Upon successful completion of the Planning and Zoning Administration or the Zoning Administration and Enforcement program offered by the Center for Government Services at Rutgers, a student may apply for a certificate in his or her respective program. These certificates must be renewed every five (5) years.

Those individuals who hold the Board Secretary certificate and work full time in a municipal land use office for a minimum of five years may be eligible to apply for the additional designation of Land Use Administrator.

Complete information about the certificate programs and the application process is available on the CGS website at:
http://cgs.rutgers.edu/planningzoning

Please remember that YOU are responsible for tracking your Continuing Education hours and applying for the renewal of your certificate through The Center for Government Services at Rutgers.

As a reminder, the continuing education requirements for each certificate are as follows:

Planning Board/Zoning Board Secretary Certificate

• 15 hours of continuing education every 5 years
• Up to 5 hours of credit may be awarded for general administrative topics, such as time management, computer skills, etc.
• At least 10 hours must be from land-use related classes, seminars or lectures.

Zoning Official Certificate

• 20 hours of continuing education every 5 years
• Up to 6 hours of credit may be awarded for administrative topics, such as time management, computer skills, etc.
• At least 14 hours must be from land-use related classes, seminars or lectures

Land Use Administrator Certificate

• 30 hours of continuing education every 5 years
• Up to 10 hours of credit may be sought for administrative topics, such as time management, computer skills, etc.
• At least 20 hours must be from land-use related classes seminars or lectures

If you hold more than one type of certificate, administrative hours from a single continuing education session may be credited toward the renewal of each certificate up to the administrative limit for each type of certificate. In addition, the first ten (10) technical credits earned may apply to each certificate held.

Both NJAPZA and CGS offer continuing education seminars that give certificate holders the opportunity to accrue the CE hours necessary to renew a certificate.

CE credits toward certificate renewal are automatically awarded to those who attend the “Current Issues in Planning and Zoning” series, co-sponsored by CGS and NJAPZA every June.

Rutgers also may approve credit for relevant seminars offered by a variety of organizations, including the New Jersey State League of Municipalities, New Jersey Future, the New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association, and New Jersey Planning Officials. Check the NJAPZA website regularly for listings of programs that have been pre-approved by Rutgers for CE credit.

SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT THE NJLSOM CONFERENCE

Relevant land-use and administrative educational sessions offered at the New Jersey State League of Municipalities Conference are pre-approved by Rutgers and the Education Committee in the fall prior to each League Conference. That information is posted on both the CGS and NJAPZA websites as soon as possible after the complete League program is available for review. Generally, this occurs in early October.

In order to get credit for your attendance at a session you must have your badge scanned as you enter and leave the session, and you must obtain a certificate of attendance from NJSLOM via their website after the event. If you wish to receive credit for any pre-approved educational sessions sponsored by the New Jersey Planning Officials, your municipality must hold an NJPO membership that covers both boards and the governing body. If it does not, you will be required to pay a separate $50 registration fee to NJPO in advance of the League Conference in order to receive CE credit for attending the NJPO-sponsored sessions.

In addition to the League sessions, you may get credit for attending the educational session sponsored by NJAPZA immediately following our annual Wednesday luncheon. Information about the luncheon is sent out by NJAPZA, and you must be a member to receive the invitation. If you are interested in attending and are not currently a member, a membership application is available on the NJAPZA website. This is not a Rutgers event, and you cannot register through the Center for Government Services.