NJ Civil Service Navigator

N.J.A.C. 4A:3-1.2 Divisions within the career service

N.J.A.C. 4A:3-1.2, Divisions within the career service. The Civil Service Commission shall allocate and reallocate career service titles between the competitive and noncompetitive divisions. (b) A career service Full text with 1 recorded amendment, 41 citing decisions, cited by 1 other rule.

Classification, Services, and Compensation · Career and Unclassified Services

Current through New Jersey Register, Vol. 58 No. 14, July 20, 2026. Reviewed as of July 26, 2026.

This is an annotated mirror, not the official publication. Verify against the Civil Service Commission before relying on it.

In plain language

Two divisions, and which one a title sits in decides whether an examination stands between an appointee and permanent status. Competitive division titles run through the competitive examination procedures. A title goes to the noncompetitive division when the Commission finds permanent appointments appropriate and at least one of three things holds: competitive testing is not practicable given the knowledge and skills involved, ranked eligible lists have not met or are unlikely to meet appointing authority needs because of salary, location, recruitment or working conditions, or immediate appointments are needed for a new legislative program or a major agency reorganisation. Noncompetitive is not a free pass, since appointees still meet the specification minimums and still finish a working test period. Reallocation carries process: administrative review, notice to appointing authorities and negotiations representatives, a written comment period of at least 20 days, and a final decision on the record. Provisionals in the title on the effective date convert to regular appointments that day. An interim noncompetitive designation lasts a year at most.

Written by the NJ Civil Service Navigator editorial team from the text of N.J.A.C. 4A:3-1.2. It is a description of the rule, not the rule itself, and not legal advice.

(a) The Civil Service Commission shall allocate and reallocate career service titles between the competitive and noncompetitive divisions. #

(b) A career service job title in the competitive division is subject to the competitive examination procedures of N.J.A.C. 4A:4-2, except as provided in N.J.A.C. 4A:3-3.2A. #

(c) A job title may be placed in the noncompetitive division on an ongoing or interim basis when it is determined by the Civil Service Commission that it is appropriate to make permanent appointments to the title and one or more of the following criteria are met. #

1. Competitive testing is not practicable due to the nature of the knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with the job; #

2. Certification procedures based on ranked eligible lists have not or are not likely to meet the needs of appointing authorities due to such factors as salary, geographic location, recruitment problems, and working conditions; or #

3. There is a need for immediate appointments arising from a new legislative program or major agency reorganization. #

(d) All appointees to noncompetitive titles shall meet the minimum requirements set forth in the job specification and satisfactorily complete a working test period. #

(e) Prior to any reallocation from the competitive to noncompetitive divisions, whether on an ongoing or interim basis, an administrative review shall be conducted and notice of the proposed reallocation shall be sent to affected appointing authorities and negotiations representatives. The notice shall designate the period of time, which in no event shall be less than 20 days, during which written comment may be submitted, and may provide for a public hearing. #

1. Data, reports, analyses, and other information utilized in the determination shall constitute the administrative record, and shall be available for review by affected employees, appointing authorities, and negotiations representatives. #

2. After the comment period and the public hearing, if any, the Civil Service Commission shall issue a final administrative decision containing findings and conclusions with respect to the proposed reallocation, based upon the administrative record and any comment received, and implementation procedures. #

(f) When a job title is reallocated from the competitive to noncompetitive divisions, the Commission's decision shall specify an effective date for reallocation. #

1. Permanent employees in that title as of the effective date shall retain their permanent status in the noncompetitive division. #

2. Probationary employees in that title as of the effective date shall continue serving their working test periods and, upon successful completion, attain permanent status in the noncompetitive division. #

3. Provisional employees who remain in that title as of the effective date shall receive regular appointments and begin serving their working test periods on the effective date. #

(g) If a title is designated noncompetitive on an interim basis, at the end of the interim noncompetitive period, which shall be no greater than one year, the job title shall be redesignated as competitive. Individuals appointed during the interim noncompetitive period shall, upon successful completion of their working test periods, attain permanent status in the competitive division. #

Amendment history

Rule numbers, effective dates and New Jersey Register citations as published. 1 recorded change.

