Zoning

Zoning Permits

General Information

A Zoning Permit is required for any change of use or occupancy, as well as most construction projects, including but not limited to:

  • New homes and buildings
  • Additions
  • Decks, patios, and pools
  • Fences
  • Sheds and temporary storage containers
  • Driveway – Replacements and Expansions
  • Demolition of Buildings and Structures
  • Solar energy systems
  • Home occupations
  • For Changes of Use, Occupancy, or Owner of Commercial Properties

A completed Zoning Permit Application is required. Incomplete applications will delay processing. If the applicant is not the owner of record, a notarized Consent of Owner must be submitted.

Completed applications may be mailed or delivered to:

Township of Cherry Hill

Department of Community Development, Room 202
 820 Mercer Street

Cherry Hill, NJ 08002


Payment may be made by cash, check, money order, or online (link will be provided by staff).

  • Residential Zoning Permit Fee: $50.00
  • Non-Residential Zoning Permit Fee: $100.00

Approved zoning permits will be forwarded to the applicant, and when applicable, to the Construction Office for building permit review.

Residential Zoning Permit Applications & Requirements

Residential applications must include:

  • Name and contact information for the owner and applicant (if different)
  • Dimensions and setbacks for all proposed work
  • A marked survey or plot plan showing existing conditions and the proposed improvement, including dimensions and setbacks
  • A notarized Consent of Owner if the applicant is not the property owner

If you do not have a survey or plot plan, please contact the Department for guidance.

Residential Guidance Documents:

Non-Residential Zoning Permit Applications & Requirements

Non-residential zoning applications must include:

  • Name and contact information for the owner, applicant, contractor, and/or tenant
  • A completed, notarized Consent of Owner (page 2 of application)

Commercial Occupancy-Related Applications

A zoning permit is required for:

  • Non-residential tenant fit-outs
  • Changes of use
  • Changes of ownership
  • Changes of occupancy
  • Tenant Fit Out

The existing/prior use and the proposed use must be clearly stated.
General or vague terms such as “office,” “general office,” or “retail” are not acceptable.

Commercial Construction-Related Applications

For construction projects not associated with a change of use or occupancy, the application must include:

  • A site plan showing the proposed work
  • Architectural plans and/or renderings if applicable

Questions?

For zoning classifications, setbacks, minimum lot requirements, permitted uses, and zoning violations, please contact the Department at 856-488-7870. 

Zoning Resources

Zoning regulates the use and development of land in the Township by establishing zoning districts—such as residential, business, industrial, and institutional—and identifying permitted uses, accessory structures, and design requirements. Zoning permit reviews ensure compliance with Township ordinances and applicable State and Federal regulations.

Frequently Used Resources:

Legal Basis of Zoning

New Jersey municipalities derive zoning authority from the Municipal Land Use Law (MLUL), N.J.S.A. 40:55D-1 et seq. The MLUL authorizes municipalities to adopt zoning ordinances and establish Zoning Boards of Adjustment to interpret the ordinance and hear variance applications.

The Municipal Land Use Law (NJSA 40:55D-2) lists the following purposes of Zoning:

  • To encourage municipal action to guide the appropriate use or development of all lands in this State, in a manner which will promote the public health, safety, morals, and general welfare.
  • To secure safety from fire, flood, panic, and other natural and manmade disasters.
  • To provide adequate light, air, and open space.
  • To ensure that the development of individual municipalities does not conflict with the development and general welfare of neighboring municipalities, the county, and the State as a whole.
  • To promote the establishment of appropriate population densities and concentrations that will contribute to the well-being of persons, neighborhoods, communities, and regions, and preservation of the environment.
  • To encourage the appropriate and efficient expenditure of public funds by the coordination of public development with land use policies.
  • To provide sufficient space in appropriate locations for a variety of agricultural, residential, recreational, commercial, and industrial uses and open space, both public and private, according to their respective environmental requirements in order to meet the needs of all New Jersey citizens.
  • To encourage the location and design of transportation routes which will promote the free flow of traffic while discouraging location of such facilities and routes which result in congestion or blight.
  • To promote a desirable visual environment through creative development techniques and good civic design and arrangements.
  • To promote the conservation of historic sites and districts, open space, energy resources, and valuable natural resources in the State and to prevent urban sprawl and degradation of the environment through improper use of land.
  • To encourage planned unit developments which incorporate the best features of design and relate the type, design, and layout of residential, commercial, industrial, and recreational development to the particular site.
  • To encourage senior citizen community housing construction.
  • To encourage coordination of the various public and private procedures and activities shaping land development with a view of lessening the cost of such development and to the more efficient use of land.
  • To promote utilization of renewable energy resources.
  • To promote the maximum practicable recovery and recycling of recyclable materials from municipal solid waste through the use of planning practices designed to incorporate the State Recycling Plan goals and to complement municipal recycling.
  • Additionally, the Supreme Court has stated that the preservation of the character of a neighborhood and conservation of neighborhood values are still proper zoning purposes. (1991 Edition New Jersey Zoning and Land Use ’Administration, by Wm. M. Cox, 7-2.1, p. 100