Selling a Home in Trenton, NJ: The $200 Certificate and the Affidavit Alternative

A Certificate of Housing Code Compliance from the Division of Housing Inspections before any change of ownership of residential property. The fee is $200, with an additional $15 per unit for structures over four units, and the certificate is valid for six months. It is broader than the smoke certificates most Mercer County towns require: the city’s ordinance says it certifies conformance with zoning, fire safety codes, smoke and carbon monoxide compliance, and the minimum standards of habitability in the housing chapter, including electrical and plumbing service in safe, sound condition. After the inspection, the city gives the seller a list of violations, and the certificate issues once they are corrected. If more than one reinspection is needed, the city charges $50 for one- and two-unit properties.

Yes, through the affidavit route, and this is the provision that keeps Trenton’s large as-is and estate market moving. In lieu of the certificate, the ownership change may proceed if the owner files an affidavit with the Department of Inspections stating the property will not be occupied until a Certificate of Housing Code Compliance is obtained. That shifts the compliance burden past closing, which suits investor purchases and renovation projects, but sellers should treat it deliberately: the affidavit binds occupancy, and a buyer planning to move in cannot use it as a shortcut. A Certificate of Approval or Certificate of Continued Occupancy are acceptable substitutes where they exist.

The seller or their agent, not the buyer. The city’s FAQ is explicit that the application requires authorizing the inspection and access to the property, which a buyer has no legal right to do before closing, though a buyer may submit the application when they are contractually responsible for obtaining the certificate. The application can be filed online with payment mailed in, it cannot be faxed, and nothing is processed until the fees arrive. Once fees are paid, an inspector calls to set an appointment. The certificate is valid for six months, so applying early costs nothing and applying late costs the closing date.

The most active estate-sale and investor market in Mercer County. Trenton’s rowhouse stock trades at entry prices that draw cash buyers, first-time buyers using assistance programs, and renovators, and a large share of listings arrive through inheritance after decades of family ownership. That profile rewards two things: pricing honestly against condition, because Trenton buyers see everything on the market, and choosing the compliance path deliberately, certificate versus affidavit, because it changes who can buy. Families selling a parent’s longtime home should read the estate guide alongside this one; the sequence of probate, cleanout, and the city inspection is where Trenton sales are won or lost.