On July 1, 2020 Gov. Phil Murphy signed the Permit Extension Act of 2020. That Act extended the expiration dates of various development permits during the period of the COVID-19 public health emergency and up to a six-month period beyond that date. The rationale for the extension is the fact that various work could not be done or may be slowed during the pandemic and it would be unfair to hold permittees to strict deadlines.
However, in order to avail oneself of the extension, the law provided that any permit deadline being tolled must be registered with the applicable deadline within 30-days of a notice being provided in the New Jersey Register. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection published the notice in the Register on Sept. 8, starting the clock.
If you have a project that needs a permit extended and you qualify under the Act, you must register with the department by Oct. 8. If you have any questions feel free to contact me at rcantor@njbia.org.