Monroe Township (Gloucester County), NJ Accessory Structures: ADU Rental Restrictions (2026)

Monroe Township Code (Gloucester County) § 175-157J allows an accessory dwelling unit as an accessory use to an existing single-family detached dwelling. Subsection J(3)(d) states the purpose: the subsection is intended to create year-round housing, so the unit may not be utilized for short-term occupancy of fewer than 12 months. That rules out vacation-style or weekly rentals in Williamstown and the rest of the township.

Subsection J(3)(e) goes further than a minimum lease term. The property owner must occupy either the principal dwelling unit or the accessory dwelling unit as his or her principal residence, and at no time receive rent for the non-owner-occupied unit. Read with J(2), which defines owner-occupied as occupancy by a person holding a legal or equitable ownership interest who bears all or part of the economic risk of decline in value of the property, the code ties the ADU to family or caretaker use rather than to a rental business.

The unit itself is a small apartment inside or alongside an owner-occupied home. Under J(1) it has a kitchen, a bathroom and no more than one bedroom. Under J(3)(a) only one accessory dwelling unit is permitted per lot, and any structure containing it must meet the minimum yard and setback requirements for the principal structure. Under J(3)(b) the maximum floor area is 1,000 square feet or 1/3 the living space of the principal dwelling, whichever is less.

Process matters too. Under J(3)(c) the Zoning Officer issues a zoning permit for a new ADU or for creating one inside an existing building, and Planning Board approval is not required. Under J(3)(f) and (g) no building permit issues until the owner shows an adequate potable water supply and a septic system adequate for the added occupancy. Under J(3)(h) the unit must meet all applicable health and construction codes before anyone occupies it, and J(3)(i) requires one off-street parking space for each vehicle registered to occupants of the one-bedroom unit, in addition to the parking for the principal dwelling.

The provision was added 4-24-2007 by Ord. No. O-14-2007 and amended 8-26-2008 by Ord. No. O:29-2008.