Board of Adjustment Application Procedures, Fees, & Forms

Procedures to follow for filing an application with the Zoning Board:
First, please review the General Requirements on our main page.

1. Submit two (2) New Jersey Signed and Sealed Architect plans with a cover letter to Mr. Einar Erik Swanson, Construction Official, stating your name, property address, block and lot. Explain your reason for going to the Board. Mr. Swanson will issue a letter of denial. A Letter of Denial is required prior to filing an application to either the Zoning/Planning Boards.

2. Pay necessary fees. Fees are not refundable. Following a final Board resolution, remaining escrow money will be refunded upon request.

3. Application must be typed. Give twenty (20) copies of the Application including the attachments Environmental Questionnaire, Site Plan Check List and Letter of Denial to Barbara Klein, Board Secretary. After your application is deemed complete, a public hearing will be assigned.

4. Board Secretary must receive twenty (20) copies of the application and all attachments plus twenty (20) copies of New Jersey Architect sealed plans no later than 10 days before the assigned hearing date.

5. Your application may be reviewed by the Borough Engineer, Fire Code Official, and Construction Official. They may submit a report before the assigned hearing date. Escrow fees will be adjusted accordingly if applicable, the usual escrow amount being $2000. Please note additional reports may be requested during the course of your hearing by municipal agencies and consultants, i.e. Traffic, Planning, Police.

AT LEAST TEN (10) DAYS BEFORE THE HEARING DATE, THE APPLICANT MUST DO THE FOLLOWING:

A. Notify property owners within a radius of 200 ft. Property owners must be notified by return receipt certified mail. The green card return receipts from the post office must be given to the Board Secretary prior to the hearing date.

B. Publish a legal ad in The Sun Bulletin. Submit a copy of the notice to Board Secretary prior to the hearing date.

C. Send by return receipt certified mail one copy of the plans and application to:
Bergen County Dept. of Planning and Economic Development
21 Court Plaza South
Hackensack, NJ 07601-7000

All public hearings are held in the Council Chambers, Municipal Building, 309 Main Street, Fort Lee. Meetings begin at 7:30 PM.

If you have any questions, please contact Barbara Klein, Board Secretary, at 201-592-3567.

Amendment to the Rules of the Zoning Board of Adjustment of Fort Lee

Rule 2:7-2 is amended to read as follows:

Rule 2:7-2 - Non-appearance on Behalf of the Applicant or Failure to Proceed for Three Separate Regular Meetings. When, at the time set for the hearing on any application, neither the applicant nor any one in his half appears, and no adjournment has been previously requested, the application may be dismissed without prejudice. In the event an applicant fails to submit proofs to the Board for three separate regular meetings and the Board has not granted any further adjournment, the Board may dismiss the application without prejudice. (Adopted by the Board of Adjustment: 7/17/01)

Fee Schedule

The fees for the Zoning Board are as follows:

Please submit separate certified checks for each fee.
All checks should be made payable to the Borough of Fort Lee and include your Federal Tax ID Number (Form W-9) or Social Security Number on each check.

All items should be sent to the Board secretary:
Barbara Klein, Board Secretary/Building Department
Borough of Fort Lee
309 Main Street
Fort Lee, NJ 07024

Application Forms

Planning Board & Zoning Board Application Form (PDF format)*

Development Application Checklist (Ord. #2003-14, adopted 6/12/03, effective 6/17/03) (PDF format)*

Site Plan Review Checklist (PDF format)*

Environmental Questionnaire (PDF format)*

Other Required Forms (Notice to be Published in Official Newspaper, Notice to be Served on Property Owners Within 200 Feet, Affidavit of Service)

* For documents in Adobe Acrobat PDF file format, right-click link and select “Save Target as . . .” to download the form to your computer. If your computer doesn’t have the free Acrobat Reader software necessary to read and print the form, you can download it here.

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