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11 permits · verified 2026-10-08

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

In short

A contractor or trade in Union 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 Union County Nj

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
County Road Opening Permit (Excavation in the County Road Right-of-Way)only if it applies to youUnion County Division of Public Works, Bureau of InspectionPer the county's Policy and Procedures for Right of Way Excavations (adopted via ordinance on 12.18.2024): application fee $36.00 (normal) or $108.00 (non-reported opening); permit fee $48.00 up to 20 sq ft, $120.00 for 20 to 80 sq ft, plus $0.60 per sq ft over 80 sq ft, with a $48.00 minimum for each of multiple openings; refundable cash bond $800.00 up to 43 sq ft, $18.75 per sq ft per opening over 43 sq ft, $800.00 each for multiple openings, and a $10,000.00 minimum (or as determined by the County Engineer) on roads paved within the last 5 yearswork must start within 20 working days of issue; the permit is valid for 60 working days from the start of work unless extended in writing by the Bureau of Inspection2026-10-08
County Curb / Driveway Permit (Depressed or Full-Height Curb on a County Road)only if it applies to youUnion County Division of Public Works, Bureau of InspectionPer the county's Policy and Procedures for Right of Way Excavations (adopted via ordinance on 12.18.2024): application fee $24.00; permit fee $0.60 per linear foot, $30.00 minimum, for depressed curb and for full-height curb; a cash bond is also requiredwork must start within 20 working days of issue; the permit is valid for 60 working days from the start of work unless extended in writing by the Bureau of Inspection2026-10-08
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 Union County Nj

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
County Planning Board Site Plan Review (Building or Expanding a Commercial Site Along a County Road)only if it applies to youUnion County Planning Board, Bureau of Planning and Economic DevelopmentVaries — formula on the Union County Nj pagecounty action within 30 days of a complete application (§308); approval valid 3 years if the municipality gave preliminary approval only, 2 years if it gave final approval (§312)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.

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 Union 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 Union 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:

County Road Opening Permit (Excavation in the County Road Right-of-Way): Per the county's Policy and Procedures for Right of Way Excavations (adopted via ordinance on 12.18.2024): application fee $36.00 (normal) or $108.00 (non-reported opening); permit fee $48.00 up to 20 sq ft, $120.00 for 20 to 80 sq ft, plus $0.60 per sq ft over 80 sq ft, with a $48.00 minimum for each of multiple openings; refundable cash bond $800.00 up to 43 sq ft, $18.75 per sq ft per opening over 43 sq ft, $800.00 each for multiple openings, and a $10,000.00 minimum (or as determined by the County Engineer) on roads paved within the last 5 years

County Curb / Driveway Permit (Depressed or Full-Height Curb on a County Road): Per the county's Policy and Procedures for Right of Way Excavations (adopted via ordinance on 12.18.2024): application fee $24.00; permit fee $0.60 per linear foot, $30.00 minimum, for depressed curb and for full-height curb; a cash bond is also required

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

Which offices issue these permits in Union County Nj?

Permits for a contractor or trade in Union County Nj, NJ come from 6 separate offices: Union County Division of Public Works, Bureau of Inspection, Union County Planning Board, Bureau of Planning and Economic Development, 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 Union 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 Union County Nj: County Road Opening Permit (Excavation in the County Road Right-of-Way), County Curb / Driveway Permit (Depressed or Full-Height Curb on a County Road), Home Improvement Contractor Registration and 2 more.

County Road Opening Permit (Excavation in the County Road Right-of-Way)

The fee figures are those printed in the county's Policy and Procedures for Right of Way Excavations, linked from the county Engineering page, whose footer states that it was 'Adopted via ordinance on 12.18.2024'. Ordinance 852-2024 amends Chapter 46 of the Laws of Union County so that its regulations and fees 'reflect the amended policy as annexed hereto'; the scanned ordinance posted on the county site does not reproduce that annex, and states that copies are available through the Division of Public Works, Bureau of Inspections. The county's August 2025 road-opening packet prints the same application fee, permit fee and bond figures. Under §1 of the Policy, a permit is required for any person, firm, corporation, public utility, authority or municipality opening a county road right-of-way, including curbs, gutters and driveway connections. A separate permit is required for each opening, and permits are not transferable (§2). The cash bond is held until one year after final restoration. Contractors must also call New Jersey One Call (811) before digging (§9). The Bureau of Inspection is at 2371 South Avenue, Scotch Plains, 908-789-3658.

County Curb / Driveway Permit (Depressed or Full-Height Curb on a County Road)

The fee figures are those printed in the county's Policy and Procedures for Right of Way Excavations, linked from the county Engineering page, whose footer states that it was 'Adopted via ordinance on 12.18.2024'; Ordinance 852-2024 amends Chapter 46 of the Laws of Union County to reflect that policy. Section 1 of the Policy brings the 'creating or widening of a driveway' at its connection with a county road within the ordinance, so a business building a new driveway or widening an existing one onto a county road needs this permit, usually obtained by its contractor. The county's August 2025 road-opening packet prints the same $24.00 application fee and the $0.60 per linear foot permit fee with a $30.00 minimum. The Policy requires a cash bond for curb work; contact the Bureau of Inspection at 908-789-3658 for the current bond amount before applying.

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 Union County Nj, NJ; what each one involves is set out on the Union 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 Union County Nj?

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A contractor or trade also needs County Road Opening Permit (Excavation in the County Road Right-of-Way), County Curb / Driveway Permit (Depressed or Full-Height Curb on a County Road), 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 Union 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 centres1051
Coffee shops3053
Fitness studios0050
Food trucks3053
Restaurants3053
Retail stores0050
Salons and barbers1051
Veterinary clinics2052

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 Union County Nj permits page and the NJ state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Union County Policy and Procedures for Right of Way Excavations (footer: Adopted via ordinance on 12.18.2024)County of Union, New Jersey · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
  2. Union County Ordinance 852-2024 (amending Chapter 46, Laws of Union County)Union County Board of County Commissioners · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
  3. Laws of Union County (updated through January 2025)County of Union, New Jersey · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
  4. Union County Road Opening in the Right-of-Way application packet (August 2025)County of Union, New Jersey · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
  5. Union County Department of Engineering, Public Works and Facilities Management pageCounty of Union, 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.