The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs has a Division of Codes and Standards that informs the public on New Jersey building codes and related construction law.

Individuals and companies who must comply with the various New Jersey building codes need to learn how to find the codes through various online and offline sources. They can then have ready access to the codes when a compliance question arises.

Step 1:
You should first familiarize yourself with how New Jersey building codes are passed. Either the New Jersey legislature passes construction laws. But it can also delegate rulemaking authority to administrative agencies like the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. In most cases, it is the Department that promulgates New Jersey building codes.
Like most states, however, what the Department of Community Affairs does is adopt third-party building codes. Example sources of these codes are the International Code Council and the National Fire Protection Association. These outside organizations create building codes that are adopted but modified or amended by states. New Jersey is no exception in that it will also amend parts of the adopted international or national codes to suit local needs or desires.

Step 2:
To start your search for New Jersey building codes, you should go to the Department of Community Affairs "Codes and Regulations" page (see Resources below for the link). On that page, you should first look for the actual code names in the "Adopted Codes and Standards" section. For example, there is an International Building Code that is adopted in New Jersey. There is also a National Electrical Code and many other building codes.

Step 3:
While the codes come from either the International Code Council or national associations dealing with certain construction industries, the state of New Jersey also creates rehabilitation subcodes and other state construction law.