Annual Certification Application Cycle

Sustainable Jersey operates on an annual certification application cycle with three submission dates. See the chart below for details on the structure and timing of the application cycle. To maximize the potential for feedback and ultimately achieve certification, it is highly recommended to submit an application with documentation for at least two rounds of review. Applicants who wait until the final deadline to submit an initial application and do not meet the certification requirements will have to wait until the next year's certification cycle to resubmit their applications.

Next Annual Certification Cycle in 2027

During 2026, Sustainable Jersey will pause its annual certification cycle to focus on rebuilding its website, updating and streamlining actions and enhancing the overall certification program. The new website will launch in Fall 2026 and the annual certification cycle process returning in 2027. To learn more about the major program refresh effort click here.

The estimated timeline for the 2027 certification cycle is listed below. Our goal is to maintain the February through September schedule, with specific dates to be posted by September 2026. As noted on our Program Refresh page, prospective applicants may continue working on their certification applications throughout 2026. All information and file uploads entered in the current website applications will be migrated to the new website.

In addition, municipal certifications currently set to expire on 12/31/2026 will be extended to 12/31/2027, and all individual action submissions scheduled to expire in 2026 will also be extended to 12/31/2027. These action extensions will be applied across all applications (not only those expiring this year). The extensions will be implemented by March 1, 2026.

Timeline

	First Round	Second Round	Third Round
Submission Deadline	Late-Feb.	Mid-May	Late-July
Return Date	Early-April	Mid-June	Late-Sep.

Sustainable Jersey Annual Awards including the Sustainability Champions will be based on the point totals achieved following the third and final round of review.

Timeline Details

Timeline & Submission/Resubmission Requirements
Late-Feb.	First Submission Deadline The application must have actions totaling a minimum of 150 points marked “Completed” to be submitted. Only actions marked "Completed" will be reviewed. Documentation for additional actions can be uploaded during the second and final review periods. *Tip: Submit initial applications in February and May and use reviewers' feedback to help achieve certification*
Early-April	First Round Review Comments Provided Each action will be marked as “Approved” or “Must Revise” with comments provided. Applicants have the opportunity to complete required activities and/or documentation to receive credit for actions marked as “Must Revise” and submit for additional actions.
Mid-May	Second Submission Deadline Municipalities that submitted applications in February have a second opportunity to provide documentation and update actions that were marked "Must Revise" and add new actions to the application. Revised actions should be marked as "Completed" then submitted for review. Municipalities that did not submit in February can enter the cycle for the first time.
Mid-June	Second Round Review Comments Provided Each reviewed action will be marked "Approved" or "Must Revise" with comments provided. For applications containing actions marked as "Must Revise," there is one final opportunity to complete required activities and/or documentation to receive credit for these actions and submit for additional actions.
Late-July	Final Application Submission Deadline This is the final opportunity to submit documentation for "Must Revise" actions and add new actions to the application. All actions submitted should contain documentation to address the reviewer comments. Actions with no documentation will not be approved. Municipalities that did not submit in February or May can enter the cycle for the first time. *Note: For applications submitted for the first time in July, the next opportunity to update the application based on reviewer feedback would be February of the next year.*
Late-September	Final Decision on Pending Applications All municipalities that have met the certification requirements will be certified at the bronze or silver level based on the accumulated points total and considered for the Sustainable Jersey Annual Awards including the Sustainability Champions. Certified municipalities and annual award winners will be recognized at the Sustainable Jersey Annual Luncheon held during the New Jersey League of Municipalities Conference in November.