Commercial Permits Overview

Economic & Business Development

The Economic & Business Development Office is responsible for the day-to-day coordination between business development and each of the Township departments. The Office is responsible for encouraging potential new economic development, cultivating commercial and industrial relations, gathering and dissemination of information and regulatory guidelines. The Economic & Business Development Office administers the Hillsborough Business Association (HBA), a Hillsborough Township initiative to support local businesses with a variety of promotion and development programs. Hillsborough Township is committed to helping existing business, new business, or a business looking to expand or relocate and thrive in Hillsborough. Visit the Economic & Business Development website or contact them directly for more information.

Planning & Zoning

Hillsborough has several zones, with different uses allowed in each. If you are opening a business or operating an existing business, a Zoning Permit may be required. Some uses may require Planning Board or Board of Adjustment approvals prior to a Zoning Permit being issued. All signs, permanent or temporary require a Zoning Permit. Visit the Planning & Zoning Department website to contact them directly for more information.

Building

The Building Department administers the State Uniform Construction Code for all construction within the Township including the issuance of building permits for commercial and industrial construction projects. If you are opening a business or purchasing an existing business, please use the Commercial Permit Checklist as a reference. A Building Permit for a Certificate of Occupancy (CO), Change of Use (COU) or a Certificate of Continued Occupancy (CCO) may be required prior to operation. Visit the Building Department website to contact them directly for more information.

Engineering

The Engineering Department is involved with external site work such as parking lots, signage and striping, sidewalks and drainage structures.  Internal building work is exempt from the Engineering Department.

Applicant must submit a plan to the Engineering Office indicating the site work proposed.  If the property had prior site plan approval and the new application is changing those plans, the applicant must first receive approval from the Planning Department.  Once all work is completed, the Engineering Office will facilitate a Final Inspection of the site to ensure all work is done as according to the application submittal.

If a business owner is repaving their parking lot, an engineering permit is required and the stormwater inlets within the parking lot must be modified with the new small openings to prevent bottles, cans, etc. from entering the stormwater system per NJDEP requirements.

Visit the Engineering Department website to contact them directly for more information.

Health

The Health Department licenses and inspects a variety of businesses, including food establishments, day care centers, tanning salons, body art facilities, and animal kennels.  Visit the Health Department website to contact them directly for more information.

Fire Safety

The Bureau of Fire Safety conducts fire inspections in accordance with the New Jersey Uniform Fire Code and the Code of the Township of Hillsborough. Visit the Bureau of Fire Safety website or contact them directly for more information.

Municipal Utilities Authority

The Township of Hillsborough Municipal Utilities Authority provides residential, commercial, industrial and municipal needs for more than 12,000 customers.

Presently the Authority operates and maintains the sanitary sewer collection system and conveys flows to the SRVSA Wastewater Treatment Facility located in Bridgewater, New Jersey.

The Authority is a 24/7 operation and has staff available around the clock to respond to emergencies for our customer needs. All of our facilities are electronically monitored with an automatic dialer to contact our employees should an emergency situation arise.

Visit the Municipal Utilities Authority website or contact them directly for more information.

Tax Assessor’s Office

The assessed value for each business property is calculated on an individual basis and specific information is used by the Tax Assessor to determine the value. If you are proposing to build a structure and establish a new business or are purchasing an existing business property and would like to obtain an estimate on the annual taxes, please contact the Tax Assessor directly. 

Visit the Tax Assessor’s Office website to contact them directly for more information.

Administration/Clerk’s Office

The Clerk’s Office located within Administration is the licensing official for various business-related activities, including alcoholic beverage sales, alarm registration, limousines or taxicabs license, massage therapy license, social affairs and peddler’s license. Visit the Administration/Clerk’s Office website to contact them directly for more information.

Emergency Management

An Emergency Response Plan is required for all daycare, assisted living, nursing homes, and select facilities containing quantities of hazardous materials. Visit the Office of Emergency Management website or contact them directly for more information.