Before a house in Sea Girt can change hands, a borough Code Official walks through it. Each smoke alarm gets tested by pressing its button. Carbon monoxide alarms need to be outside the sleeping areas wherever the house has fuel-burning appliances or an attached garage. A fire extinguisher rated at least 2A:10B:C has to be mounted within 10 feet of the kitchen, along the path to an exit, and it must have been serviced and tagged in the past 12 months or bought recently with a receipt. The inspector also checks that the property's exterior is "clean, neat, and orderly" and that each bedroom meets its square-footage minimum for occupancy.
On that checklist, the patio is a safety question and nothing more. The draft 2026 Comprehensive Master Plan would add a second question about it. It recommends that the borough "require that all non-conforming code and coverage be corrected before a CO on sale can be issued," and adds that this "most importantly" covers "what is pervious versus impervious of existing ground cover." The Planning Board had set its adoption hearing for Oct. 21, 2026, and the borough has carried it to Dec. 16.
The inspection every seller already schedules
The requirement itself comes from Sea Girt Code Section 13-1.3(g), in the property maintenance chapter. A certificate of occupancy issued by the Borough Code Official "will be required prior to any sale, transfer, or leasing" of residential property, and it is issued "only after satisfactory on-site inspection." The same section bars anyone from selling, buying or renting a residential property unless its sidewalks, steps, driveways and similar paved areas are in good enough repair that they don't endanger the public.
The costs are small and fixed:
- Certificate of occupancy: $100 for the inspection and certificate, plus the other fees the property maintenance chapter cross-references, and $50 for each reinspection when repairs are needed.
- Fire safety certificate: a separate certificate for smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms and the extinguisher, required under state fire code. Under Section 20-1.14, the fee is $100 if the owner files 10 or more days before occupancy, then $150, $200 and $250 as that window shrinks to less than two days. Missing an appointment or not providing entry costs $50, the same as a reinspection.
The borough's own sale and rental certificate guidelines say every item on the checklist gets inspected. One failed item may not cost an owner the certificate, but several can. The guideline sheet carries an effective date of Aug. 31, 2018, so sellers usually confirm current standards directly with Code Enforcement at 321 Baltimore Boulevard, 732-449-9433.
Nothing on today's checklist asks whether the lot meets zoning coverage limits. The master plan recommendation is aimed at that gap.
A town that grows by replacement
Behind the recommendation is a construction pattern that shows up in the plan's own data. From January 2000 through December 2024, Sea Girt issued permits for 457 new homes and 373 residential demolitions. That left a net gain of 84 units over 25 years. For every five new-home permits, the borough issued roughly four demolition permits.
The pace has picked up lately. In 2024 the borough permitted 31 new homes against 19 demolitions, its highest new-construction count of the period. In 2022 the numbers were 23 and 8.
When a town grows this way, its zoning rules mostly touch a property on two occasions, during a rebuild and during a sale. Sea Girt has been tightening the first for decades. The 2001 reexamination of the master plan called for stronger controls on house size, setbacks, height, garages and accessory structures, and the 2008 reexamination flagged teardowns and the creation of new lots on large corner parcels. TAPinto reported in October 2025 that a steady wave of rebuilds, additions and large renovations had led the Borough Council and Planning Board to revisit lighting, front yards, construction procedures and setbacks.
The 2026 draft extends that attention to the sale. A house that is never torn down can keep its patio, pavers and pool decking through many owners without its coverage ever being measured. Under the recommendation, each transfer would become a point where that measurement happens.
