TOMS RIVER, N.J. — The Toms River Township Council is amending its building ordinances to ease permit requirements for small sheds and backyard structures, aiming to reduce financial and regulatory burdens for homeowners.
In the past, the township required homeowners to spend thousands of dollars on surveys and architectural services to build small sheds and other small backyard structures.
The amendment, approved on first reading, increases the minimum area threshold for when engineering, grading, drainage plans, and a survey are required. Previously, even a small 6-by-5-foot shed required costly engineering plans, which Mayor Dan Rodrick said discouraged residents from obtaining permits.
Rodrick that the Uniform Construction Code (UCC) mandates additional requirements for structures over 200 square feet, but smaller accessory buildings, such as sheds and greenhouses, will now only need a zoning permit.
Homeowners can fulfill this requirement by sketching the structure’s location on an existing survey or an aerial image, Rodrick said, eliminating the burden of having to pay for expensive engineers and architects.
“You shouldn’t need to spend $5,000 on a $500 shed,” Rodrick said during the meeting, calling the previous requirements excessive. Officials argued the change aligns with the township’s goal of reducing regulatory burdens on residents.
“It’s absurd, it’s onerous, it’s classic New Jersey, and we’re trying to get back to the reasons that people move to Tom’s River, which is looser regulation, more freedom to do what you want with your own personal property,” Rodrick said. “The ordinance is set for a final vote after a second reading, marking a shift toward looser regulations that officials say will benefit property owners.”
The council unanimously approved the ordinance on first reading.
