20. Your First 90 Days as a Ridgewood Owner
Most of this report is about getting the house. This page is about the first three months after you have it: the deadlines that are easy to miss and the calls that are easier to make now than later. Dates are Village or state schedules as of September 2026; confirm the current year’s dates with the office named.
Before closing
- Smoke, carbon monoxide and fire extinguisher certificate. The seller obtains it from the Bureau of Fire Prevention (201-444-7898). Ridgewood does not issue a certificate of occupancy for a one- or two-family resale; this certificate is the only Village document required. Ask to see it. (Section 12)
- Ridgewood Water final read. The seller schedules it three to five days before closing (201-670-5520). Confirm it was done so the first bill is yours alone. (Section 12)
- Look up the service line. Ridgewood Water publishes a lookup tool showing whether the line to the house is lead, galvanized or unknown, and whether a 30-year replacement assessment is already recorded against the property. Your attorney should search for the assessment the same way as any municipal lien. (Sections 12, 16)
- Ask two questions the disclosure form does not. Is there an oil tank, above or below ground, active or abandoned? What is the water service line made of? (Section 16)
- Run the flood map. FEMA’s Map Service Center by address, free. If the house is in a Special Flood Hazard Area, a federally regulated lender requires flood insurance, and the seller’s disclosure must say so under the March 2024 law. (Section 12)
The first month
- Garbage and recycling. Twice-weekly rear-yard pickup: Monday and Thursday west of Maple Avenue, Tuesday and Friday east of it. Bulk items on alternating Wednesdays, seven items, nothing over 100 pounds. Recycling on an eight-area calendar; the Village posts the map. No fee. (Section 16)
- Register on Community Pass. It is the Village’s platform for Graydon Pool, tennis and pickleball, day camp and recreation programs. Parents and children only on one account; grandparents and caregivers need their own. (Section 9)
- Parking. Downtown lots and the station lot are permit or kiosk parking; overnight permits exist for downtown residents without off-street parking. Check the Village parking page for the rules on your block. If you commute by train, see the December item below and make the call now. (Section 13)
- Trees. Removing any tree 8 inches or more in diameter on your own lot needs a Village permit and a replacement tree. Find that out before the landscaper does. (Section 11)
- Property tax bill. Quarterly, due February 1, May 1, August 1 and November 1. The 2026 bill you inherit is the seller’s assessment; the 2027 bill will be the revaluation’s. Run the Section 2 calculation now so it is not a surprise. (Sections 2, 6)
Dates that come around once a year
| When | What | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-December | Commuter parking permits go on sale for the following year, in person at Village Hall | Premium permits have been capped; the waitlist is not published. Call the Parking Utility (201-670-5500 ext. 2200) the month you close, not in December. (Section 13) |
| April 1 to 30 | Graydon Pool early-bird badge rate ($131 adult, $121 child, resident) | Saves about 10 percent on a family of four. (Section 9) |
| May 1 | Property tax appeal deadline in a revaluation year (not April 1) | Miss it and the year is forfeited. Confirm the date with the Bergen County Board of Taxation each year. (Section 2) |
| Late May | Graydon opens (May 30 in 2026); Ridgewood Run on Memorial Day | (Section 9) |
| June | Farmers market opens, Sundays at the station lot | (Section 9) |
| July 1 | NJ Transit fares rise 3 percent, automatically, every year | A monthly pass bought in 2029 costs about 9 percent more than one bought today. (Section 13) |
| July 4 | Parade at 10 am; evening program and fireworks are run by a private nonprofit, ticketed, and weather-dependent | (Section 9) |
| Late October to early December | Leaf collection windows, posted by the Village each October; loose leaves at the curb only during your area’s dates, 10 feet from a storm drain | Fines up to $2,000. (Section 16) |
| November 2 (2026) | Deadline for the state’s ANCHOR, Senior Freeze and Stay NJ property tax relief applications (Form PAS-1) | Worth $1,000 to $6,500 a year to owners who qualify. (Section 6) |
| Early December | Downtown tree lighting at Van Neste Square | (Section 9) |
If you plan to renovate
Before you hire an architect, get three numbers for your lot: its area, the existing footprint of the house, and the existing gross building area (all floors, including the attached garage and any attic with seven feet of clearance). Those three numbers against the Section 11 tables tell you whether your project is a permit or a hearing. Adding more than 200 square feet of paving or patio now triggers a $300 engineering review on top of the building permit. Any teardown or substantial renovation in the flood zones must be built three feet above the FEMA base flood elevation.
What I tell my buyers: the parking call and the flood map are the two things to do the week you go under contract, not the week you move in. Everything else on this page can wait for the boxes to be unpacked.
I’ll walk you through what any of this means for a specific house, your budget, or your tax bill. No obligation, and nothing to sign up for.