county site. The application states that fees are payable to the Camden County Treasurer and are non-refundable once review begins. Under the regulations, site plans that abut a county road or a county drainage structure or facility, and site plans whose stormwater is directed to a county drainage structure or facility, must be submitted to the County Planning Board for approval, as must subdivisions that abut a county road or drainage structure; any application that requires approval must receive an approval letter before construction or development begins. A business owner whose site plan abuts a county road or drains to a county facility goes through this review alongside the municipal planning or zoning board.

Home Improvement Contractor Registration

Registration rather than licensure, and the money is the smallest part of it. Half a million dollars of commercial general liability cover is required for each occurrence, a million for home elevation, plus workers' compensation, and since 2024 an additional security deposit banded by contract value — $10,000, $25,000 or $50,000 depending on the size of the job and of the previous year's book. The regimes do not stack by default: architects, engineers, land surveyors, electrical contractors and master plumbers acting within their own scope are statutorily exempt from this registration. A separate individual home improvement license was created by the same 2023 act but remains inoperative until the new board makes rules, so it is not recorded here. One conflict worth knowing: the department's own consolidated rule compilation still prints the older $90 and $75 figures, and it is demonstrably stale — the live application says $110.

Master Plumber License

Unlike electrical contracting there is no separate business permit for plumbers; the security requirement is instead a $3,000 surety bond running with the biennial license. The application fee is $100 without a prior registration or $50 with one, and reinstating a lapsed license costs $150 on top of the renewals owed. Master plumbers are among the trades statutorily exempt from home improvement contractor registration when working within their scope, so the two do not stack.

Electrical Contractor License and Business Permit

Two instruments, both mandatory, and the second is the one people miss: a licensed electrical contractor may not perform electrical contracting work without also holding a business permit, which costs $150 for the triennium and requires a $1,000 surety bond and $300,000 of general liability cover. All business permits expire on 31 March 2027 regardless of when they were issued, so a permit bought late in the cycle is short. The application fee is $100 on top, and the initial license is prorated by year of the cycle at $225, $150 or $75. Continuing education is thirty-four hours per triennium. The board's own slide deck still quotes a $90 renewal; that is stale.

The other 1 local permit in the tables apply to every type of business in Camden County Nj, NJ; what each one involves is set out on the Camden County Nj permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across NJ and are covered on the NJ state page.

How does a contractor or trade compare with other businesses in Camden County Nj?

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A contractor or trade also needs Individual Subsurface Sewage Disposal (Septic) System Permit, County Planning Board Site Plan and Subdivision Review (County Roads and Drainage), Home Improvement Contractor Registration and 2 more. A auto repair shop needs Automotive Repair Shop Licensing — Motor Vehicle Commission Position (New Jersey) and Auto Body Repair Facility License, which a contractor or trade does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Camden County Nj, NJ, compared with a contractor or trade
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a contractor or tradeOnly a contractor or trade needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops2052
Childcare centres4054
Coffee shops4054
Fitness studios1051
Food trucks3053
Restaurants4054
Retail stores3053
Salons and barbers2052
Veterinary clinics3053

Sources

Every figure for the permits explained on this page was read from one of these government pages on the date shown. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Camden County Nj permits page and the NJ state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Camden County individual subsurface sewage disposal system application (Form 1, uploaded July 2023)Camden County, New Jersey · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
  2. Camden County Septic and Wells pageCamden County, New Jersey · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
  3. Camden County Planning Board application with fee scheduleCamden County, New Jersey · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
  4. Camden County Planning Board Development Regulations (revised February 2020)Camden County, New Jersey · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
  5. Camden County Planning Documents pageCamden County, New Jersey · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
  6. New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs — home improvement contractor application for initial registrationNew Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  7. New Jersey State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers — reinstatement application, showing the biennial renewal feeNew Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  8. New Jersey Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors — fee schedule adoption, effective 2 June 2025New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03

Related

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.