In acquiring land for public projects, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) sometimes accrues excess land that may later be disposed of as surplus property. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about land
for sale or lease.
There are files below that are in Portable Document Format (PDF). You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view these files, which is available at our state Adobe Access page.
| Q. |
How does NJDOT land or property become surplus? |
A.
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NJDOT-owned property is considered surplus only after it has been declared as such by the Commissioner of Transportation. This is a result of an internal review that determines that the property no longer serves a transportation purpose. |
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| Q. |
Are large tracts of surplus land available? |
A.
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Rarely. Most excess land declared as surplus property consists of small parcels. Occasionally NJDOT accrues large tracts of excess land but these are often landlocked. |
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| Q. |
Does the NJDOT have a list of land available for sale or lease? |
A.
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No. The NJDOT does not currently have a list of all the land and property owned that may be available for sale or lease. However, NJDOT plans to post a list online. |
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| Q. |
How much does it cost to purchase or lease surplus property? |
A.
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The purchase price or monthly lease rate is the fair market value. The fair market value may be based on the enhancement value that it contributes to the adjoining owner. |
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| Q. |
How can I request information about the availability of NJDOT owned land that I think could be declared surplus? |
A.
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Send a letter to:
NJDOT Right of Way
Property Management Section
PO Box 614
Trenton, NJ 08625-0614
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| Q. |
What must be included in this letter? |
| A. |
The following information and enclosures should be included in your letter:
- Requestor’s name and address
- Contact phone number for the requestor
- The address of the property owned by the NJDOT being requested, including the block, lot and municipality
- The intended use for the requested property
- A note saying whether or not the requestor is an adjoining property owner and whether the requestor is looking to purchase or lease
- Attached a tax map with the requested area outlined in red.
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| Q. |
What if there is no lot or block number? |
A.
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In some instances the municipality will not have a block and lot designation for the property owned by the NJDOT. In these cases the requestor should reference the adjoining property block and lot. |
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| Q. |
Is an attorney needed to process a request? |
A.
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No. The NJDOT does not require the requestor to have an attorney to inquire about or to complete a sale or lease. |
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| Q. |
How long does it take for a request to be reviewed and concluded? |
| A. |
Assuming the requested property can be sold or leased, it generally takes up to one year from the time the request is received to review and for the request to be completed. In those instances where a property must be retained a decision is often available sooner. |
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| Q. |
How does the Department determine whether or not land owned by the NJDOT can be declared surplus property? |
| A. |
Once the Department receives a request, the following actions will occur:
- The request form (pdf 9k) is reviewed for required information.
- NJDOT verifies that there is no active project at this location.
- NJDOT verifies that it owns the land requested.
- A letter is sent to the requestor with a copy of the General Property Parcel Map with a request to confirm that the areas marked are correct.
- Once confirmation is received by NJDOT, maps and related information will be circulated throughout the Department to determine if the land requested can be made available for sale or lease.
- If the requested land may be needed for current or future transportation needs, it will not be made available and the requestor will be notified.
- If the requested land is available for sale or lease, NJDOT must contact the municipality and the county where the requested property is located to determine if either has an interest in acquiring the property for public use.
- In instances where NJDOT has owned the land requested for less then 10 years, the previous owner must also be contacted and provided the opportunity to repurchase the property at its current fair market value.
- The State House Commission must approve all sales or leases of state-owned property.
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