8 published records
Business licenses and permits in Middlesex County, New Jersey
Middlesex County, New Jersey, seat New Brunswick. The county's Office of Health Services, within the Department of Public Safety and Health, provides health inspection services in the communities listed on its own page, which names 22 municipalities receiving contracted comprehensive public health services. According to the same page, Edison, South Brunswick and Woodbridge 'maintain their own health departments', with only limited county contracts for select programmes. The Environmental Health Division handles septic approvals, and the Office of Public Works issues road permits for driveway approaches and work in the county right-of-way; the road permit page states that fees are to be paid according to the scope of the project and publishes no dollar amount. Municipal licenses and permits sit alongside the county items recorded here and are not itemised here. The population figure of 890,119 is the U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 estimate.
What are you opening in Middlesex 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 Middlesex County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Planning Board Site Plan Review (Development Along a County Road or Affecting County Drainage)only if it applies to you | Middlesex County Office of Planning (Development Review), Department of Transportation | Per the Office of Planning Development Review Fee Schedule linked from the county Development Review page: site plan initial fee $500.00, plus $10.00 per proposed parking space for non-industrial use and/or $0.15 per square foot of proposed building area for industrial use; revisions 33% of the original fee. Application fees for all site plan and subdivision applications shall not exceed $20,000.00. Checks are payable to 'Treasurer – Middlesex County'. | not stated in the Development Review Fee Schedule or on the county Development Review page | 2026-10-09 |
| Uniform Fire Code Inspection and Business Registration (County Fire Marshal, Six Served Municipalities)only if it applies to you | Middlesex County Office of the Fire Marshal, Department of Public Safety and Health | The county Office of the Fire Marshal page publishes no fee amount for inspections, business registration or fire safety permits | not stated on the county Office of the Fire Marshal page | 2026-10-09 |
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 Middlesex County?
County Planning Board Site Plan Review (Development Along a County Road or Affecting County Drainage)
The county Development Review Committee page quotes N.J.S.A. 40:27-6.6, under which a county with a planning board may review site plans for land development along county roads or affecting county drainage facilities, and states that the committee reviews all subdivision and site plan applications and may approve or reject applications that adversely affect a county road or county drainage facility. The county Development Review page states that the Office of Planning reviews development proposals for that purpose, that reviews are carried out for a fee in accordance with the County Subdivision and Site Plan Resolutions adopted by the Board of County Commissioners, and that new, addendum and resubmission applications are filed through the ePlan portal, with a one-time 33% resubmission fee payable electronically. The fee figures are those printed in the Office of Planning's Development Review Fee Schedule, the document linked as 'Fee Schedule' on the Development Review page and posted on April 6, 2023. That schedule states that a new application fee must be submitted if an application is disapproved by the committee or plans with substantial revisions are received. The record applies to a business site that is developed or redeveloped along a county road or affects county drainage.
Uniform Fire Code Inspection and Business Registration (County Fire Marshal, Six Served Municipalities)
The county Office of the Fire Marshal page states that the Fire Marshal's responsibilities include enforcing 'the New Jersey Uniform Fire Code and Fire Safety regulations for the County of Middlesex, as well as Highland Park, Middlesex, Milltown, City of South Amboy and the Boroughs of Dunellen and South River.' The page lists the inspection of life hazard uses, the inspection of non-life hazard uses (except owner-occupied one- and two-family dwellings), fire safety compliance and fire safety permits among the office's major activities, links a Business Registration Application, and states that applications may be emailed to firemarshal@co.middlesex.nj.us. The record therefore applies to a business premises in one of those six municipalities, and a premises elsewhere in the county is outside its scope. The county page publishes no fee amount, so no figure is given here.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Middlesex County Office of Planning, Development Review Fee Schedule (Subdivision and Site Plan Applications; posted April 6, 2023)Middlesex County, New Jersey · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Middlesex County Planning Board, Development Review Committee pageMiddlesex County, New Jersey · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Middlesex County Office of Planning, Development Review pageMiddlesex County, New Jersey · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Middlesex County Office of the Fire Marshal pageMiddlesex County, New Jersey · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
Who issues business permits in Middlesex County?
Permitting in Middlesex County is split across 6 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.
Middlesex 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
- Middlesex County Office of the Fire Marshal, Department of Public Safety and HealthEnforces the New Jersey Uniform Fire Code and fire safety regulations for the County of Middlesex and for Highland Park, Middlesex Borough, Milltown, the City of South Amboy and the Boroughs of Dunellen and South River, according to the county Office of the Fire Marshal page · Inspects life hazard uses and non-life hazard uses and issues fire safety permits, according to the same page3 permits
- Middlesex County Department of Transportation, Office of Public WorksIssues road permits for driveway approaches and work in the county right-of-way, according to the county's Road Permit page1 permit
- Middlesex County Environmental Health Division (MCEHD), Office of Health ServicesApproves septic system construction, alteration and direct replacement, according to the county's Septic System Program page1 permit
- Middlesex County Office of Health Services, Inspection DivisionInspects food establishments and public swimming pools in the communities the county health department serves, according to its Health Inspections page · Provides health inspection services in the communities listed on the Office of Health Services page, which names 22 municipalities1 permit
- Middlesex County Office of Planning (Development Review), Department of TransportationReviews subdivision and site plan applications to determine whether county roads, county property or county drainage facilities would be adversely affected, according to the county Development Review page · Serves as staff to the County Planning Board's Development Review Committee, according to the same 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.