  1. AmendedR.2014 d.099
    45 N.J.R. 500(a); 46 N.J.R. 1331(c)

How this rule has been applied

41 decisions have cited N.J.A.C. 4A:3-1.2. The list below is citations to those decisions, not the decisions. We have not written summaries for this section. A citation with no summary is deliberate: we do not paraphrase a decision we have not read. Nothing here is legal advice.

Superior Court (2)
  • In re Reallocation of the Prob. Officer441 N.J. Super. 434; 119 A.3d 921; 2015 N.J. Super. LEXIS 1192015
  • In re Hearn417 N.J. Super. 289; 9 A.3d 1032; 2010 N.J. Super. LEXIS 2082010
Federal courts (1)
  • 940 F.2d 792
Civil Service Commission final determinations (38)
  • In re Muni et al., Dep’t of Corr., CSC Docket Nos. 2024-1163 and 2024-1164 (Consolidated)2024 N.J. CSC LEXIS 476Docket 2024-1163 and 2024-1164
  • In re Forensic Scientist 1, Dep't of Law & Pub. Safety, Div. of State Police, CSC Docket No. 2025-6062024 N.J. CSC LEXIS 375Docket 2025-606
  • In re Program Support Specialist Trainee, CSC Docket No. 2025-452024 N.J. CSC LEXIS 275Docket 2025-45
  • In re Soc./Family Serv. Worker Trainee, Essex Cnty., CSC Docket No. 2024-14242024 N.J. CSC LEXIS 8Docket 2024-1424
  • In re Expungement Unit Titles, Dep't of Law & Public Safety, CSC Docket No. 2022-30842022 N.J. CSC LEXIS 344Docket 2022-3084
  • In re Investigator 1, Office of Chief State Med. Exam'r and Investigator 3, Office of Chief State Med. Exam'r, CSC DKT. NO. 2021-15022021 N.J. CSC LEXIS 210
  • In re Reallocation of Technician MVC, CSC Docket No. 2021-14702021 N.J. CSC LEXIS 198Docket 2021-1470
  • In re Investigator Trainee, Office of the Chief Med. Ex'r., CSC Docket No. 2021-12492021 N.J. CSC LEXIS 119Docket 2021-1249
  • In re Reallocation of Claims Adjudicator Trainee, Disability Determinations and Claims Adjudicator Trainee, Disability Determinations Bilingual in Spanish and English from the Competitive Division to the Non-Competitive Division of the Career Service, CSC Docket No. 2021-8312021 N.J. CSC LEXIS 68Docket 2021-831
  • In re Reallocation of Ass't Environmental Technician Title, CSC Docket No. 2018-32842020 N.J. CSC LEXIS 116Docket 2018-3284
  • In re Rivers, Hearing Officer 4, State Parole Bd. (PS9512I), State Parole Bd., CSC Docket No. 2020-13072019 N.J. CSC LEXIS 1137Docket 2020-1307
  • In re Institutional Attendant, Bilingual in Spanish and English, CSC Docket No. 2020-13062019 N.J. CSC LEXIS 1107Docket 2020-1306
  • In re Reallocation of Technician MVC, CSC Docket No. 2020-9872019 N.J. CSC LEXIS 774Docket 2020-987
  • In re Reallocation of Judiciary Clerk 1 et al., CSC Docket No. 2018-15082019 N.J. CSC LEXIS 302Docket 2018-1508
  • In re Reallocation of Technician MVC, CSC Docket No. 2019-19502019 N.J. CSC LEXIS 94Docket 2019-1950
  • In re Teacher Aide, Head Start Program, CSC Docket No. 2019-5712018 N.J. CSC LEXIS 673Docket 2019-571
  • In re Reallocation of Titles in the Dep't of Health, CSC Docket No. 2019-3572018 N.J. CSC LEXIS 611Docket 2019-357
  • Human Serv. Aide, Multilingual in Hindi, Gujarati and English, CSC Docket No. 2019-2032018 N.J. CSC LEXIS 605Docket 2019-203
