Florence hugs the Delaware at Burlington County’s northern edge, river-town blocks in Florence and Roebling, the landmark steel-town history that built the latter, and newer development pulling commuters off the turnpike interchange. Its resale rules are strict and unusually well documented: a $165 continued certificate of occupancy on every sale, reinspection fees that climb with each failed visit, and, instead of temporary certificates, a notarized No Occupancy letter that lets as-is deals close with the house empty.
The Florence seller picture
Buyers are turnpike and River Line commuters, plus history-minded purchasers drawn to Roebling’s planned-village rowhouses. The older stock along the river carries the classic checklist load, detectors, rails, legacy improvements, while the newer sections near the interchange mostly need paperwork. Every seller gets the same records check for unpermitted work, which makes the permit history call the first move in listing week.
The CCO: $165 and fees that climb
The township’s housing inspection application and fee chapter set the structure:
- Fee: $165 per unit for the initial inspection, per Ordinance 2024-16.
- Reinspections: $35, then $50, then $75, then $100 for the fourth and beyond. The escalation is the message.
- Timing: apply two to four weeks ahead; the code requires the township to grant or deny within 10 business days of application.
- Scope: life-safety items plus a records check for work done without permits or permits never closed out.
The No Occupancy letter: as-is, Florence style
Florence’s housing office does not issue temporary certificates. The substitute is the No Occupancy letter: the buyer of an as-is property submits the application and $165 fee, a copy of the signed as-is contract, and an original signed letter agreeing not to occupy until repairs, permits, and certifications are complete and a CCO issues. The buyer signs the letter at the housing office and takes a notarized copy to closing. Per the township FAQ, the sale closes; occupancy waits for the certificate.
The New Jersey money
On a $330,000 sale the realty transfer fee runs roughly $2,500, with the partial exemption for sellers 62 and older worth claiming. The exit-tax withholding applies only to sellers leaving New Jersey, and Senior Freeze participants should confirm the sale-year effect. The home-sale tax guide and the cost-to-sell guide complete the picture.
Where downsizers here go
Florence downsizers have the river corridor’s full bench: Burlington next door, Riverside and Delanco down the River Line, and the 55+ communities around Willingboro and Mansfield. The South Jersey 55+ guide compares the communities, and the sequencing guide settles what happens first.
Getting started
The Florence order: a free valuation anchored to the right micro-market, river blocks, Roebling, or the newer sections, the permit history pulled before the township pulls it, the application filed two to four weeks out, and the repair list cleared in one round while the reinspection fees are still cheap. The complete downsizing guide handles everything after.