Governor Phil Murphy today signed A573, which makes several changes to the Uniform Construction Code (UCC) Act designed to speed up the construction permitting process.

The bill codifies a three-day construction inspection turnaround from the date of the requested inspection and allows for developers to contract with private on-site inspection agencies if local construction officials cannot complete the inspection within three days of the requested date. The bill brings New Jersey in line with several other states where private sector inspections supplement government inspections. The ultimate approval and sign-off on a certificate of occupancy will still come from local construction officials.

The bill also provides local governments with several avenues to improve their ability to conduct inspections in a timely manner, including a more streamlined bidding process to contract with private inspection agencies to conduct inspections for them or enter into shared services agreements to consolidate work among multiple municipalities.