Permeable resin-bound surfacing may serve as stormwater infrastructure in Cherry Hill and Camden if it is built as a pervious paving system, with a porous surface over an open-graded stone reservoir that infiltrates or drains through an underdrain, and the reviewing engineer accepts it as an alternative to the surfaces the state manual names. The two places reach that answer from different directions. Cherry Hill works under a township ordinance and the Cooper River regional stormwater plan; Camden sits on a combined sewer system where every gallon kept out of the pipes helps.

What does not qualify in either place is resin-bound laid over an existing slab. It looks permeable, but the rain still runs off the concrete or asphalt underneath, so it should not be credited as stormwater management.

Cooper River planning in Cherry Hill, combined sewers in Camden

Cherry Hill's stormwater rules are in section 40-516 of its zoning chapter. They apply to major and minor site plans and subdivisions, with minor developments held to selected parts of the standards, and they note that alternative standards can apply under the Cooper River Regional Stormwater Management Plan (2004, amended 2006). The City of Camden's Chapter 725 carries the state rules into its code. Both use the N.J.A.C. 7:8 thresholds for major development. The state added a trigger in January 2026 for reconstructing a quarter acre or more of existing impervious or motor vehicle surface, but neither local code includes it yet, so ask the reviewing engineer which version applies.

In Camden, the City, Gloucester City and the Camden County MUA each own parts of a connected combined sewer system, and their control plan aims to capture and treat 85 percent of combined sewage generated during rain in a typical year. The Camden SMART initiative, a partnership of the City, the CCMUA, Cooper's Ferry Partnership, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, the New Jersey Tree Foundation and NJDEP, builds neighborhood green infrastructure and stormwater policy.

Coastal Plain soils, river tides and old industrial ground

Both communities sit on the Inner Coastal Plain, where soils range from sandy and fast-draining to silty layers that slow infiltration. Along the Delaware and Cooper rivers, tide and floodplain raise groundwater, and much of Camden carries fill and former industrial use. The state rules require 2 feet from the bottom of an infiltrating pervious system to the seasonal high water table, 1 foot where underdrained, and prohibit recharge at high pollutant loading areas or where it would conflict with a site remediation plan.

The BMP Manual adds a 5 percent maximum surface slope, a 72-hour drain time and a cap on run-on of three times the paved area. It names porous asphalt, pervious concrete and pavers as surface courses, so resin-bound goes to the reviewer as an alternative measure under N.J.A.C. 7:8-5.2(g). The base might be open-graded stone, Rock Crete or another permeable section designed by the engineer.

Where it fits on both sides of the Cooper

In Cherry Hill, the opportunities follow the township's commercial corridors and neighborhoods: walkways, outdoor dining areas and parking islands at retail centers along Route 70 and Route 38, office park courtyards, school grounds, and residential patios and driveway aprons where the old pavement is being replaced.

In Camden, think smaller and closer to the sewer problem: rowhouse rear yards and side lots, church and community-center courtyards, university and hospital walks downtown, and waterfront redevelopment plazas where the stone reservoir can hold water back from the combined system during storms.

Review, approvals and Resin Rock's role

In Cherry Hill, the Planning Board or Zoning Board reviews stormwater as part of site plan or subdivision approval, with the township engineer checking section 40-516. In Camden, the city's planning and zoning boards and engineer apply Chapter 725, and the CCMUA is involved where flows reach its system. Plan on a maintenance plan and, for major developments, a recorded deed notice.

Our part is the material system: binder, decorative aggregate, edge trims and the Rock Crete permeable base, documented in technical data sheets that South Jersey engineers can attach to an alternative-measure request. Installation is done by trained contractors, not by Resin Rock; we connect property owners with an approved installer and offer installer training for New Jersey crews. The boards and the CCMUA decide approvals and any credit.

Before you specify permeable resin-bound in Cherry Hill and Camden

Confirm whether the Cooper River regional plan sets different standards for the site.
Count new impervious surface against the quarter-acre thresholds, and ask whether reconstructed surface counts yet.
Test soils and seasonal high water table, especially near the rivers.
Screen Camden sites for contamination before planning infiltration.
Prepare data sheets for an alternative-measure review.
Plan vacuum maintenance and snow storage off the permeable area.

Common questions about permeable resin-bound in Cherry Hill and Camden

Does Cherry Hill regulate small projects, or only big ones?

Cherry Hill's section 40-516 applies to major developments and also sets out which standards minor developments must meet when they need site plan or subdivision approval. A simple driveway replacement on a house lot may need no board review at all. Ask the township engineering or zoning office what applies before work starts.

Can a permeable surface in Camden reduce sewer overflows?

Each square foot that stores and slowly releases or infiltrates rain removes some load from Camden's combined sewers, which is the idea behind Camden SMART. The effect depends on the base depth, soils and outlet, so the engineer should size it. Over a solid slab, a resin-bound overlay does nothing for overflows.

Is there a stormwater fee credit in Cherry Hill or Camden?

We did not confirm a stormwater utility fee in either place. New Jersey's Clean Stormwater and Flood Reduction Act allows towns and authorities to create one, and any utility must give credits for maintained green infrastructure. Check with the township, the city and the CCMUA before assuming a credit.

Official sources for Cherry Hill and Camden

Local rules change. We last checked these sources in October 2026. Confirm current requirements with the reviewing agency before you design, and treat this page as a starting point, not engineering or permitting advice.

Permeable Resin-Bound Surfacing in Cherry Hill / Camden, NJ