Planning Services

Core Responsibilities

The Division of Planning Services is responsible for the County Master Plan and all its elements (Growth Management, Transportation, Highlands Conformance, etc.); Farmland Preservation program; Transfer of Development Rights Review; Open Space Program; Subdivision and Site Plan Development Review; Stormwater Review; County Wastewater Management Plan; providing technical assistance to municipalities; serves as the State Data Center Repository and the Municipal Document Repository, and works with partner agencies such as the North Jersey Transportation Authority and goHunterdon on countywide and regional initiatives.

Growth Management Plan Information

goHunterdon is the County's nonprofit Transportation Management Association. They partner with the County to promote sustainable transportation throughout Hunterdon County. Their initiatives include Safe Routes to School and Environmental Education programs for schools, Bike Hunterdon, and StreetSmartNJ.

FEMA Preliminary Flood Maps for Upper Raritan River Communities in Hunterdon and Somerset Counties. View the Resources for Residents.

Planning Board Adopts the Highlands Conformance Plan

Learn more about the Highlands Conformance Element and Implementation:

The County held a public hearing on the proposal, on February 4, 2021, at 9:15 am

View the Meeting Public Notice (PDF).

Hunterdon County Land Development Standards

The Land Development Standards underwent a complete review in 2018-2020. For the 2020 Land Development Standards amendment, the Official Functional Classification of County and Municipal Roads map was revised to conform to and meet current and anticipated advances in surveying methodology, and technical updates to geographic information systems (GIS). The map is an element of the County’s Master Plan; as such, any changes to it require adoption by both the Hunterdon County Planning Board and the Board of County Commissioners.

View the County Land Development Standards (PDF).

Adopted by the Hunterdon County Planning Board: December 3, 2020

Adopted by the Hunterdon County Board of Commissioners: January 19, 2021

County Proposes to Build Communications Tower

To fill gaps in radio coverage for first responders - police, fire, EMS, and park rangers - the County is proposing the construction of a radio communications tower within the existing parking lot of the County’s Jugtown Mountain Preserve. No commercial equipment will be located on the tower. The County will also be adding 5 acres of land to the Preserve.

The public is welcome to view the following documents related to the proposal:

American Farmland Trust

The American Farmland Trust (AFT) has just issued its multi-year study on farmland loss across the nation during the period of 2001 to 2016, view the Farms Under Threat: The State of the States website. Importantly, the study evaluates and ranks each state's policy response to farmland loss in order to identify the policies and programs that are most important and effective in ensuring farmland protection. New Jersey earned the top rank of all of the states in the country for its policies related to farmland protection! View the Agricultural Land Protection Scorecard (PDF). This recognition is a great achievement for the state and is a reflection of New Jersey's more than 35-year history of supporting farmland preservation by many administrations, legislators, local governments, voters, and the farming community combined.