  • In re Animal Caretaker, CSC Docket No. 2019-2802018 N.J. CSC LEXIS 613Docket 2019-280
  • In re Reallocation of Account Clerk Typing, Bilingual in Spanish and English and Account Clerk Typing, Multilingual in Spanish, Portuguese and English, CSC Docket No. 2018-27822018 N.J. CSC LEXIS 288Docket 2018-2782
  • In re Reallocation of Titles, CSC Docket Nos. 2018-1390, et al.2018 N.J. CSC LEXIS 268Docket 2018-1390
  • In re Juvenile Detention Officer et al, CSC Docket No. 2018-16412018 N.J. CSC LEXIS 91Docket 2018-1641
  • In re Reallocation of the Titles of Court Administrator and Deputy Court Administrator, Palisades Interstate Park, from the Competitive to the Non-Competitive Division of the Career Service, CSC Docket No. 2017-34652017 N.J. CSC LEXIS 360Docket 2017-3465
  • In re Rhodes, Senior Messenger (PC0280S), Monmouth Cnty., CSC Dkt. No. 2015-492014 N.J. CSC LEXIS 803
  • In re Rhodes, Senior Messenger (PC0280S), Monmouth Cnty., CSC Dkt. No. 2015-492014 N.J. CSC LEXIS 803
  • In re Investigator, Public Defender Title Series, CSC DKT. NO. 2014-27952014 N.J. CSC LEXIS 577
  • In re Reallocation of Chief Insurance Ex'r from the Competitive to the Non-Competitive Division of the Career Service, CSC Docket No. 2014-25552014 N.J. CSC LEXIS 565Docket 2014-2555
  • In re Reallocation of Operating Engineer Trainee from the Competitive to the Non-Competitive Div. of the Career Serv., CSC Dkt. No. 2014-24442014 N.J. CSC LEXIS 367
  • In re Reallocation of Realty Specialist Trainee, Pensions Benefits Specialist Trainee, Bridge Operator Trainee Titles from the Competitive to the Non-Competitive Div. of the Career Serv., CSC Dkt. No. 2014-23092014 N.J. CSC LEXIS 365
  • In re Matter of Mgmt. Assistant and Senior Mgmt. Assistant, Dep't of Children and Families, CSC Dkt. No. 2014-12422013 N.J. CSC LEXIS 1182
  • In re Staff Clinical, Psychologist 1 and Staff Clinical, Psychologist 1, Mental Health Serv., CSC Dkt. No. 2014-6422013 N.J. CSC LEXIS 688
  • In re Merz, Assistant Supervisor of Pub. Works, (PM0090R), Teaneck Twp., CSC Docket No. 2014-00942013 N.J. CSC LEXIS 933Docket 2014-0094
  • In re Gann, et al., Ass't Supervisor of Pub. Works, (PM0089R), Marlboro Township, CSC Docket Nos. 2013-31752013 N.J. CSC LEXIS 829Docket 2013-3175
  • In re Insurance Analyst Trainee, Insurance Examiner Trainee, and Financial Examiner Trainee, CSC Dkt. No. 2014-1692013 N.J. CSC LEXIS 409
  • In re Reallocation of the Probation Officer and Probation Officer, Bilingual in Spanish and English, Titles from the Competitive to the Noncompetitive Division of the Career Serv., CSC Dkt. No. 2013-32512013 N.J. CSC LEXIS 679
  • In re Human Resource Consultant Trainee and Personnel and Labor Analyst Trainee, CSC Dkt. No. 2013-29562013 N.J. CSC LEXIS 599
  • In re Data Entry Machine Operator Title Series, CSC Dkt. No. 5032013 N.J. CSC LEXIS 503
  • In re Camden Cnty. Police Dep't. Non-Law Enforcement, CSC Dkt. No. 2013-19722013 N.J. CSC LEXIS 192

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Elsewhere in Career and Unclassified Services