New Jersey contractors dealt with the same problem for decades: you call for an inspection, the municipality takes its time, and your crew sits on the next job waiting for sign-off. That changed when Governor Murphy signed A573 into law on January 5, 2023 (P.L.2022, c.139). It put a clock on municipal inspections statewide — and a lot of the industry still hasn't read it closely.
If you pull permits in New Jersey, this is one of the most useful law changes of the last five years for your cash flow. Here's what it actually says, how to use it on an active job, and where contractors get it wrong.
What A573 actually requires
A573 (commonly called AB 573) amended the Uniform Construction Code to put a three-business-day standard on inspections. Three provisions matter, and they work together:
1. You must give written notice at least 24 hours ahead. The owner, agent, or other responsible person in charge of the work notifies the enforcing agency when the work is ready for a required inspection. That notice must be in writing, at least 24 hours prior to the date and time requested. For minor work projects as defined by the code, oral notice is permitted.
2. The agency has three business days from the date you requested. The enforcing agency must perform the inspection within three business days of the date for which the inspection is requested — not three days from whenever they happen to open your email. The date you request is what starts the count.
3. If they can't make it, they owe you written notice within 24 hours. If the enforcing agency is unable to perform the inspection in that window, it must inform you in writing within 24 hours of receiving the request. At that point you and the agency may agree to a different date and time.
Only if the agency cannot perform the inspection within three business days and you cannot reach an agreement on an alternate date may you contract with a private on-site inspection agency authorized by the NJ Department of Community Affairs to perform the inspection.
That last condition is the part contractors most often get wrong. A573 is not a trapdoor that opens automatically at 5:01pm on day three.
What A573 does not do
Three corrections worth internalizing, because getting these wrong on a live job will cost you credibility with a construction official:
- It does not let you proceed as if the inspection passed. There is no deemed-approval provision. The remedy is a private inspection by a DCA-authorized agency — an actual inspection, by an actual inspector.
- An agreed reschedule is lawful. If the agency tells you in writing within 24 hours that it can't make your date and you agree to Thursday instead, that is the statute working as designed. It does not entitle you to a private inspector.
- It does not make the municipality's fees go away. The municipality continues to collect its construction fees. You pay the private agency on top of that. The enforcing agency shall, if warranted, provide a fee reconciliation for an inspection completed by a private agency as a result of a missed inspection — so ask for it, but budget for the private inspector up front.
How to use it on an active job
Here's the practical workflow. We run this by job number on every ClearPath file.
1. Put the request in writing, and name the date
Your notice has to be written and has to land at least 24 hours before the date and time you're requesting. Two things to capture:
- Proof of delivery — a portal confirmation email, a dated entry in the township's online system, or certified mail for paper-heavy townships.
- An explicit requested date and time, stated in the notice itself. "Ready for rough electrical, requesting inspection Thursday 6/12, AM window" is a request. "Ready for inspection, please advise" is not — and it never starts a clock.
That second point is where most contractors lose the protection without realizing it. If you never named a date, there is no "date for which the inspection is requested," and the three-day standard has nothing to run from.
2. Count business days from the requested date
Business days exclude weekends and official holidays. The count runs from the date you requested, not the date you sent the notice. If you send written notice Monday morning requesting a Wednesday inspection, the agency's window runs three business days from Wednesday.
3. Watch for their 24-hour written response
If the agency can't meet your date, it owes you written notice within 24 hours of receiving your request. Two things follow from that:
- If they send it and propose an alternative, engage — negotiate a date you can live with and document the agreement.
- If they send nothing at all and the date passes, that silence is exactly what you want in the file.
4. Follow up in writing when the window closes
A short, specific, unaggressive note:
Re: Inspection requested for [date/time], written notice delivered [date]. Per P.L.2022, c.139, the three-business-day period for the requested inspection date has now passed and I have not received written notice of an alternate date. Please confirm a scheduled inspection window, or confirm that I should proceed with a DCA-authorized private on-site inspection agency.
You're not threatening. You're documenting that both statutory conditions — missed window, no agreement — have been met.
5. Retain a DCA-authorized private on-site inspection agency
Once the window has passed with no agreement, you may contract with a private on-site inspection agency authorized by the Department of Community Affairs. Authorization matters: a general third-party engineering firm that isn't a DCA-authorized private on-site inspection agency cannot substitute for the municipal inspection.
Fees vary by trade, agency, and county — get a written quote before you engage, and request the fee reconciliation from the enforcing agency afterward.
6. File the report and keep moving
The private agency's report goes to the municipal construction official the same way a municipal inspection would, and the job continues.
Where this matters most
In our experience, the three-business-day standard has the biggest impact on:
- Electrical service change-outs — the utility needs a sign-off before they'll cut in, and every day of delay is a day the homeowner has no power.
- Solar final inspections — interconnection agreements have their own clocks running in parallel.
- Rough frames on tight schedules — framers can't sheet until rough inspection passes.
- Commercial tenant fit-outs — lease commencement often hinges on final CO.
On any of these, missing an inspection window by a few days is real money.
The ClearPath approach
Every permit we file goes into a tracker with the written notice date, the requested inspection date, the date the agency's 24-hour written response was due, and the date the three-business-day window closes. If a municipality is heading toward the end of that window with nothing scheduled and nothing in writing, we're already drafting the follow-up on your behalf.
If you're running a job where an inspection delay would cost you serious money, talk to us before you file. The law is on your side — it just takes someone watching the calendar and papering the file correctly.
Related reading
For the forms that go with each permit, see F120, F140, F100: which NJ UCC permit form you need.
Frequently asked questions
When did New Jersey's 3-business-day inspection law take effect?
Governor Murphy signed A573 into law on January 5, 2023, enacted as P.L.2022, c.139. It amended the Uniform Construction Code to require enforcing agencies to perform requested inspections within three business days.
How much notice do I have to give for an inspection in NJ?
You must notify the enforcing agency in writing at least 24 hours before the date and time you are requesting the inspection. For minor work projects as defined by the code, oral notice is permitted.
When does the three-business-day clock start?
It runs from the date for which the inspection is requested, not the date the agency received your notice. If you never state a requested date in your written notice, there is no date for the standard to run from.
What happens if the town cannot inspect within three business days?
The enforcing agency must inform you in writing within 24 hours of receiving your request, and you and the agency may then agree on a different date and time. An agreed reschedule is the statute working as intended.
Can I just proceed with the work if the inspector never shows up?
No. There is no deemed-approval provision in the law. If the agency misses the window and you cannot agree on an alternate date, your remedy is to contract with a private on-site inspection agency authorized by the NJ Department of Community Affairs to perform the actual inspection.
Who is allowed to perform the private inspection?
Only a private on-site inspection agency authorized by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. A general engineering or consulting firm without that DCA authorization cannot substitute for the municipal inspection.
Do I still have to pay the municipality if I use a private inspector?
Yes. The municipality continues to collect its construction fees and you pay the private agency separately. The enforcing agency shall, if warranted, provide a fee reconciliation for an inspection completed by a private agency as a result of a missed inspection.