Authored by Justin Fettig, Business Development Manager
Published June 23, 2026
What Property Owners Need to Know About Ordinance 2025-17
A property manager in Fort Lee receives notice that a decades-old parking garage attached to their multifamily building now requires a formal structural inspection, and the deadline is less than a year away. Until recently, no such requirement existed in the borough. That changed with the adoption of Ordinance 2025-17.
Fort Lee, New Jersey, has enacted a new law requiring mandatory periodic inspections of covered parking structures within its jurisdiction. The ordinance introduces a structured, recurring inspection cycle modeled on the type of compliance framework that cities like New York and Jersey City have maintained for years around building facades. For property owners and managers who have not previously been subject to this kind of requirement, the timeline is worth understanding now, before scheduling bottlenecks make it harder to comply on time.
This article covers which structures are subject to the ordinance, what the inspection involves, how conditions are classified, and what deadlines apply.
Key Takeaways: Fort Lee Ordinance 2025-17
What the Ordinance Requires
- All covered parking structures associated with commercial and multifamily residential properties must undergo a condition assessment by a New Jersey licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.)
- Inspections are required every five years on a recurring basis
- Wood-frame garages are exempt from the ordinance
Compliance Deadlines
- Existing structures must complete their first inspection by December 31, 2026
- Newly constructed structures must undergo their first inspection within five years of the initial Certificate of Occupancy
- The Inspection and Evaluation Report must be filed with the Fort Lee Building Code Official within 15 days of the inspection
Condition Classifications and What They Trigger
- Safe: No significant structural concerns identified
- Safe with Engineering Monitoring (SREM): Repairs required within a defined timeline under professional monitoring
- Unsafe: Conditions pose an immediate safety concern requiring urgent corrective action
Rimkus provides parking structure inspection support across the New York and New Jersey metro area. Contact us to discuss your property’s specific requirements.
Why Fort Lee Enacted this Ordinance
Covered parking structures face a unique combination of environmental and operational stresses that accelerate deterioration over time. Moisture infiltration, road salt tracked in by vehicles, repeated freeze-thaw cycles, and the sustained weight of daily traffic all contribute to concrete degradation and steel corrosion. These elements most often occur in ways that are not visible to building occupants until damage is already significant.
High-profile structural failures involving parking garages and similar concrete structures across the country have drawn attention to the risks of deferred maintenance. Fort Lee’s ordinance reflects a broader regulatory trend in New Jersey toward proactive structural oversight, particularly for aging concrete infrastructure that serves large numbers of residents and visitors daily.
The ordinance is designed to identify deterioration early, before it escalates into a safety hazard or an emergency repair that costs significantly more than planned maintenance would have.
Which Structures are Covered
Ordinance 2025-17 applies broadly to covered parking structures associated with commercial and multifamily residential properties within the Borough of Fort Lee. The defining factor is structure type, not building use. If the property includes a covered parking garage, the inspection requirement likely applies.
Wood-frame garages are specifically excluded from the ordinance.
Property owners who are unsure whether their structure falls within the ordinance’s scope should confirm their status with the Fort Lee Building Code Official before the compliance deadline.
What the Inspection Involves
The ordinance requires a comprehensive structural condition assessment performed by a New Jersey licensed Professional Engineer. The inspection evaluates the overall structural integrity of the parking structure, with attention to deterioration that is common in concrete and steel garages.
Areas of focus typically include:
Concrete decks, beams, columns, and walls
- Evaluated for cracking, spalling, delamination, and other signs of material breakdown
Embedded steel reinforcement
- Assessed for corrosion, section loss, and loss of bond with surrounding concrete
Expansion joints, sealants, and waterproofing systems
- Checked for failure or deterioration that may be allowing moisture to reach structural elements
Drainage systems
- Reviewed for blockages or failures that contribute to standing water and accelerated degradation
Connections and bearing areas
- Examined for signs of distress, movement, or loss of capacity
The licensed engineer prepares an Inspection and Evaluation Report documenting the findings, the overall condition classification, and any recommended repairs. This report must be filed with the Borough within 15 days of the inspection.
Condition Classifications and Their Implications
Each inspection results in one of three condition classifications. The classification determines what the property owner must do next.
