Cherry Hill asks for a zoning permit before you replace a driveway or put in a patio. Here is what the township wants and how long it takes.
Cherry Hill Township is direct about this. Its home improvements handout asks one question at a time and answers it the same way each time. Do I need a zoning permit to replace my driveway? Yes. Do I need one to install a deck, patio or pavers? Yes.
The permit is not hard to get. It does take time, and it has to be in hand before the forms go down. A homeowner who calls in April for a May pour has plenty of room. A homeowner who calls the week of the pour does not.
This page walks through the work that needs a permit, the paperwork the township asks for, the setbacks for a patio, and how long the review runs. Papaneri & Sons has been the concrete contractor in Cherry Hill families call since 1987, and we pull these permits as part of the job.
A zoning permit covers the use and placement of what you are building. The township looks at where the concrete sits on the lot, not at how it is mixed or finished.
Tearing out an old driveway and pouring a new one in the same footprint still needs a permit. The township handout names driveway replacement on its own line.
The residential zoning permit application has a driveway line that reads Replacement or Expansion, with a box for length, width and the side setback. Adding a parking pad or a second car width falls here.
The township's decks and patios guidance says patios need a zoning permit before installation, expansion or replacement. Pavers count the same as a poured slab.
The apron, curb and sidewalk in front of your house sit in the township right-of-way, and that work can need its own approval on top of zoning. We cover that in our guide to driveway aprons and work in the township right-of-way.
Cherry Hill says plainly that incomplete applications delay processing. The township zoning page and the patio guidance both list what has to come in with the form.
You need a survey or an aerial photo of the property, preferably to scale. It has to show where the new concrete goes and how far it sits from each property line. If you do not have a survey, the township asks you to call the department for guidance.
For a patio, the form wants length, width, the four setbacks, and whether it will have a roof cover. For a driveway, it wants length, width and the side setback.
A patio counts as impervious surface. The guidance asks for existing and proposed lot coverage in square feet and as a percentage of the whole lot. Buildings, pools, driveways and walkways all count toward that number.
If the work adds a net 500 square feet or more of impervious surface, the township wants a grading plan too. That threshold catches a large patio and driveway done together.
Removing trees means a separate tree removal permit. If the person applying is not the owner of record, the township needs a notarized consent of owner.
Setbacks are the reason most patio plans get redrawn. The decks and patios guidance sets these minimums for a patio that is 30 inches or less above grade with no roof cover.
Front yard 30 feet. Secondary front yard 25 feet. Side yard 5 feet. Aggregate side yard 20 feet. Rear yard 15 feet. Decks have their own, tighter set of numbers.
A patio cannot go in a drainage easement, a sewer easement or any other easement. That is true even when the setbacks work out. The survey is what shows an easement, which is one more reason the township wants it.
Put a roof, a screen room or a sunroom over the patio and it has to meet the full zoning setbacks for your property, not the patio table. A retractable awning does not count as a roof cover.
Your zone matters as well. The township publishes a schedule of setback requirements and an interactive zoning map, and both are linked from the township zoning page.
There are two ways in. You can apply online through the township zoning page, or pick up a paper application in Room 202 of the municipal building at 820 Mercer Street.
The residential zoning permit fee is $50. The township takes cash, check, money order, or an online payment with a link its staff sends you.
The township handout says zoning permits typically take 10 business days to review and process. That is two full work weeks before anyone touches your yard.
The same handout warns that construction permits are often needed too. An approved zoning permit goes back to the applicant and, when it applies, on to the Construction Office for building permit review. That is a second line of review, so start early.
The Department of Community Development answers zoning questions at (856) 488-7870 and at zoning@chnj.gov. The township asks you to call before you start the project, not after.
Either one of you can. The application has a line for the applicant and a line for the owner, with a notarized consent of owner when they are not the same person. We handle the permits on the jobs we pour, mark the survey with the setbacks, and file it so the 10 business days start as soon as possible.
If you are comparing contractors, ask each one who files the permit and whether the price includes it. Ask for their New Jersey home improvement registration number too. Our guide on how to check a Cherry Hill concrete contractor's NJ HIC registration shows you how to look it up in a minute. Once the permit is approved the build is straightforward, whether it is a concrete driveway installation or a concrete patio.
Yes. The Cherry Hill home improvements handout lists driveway replacement as work that needs a zoning permit, and the application form has a line for replacement as well as expansion.
The residential fee is $50 and non-residential is $100. The township says zoning permits typically take 10 business days to review and process, and construction permits are often needed on top of that.
You are building without township approval, and work that misses a setback or sits in an easement can have to come out. It is cheaper to wait two weeks. Call us at (856) 354-9338 and we will file it for you.
We measure the job, mark the survey, file the zoning permit, and pour when the township signs off. Papaneri & Sons has poured driveways and patios across Cherry Hill, Marlton, Mount Laurel and the rest of South Jersey since 1987, ACI certified, licensed and insured.