Highland Municipalities Enjoy Benefits of Localized Exemption Decision Program

 By The Califon Borough Planning Board / Board of Adjustment

Since introducing its Municipal Exemption Determination program in March 2013, the Highlands Council has certified 12 municipalities to issue determinations regarding some of the most common Highlands Act exemptions. The Borough of Califon is one of the 12 municipalities and its residents benefit from this program.

What does this mean? Our municipal officials, the zoning officer and planning / zoning board, can review these exemptions at the local level without having to involve the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) or the Highlands Council.

“Frequently, people have the misconception that they can’t build a deck, a shed, or an addition to their home if they are located within the Highlands Region,” says Highlands Council Chairman Jim Rilee. “That’s simply not the case. There are exemptions written into the Act that provide for these types of situations. Previously municipalities and property owners had to coordinate with the NJDEP or the Highlands Council to verify exemptions. This program eliminates that need and trains local officials to issue determinations for these specified exemptions.”

Califon Borough is one of the municipalities with an approved Plan Conformance Petition and is authorized by the Highlands Council and the NJDEP to issue 7 of the 17 exemptions in the Highlands Act. Below is a list of the exemptions eligible for municipal determinations

Exemption 1. The construction of a single family dwelling for owners own use.

Exemption 2. The construction of a single family dwelling with conditions.

Exemption 4. The reconstruction of any building or structure with conditions.

Exemption 5. Any improvements to an existing single family dwelling.

Exemption 6. Any improvement, for non ¡V residential purposes, to a place of worship, public or private school, or hospital.

Exemption 7. An activity conducted in accordance with an approved woodland management plan.

Exemption 8. The construction or extension of trails with non-impervious surfaces on publicly or privately owned lands.

If you have a project you have been thinking about doing and are not sure whether or not it would fall under one of these exemptions, please contact the Municipal Offices at 908-832-7850 and they will put you in touch with the appropriate town official to guide you through the process. Since Califon Borough has taken the steps to become part of the Municipal Exemption Determination program and its officials have participated in the training necessary to issue determinations, we have the ability to have your projects reviewed faster and more efficiently.

The Municipal Exemption Determination Certification program does not change the language of the Highlands Act and only involves the governmental level at which exemption decisions are made. The complete language of each exemption can be found in the Highlands Act. For more information, visit: www.nj-gov/njhighlands/planconformance/#15

The information for this article was taken from an article appearing in the October 2, 2014 of the Hunterdon County Democrat.

Last modified: November 5, 2014