The New Jersey Assembly on Monday unanimously approved Assemblyman Avi Schnall’s construction-inspection reform bill after incorporating Gov. Phil Murphy’s recommended changes, clearing a key hurdle for legislation aimed at easing scheduling burdens for contractors across the state.
The measure, originally passed by the full Legislature earlier this year, would require construction inspectors to provide a defined arrival window instead of leaving builders waiting indefinitely at a worksite. Gov. Murphy conditionally vetoed the bill last month, recommending that the originally proposed two-and-a-half-hour timeframe be expanded to a four-hour window. The Assembly adopted that revision and voted again to advance the legislation.
Under current law, inspectors are only required to provide the date of an inspection, offering no guarantee as to when they will arrive. Builders, contractors, and foremen have long complained that the lack of a time window forces them to remain onsite for an entire day, creating costly delays, inefficiencies, and repeated cancellations if an inspector arrives while the contractor is briefly offsite.
Assemblyman Schnall, who has championed the bill as a modernization of outdated inspection procedures, previously described the reform as a matter of fairness and efficiency.
“The unpredictability of inspections has long been a burden on contractors, slowing down projects and increasing costs,” Schnall said when the bill first passed the Assembly. “This bill is about respecting the time of hardworking builders and ensuring a smoother, more efficient process for everyone involved.”
The revised bill now reflects the governor’s recommended four-hour scheduling window, which legislative leaders say balances predictability for contractors with flexibility for local inspection offices.
The legislation now awaits final approval in the Senate before moving back to the governor’s desk.
Before another law/regulation is enacted, get a book called “The Death of Common Sense” by Phillip Howard. Came across it in college while studying regulations & compliance NJ is so over regulated. Everything does not have to be regulated to get things done. I live in NJ & I feel like I’m trapped in a bottle with a cork on top & I cant move or breath. How many laws do we need?
Have you ever waited at a home for 8 hours for a construction inspection on a home that may have no heat, air or running water? 99% of your comment I agree with but this is actually a really good thing because it actually holds government employees accountable.
If doordash 1099 are contractors who does their independent inspections?