Old open permits on OPRA report

[Harshad Jog]

Hello all,

I am hoping to buy a house in Livingston, NJ. The current owners bought the house sometime in the last decade, but there are 3 open permits on the house from the 1990s. I suspect one of them is about adding a section (extra rooms, bathroom, extension to the basement) to the property (there is no description on the OPRA report, I plan to call the town to confirm). Since the tax reassessment was done last year, I am pretty sure that the taxes are on the current square footage so I am not worried about the back taxes. However, I am not sure whether I should buy the property with such old open permits. If the seller refuses to close the permits that were not opened during his occupancy, what risks do I face? What are the consequences of leaving those permits open and going ahead with the purchase?

Thanks!