The Zoning Officer shall have the general duty and authority to administer and enforce the provisions of this Ordinance. The Zoning Officer shall review and maintain a file of all applications for zoning permits; issue permits precedent to construction, the use of property and occupancy thereof as are in accordance with the terms and provisions of this Ordinance or lawful order of the Zoning Board of Adjustment; collect all fees that may be payable to the City under this Article and render an account to the Chief Financial Officer or designated recipient at the end of each calendar month and pay over the total amount of such fees collected; make such reports to Governing Body, Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment with respect to his or her work as requested by the municipal agency; and institute and conduct lawful proceedings to prevent threatened violations of this Ordinance and/or to correct conditions resulting from the violations thereof; and prosecute persons who shall have violated or who shall be engaged in violating any of the terms or provisions of this Ordinance.

No person shall hereafter erect, locate, or later any building or portion thereof or begin or change the use of any building or land without first obtaining a zoning permit from the Zoning Officer. All applications for zoning permits shall be in writing and shall be addressed to the Zoning Officer, shall be signed by the owner of record of the land, shall be made on such forms as may be prescribed and furnished by the City of Lambertville and shall contain all information called for by such forms and be accompanied by such plans as may be required, together with any additional information that may be requested by the Zoning Officer, in order that he or she may determine whether the proposed erection, location or alteration of a building or the proposed use or change of use of land will comply with the terms and provisions of this Ordinance or lawful order of the Planning Board or Zoning Board of Adjustment for a development or variance application, as the case may be. No zoning permit shall be issued unless and until all outstanding real estate property taxes and/or municipal liens or judgments have been paid in full. A zoning permit shall be granted or refused by the Zoning Officer within 10 business days next after the date on which a complete application has been received. All applications filed, together with the accompanying plans and documents, shall be public records. Any zoning permits issued hereunder shall be subject to the fulfillment of all conditions imposed by the Zoning Board of Adjustment or the Planning Board provisions of the land development regulations of the City of Lambertville.[1]

No building permit for new construction shall be issued unless a zoning permit pursuant to § 900.2 has first been issued by the Zoning Officer. Every application for a building permit shall be accompanied by duplicate plans, drawn in ink, or blueprint, having final approval of the Planning Board or Zoning Board of Adjustment as required under N.J.S.A. 40:55D-1 et seq. and as required by the land development regulations of the City of Lambertville showing the actual shape and dimensions of the lot to be built upon, the exact location, size and height of the structures and accessory structures existing and proposed, and the lines within which the building or structure is to be erected or altered, the existing or intended use of each structure or part of a structure, the number of families or dwelling units the structure is designed to accommodate, the number and location of off-street parking spaces and off-street loading areas and such other information with regard to the lot and neighboring lots as may be necessary to determine and provide for the enforcement of this Ordinance. One copy of such plans shall be returned to the owner when such plans shall have been approved by the Construction Code Official together with such permit as may be granted.

All dimensions shown on these plans relating to the location and size of the lot to be built upon shall be based on actual survey. The lot and the location of the structure thereon shall be staked out on the grounds before construction is started. Every application for a building permit shall be submitted by the owner of the land as indicated on the City of Lambertville tax assessment records or by a person furnishing a certification from the land owner granting such permission to the applicant for filing the application.

It shall be unlawful for an owner to use or permit the use of any structure or part thereof, hereafter erected, altered, converted or enlarged, wholly or in part until a Certificate of Occupancy, applied for at the time of application for a Building Permit, shall have been issued by the Construction Official. Such Certificate shall show that such structure or part of a structure and the proposed use thereof conform to the requirements of this Ordinance. It shall be the duty of the Construction Official to issue a Certificate of Occupancy only when he is satisfied that the structure, or part of a structure, and the proposed use thereof so conform.

Should the Construction Official decline to issue a Certificate of Occupancy his reasons for doing so shall be so stated on one copy of the application and that copy returned to the applicant.

A record of all Certificates shall be kept on file by the Construction Official and copies shall be furnished to any person having a proprietary or tenancy interest in the structure in question. A monthly report of Certificates of Occupancy issued shall be filed with the Tax Assessor.

The Construction Officials may issue a temporary Certificate of Occupancy for a use of land or a structure which is related to the development of a permitted use or property. Such permit may be issued for a period of six months, and no more than one six-month extension may be granted.

Fees for certificates of occupancy may be found in Chapter X, Building and Housing.