Safe
A Safe classification indicates that the parking structure is in satisfactory structural condition at the time of inspection. No significant deterioration or safety concerns were identified. The property owner’s obligation is to maintain the structure and complete the next required inspection within five years.
Safe with Engineering Monitoring (SREM)
An SREM classification means the structure is not immediately hazardous but exhibits conditions that require repair and ongoing professional monitoring. Deterioration has been identified that, if left unaddressed, could progress to an unsafe condition before the next inspection cycle.
Under an SREM classification, the property owner must develop and execute a repair plan within the timeline specified in the inspection report. The structure may remain in service while repairs are underway, provided the monitoring requirements set by the inspecting engineer are followed.
SREM findings are common in aging parking structures and should not be treated as an emergency – but they should not be deferred, either. The conditions identified in an SREM report tend to worsen over time, and delayed action typically results in a larger and more expensive scope of work.
Unsafe
An Unsafe classification indicates that conditions pose an immediate safety concern. This triggers the most urgent response requirements under the ordinance, including potential restrictions on use of the structure until corrective action is taken.
Property owners who receive an Unsafe classification should be prepared to act immediately, including implementing temporary safety measures, restricting access to affected areas, and commencing repairs on an expedited basis.
Compliance Timeline
The ordinance establishes two tracks depending on the age of the structure.
- Existing structures
- Any covered parking structure that predates the ordinance must complete their initial inspection and file the resulting report by December 31, 2026
- This is a firm deadline, and the inspection itself must be performed far enough in advance to allow the engineer to prepare the report and file it within the required 15-day window
- Newly constructed structures
- First condition assessment must be performed within five years of the date the initial Certificate of Occupancy is issued
- Subsequent inspections follow the same five-year cycle
After the initial inspection, all structures are subject to the recurring five-year inspection requirement going forward.
Why Early Planning Matters
The December 31, 2026, deadline applies to every qualifying parking structure in Fort Lee simultaneously. This creates a predictable bottleneck: the number of structures requiring inspection will significantly exceed normal demand for licensed structural engineers qualified to perform this work in New Jersey.
Property owners who wait until the fall of 2026 to begin scheduling may find that qualified engineers are fully booked, leaving limited options and potentially higher costs for last-minute engagements. Starting the process early provides several practical advantages:
- Scheduling flexibility
- Engineers can coordinate inspections around building operations, tenant access, and seasonal considerations rather than working under deadline pressure
- Time to address findings
- If the inspection reveals conditions that require repair, early scheduling provides time to plan and budget for the work, rather than scrambling to address it after the report has already been filed
- Integration with capital planning
- Inspection findings often overlap with planned maintenance or capital improvements such as waterproofing, drainage upgrades, or concrete restoration
- Coordinating these efforts can reduce overall disruption and cost.
- Coordination with related compliance work
- Properties that are also subject to facade inspection requirements, such as those falling under Jersey City’s ordinance or New York City’s FISP, can benefit from coordinating multiple inspection scopes with a single engineering firm
What this Signals for the Broader Region
Fort Lee’s ordinance is part of a growing trend across New Jersey and the broader metro area toward structured, recurring inspection requirements for parking structures and building exteriors. Property owners and managers with portfolios that extend beyond Fort Lee should be aware that similar ordinances may be adopted by neighboring municipalities in the coming years.
Establishing a relationship with a qualified engineering firm now positions owners to respond efficiently as new requirements emerge. Including inspection planning into regular property management operations means responding to new ordinances without the pressure of a compressed timeline.
How Rimkus Can Help
Rimkus provides structural condition assessments, inspection reporting, and repair planning support for parking structures across the New York and New Jersey metro area. Our team includes New Jersey-licensed Professional Engineers with experience in the types of concrete and steel deterioration that parking structure inspections are designed to identify.
Whether your property requires an initial inspection under Ordinance 2025-17, a repair scope evaluation following an SREM finding, or ongoing capital planning support for a portfolio of structures, Rimkus can help you develop a clear path to compliance.
Contact Justin Fettig for more information on our building safety regulations services in New York and New Jersey.
Justin Fettig, Business Development Manager
+1 646 978 0758 | [email protected]
If you are ready to schedule an inspection or an assessment, submit an inquiry to discuss your property’s requirements.