Where the current code and the draft diverge
Sea Girt's two residential zones, 1 East and 1 West, follow one zoning schedule: 7,500-square-foot minimum lots, 50 feet of frontage, 150 feet of depth and a 40-foot front setback. The table puts the rules a buyer inherits today beside what the draft recommends.
| Item | Sea Girt Code today | 2026 draft Master Plan recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Building coverage | 20% of lot size | "Clarify building coverage standards" |
| Impervious coverage | 35% of lot size, counting all site features except the principal dwelling | "Reduce permitted maximum impervious coverage in residential zones to 50%" |
| In-ground pools | Left out of impervious coverage when coping runs on all four sides | "Include artificial turf and pool area in impervious coverage calculations" |
| Artificial turf | Allowed in rear yards and side yards not visible from the street, must be permeable, permit required | "Ban artificial turf as a permitted lot cover" |
| Sale CO | Inspection for maintenance and life safety | Nonconforming code and coverage corrected before the CO issues |
| Rental COs | No annual limit in Chapter 11 | "Limit rental COs to 4 annually" |
Today's 35% impervious figure is measured without the house. Under Section 17-5.1, it covers garages and accessory structures, driveways, walkways, patios, covered decks, sport courts, sheds, cabanas, porches and every area of pavers. Porous pavers, porous concrete and asphalt are all treated as impervious. An uncovered deck built over a pervious surface is left out. The draft's 50% appears in the plan as written, so anyone comparing the two figures should read the base each one is measured against.
Turf is the most recent change on the list. The Council adopted the current turf section through Ordinance 14-2025 on Nov. 12, 2025. That ordinance bars turf from front yards, visible side yards and the road verge, the strip between curb and sidewalk. Violations bring a warning and a 30-day grace period, and continued noncompliance can mean fines of up to $100 a day. Less than a year later, the draft recommends banning turf as lot cover altogether.
The plan's other land use recommendations point the same way. It suggests studying a residential floor-area ratio "for controlling the bulk of structures," a "Look Alike" ordinance so that no new house closely resembles its neighbors, larger minimum lot sizes and setbacks on corner lots, and a ban on subdividing 100-foot corner lots. It also asks for a review of the half-story definition and a ban on basements under garages or accessory structures.
What rental owners file now
The four-per-year recommendation lands on a rental process that already involves a lot of paperwork. Under Chapter 11, the owner or agent applies for a rental certificate of occupancy within four days of signing a lease and attaches the lease or a verified abstract of it. The Code Official inspects within 15 days. The fee is $100 per unit, plus $10 for each bedroom beyond five, up to $100 more. Every change of tenant starts a new filing. For an owner who rents by the week in July and August, a cap of four certificates a year would set the number of tenancies per season, not just the paperwork for each one.
Rentals also bring a detail on the fire safety side. Under the borough's guidelines, a fire extinguisher is not required for a rental shorter than 125 consecutive days by a single party, unless back-to-back rentals add up to more than 125 days.
The calendar between now and Dec. 16
The draft presents every item above as a recommendation, and the plan goes back before the Planning Board on Dec. 16, 2026. The borough has set up [email protected] for comments and encourages residents and business owners to take part. Its hearing notice page posts the final draft, earlier versions and the public notice.
One piece of the planning work is already finished. The Planning Board adopted the borough's Municipal Public Access Plan as an element of the Master Plan on Oct. 21, after the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection approved it in August.
For a house going under contract this winter, the inspection still follows the current checklist. A seller who wants to know where the lot stands under the coverage rules can measure it against Section 17-5.1 now, while those rules are still settled.
A few direct questions
Does today's sale inspection look at lot coverage? The current guideline sheet lists exterior condition, bedroom occupancy, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, the extinguisher and other interior safety items. Coverage is not on it.
Is the four-rental limit in effect? No. It appears in the draft master plan as a recommendation. Chapter 11 as written has no annual cap.
Can existing turf in a back yard stay? Under Section 17-5.16, turf is allowed in rear yards and side yards not visible from the street if it is permeable. Replacing it requires a permit.
Everything here is general information about borough rules and a draft plan. It is not legal, tax or financial advice, so owners should confirm their own property with the borough and with their attorney.
For four generations, our family has watched Sea Girt's rules change one hearing at a time, and helping sellers prepare a house for the inspector is part of our work. If you're weighing a sale in the year ahead and want to understand where your lot stands before Dec. 16, Clayton & Clayton REALTORS® invites you to schedule a confidential consultation.
