Business Licensing & Operations in Irvington, NJ (2026)
7 verified business licensing & operations rules for Irvington, New Jersey, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Adult entertainment establishments must sit at least 500 feet from another such use, a residential use or district, a school, place of worship, hospital, or park in Irvington, while adult-oriented stores carry a 200-foot version of the same buffer. Township Code Sec. 650-38 and Sec. 650-39 also confine both uses to fully enclosed buildings.
Irvington Adult Business Spacing Requirements
Significant RestrictionsIrvington Township Code § 650-38A, § 650-39A
No adult entertainment establishment shall be located within 500 feet of another such use, nor within 500 feet of a residential use, residential zoning district boundary, school, place of worship, hospital, philanthropic or eleemosynary institution, park, or playground. ... No adult entertainment establishment shall be located within 200 feet of another such use, nor within 200 feet of a reside...
Tattoo & Body Modification
Operating a tattoo, permanent cosmetics, or ear and body piercing business in Irvington requires a Township license: $500 to start and $250 a year to renew, under § 290-7E of Chapter 290, Fees and Licenses. Operating without one exposes the owner to Township penalties that scale sharply with repeat offenses.
Irvington Tattoo and Body Art License
Significant RestrictionsIrvington Township Code § 290-4B(5)(b); § 290-7E
A Code Violation Summons will be issued with a minimum fine of $1,000, and a maximum fine $5,000 for the first offense. For subsequent violations the fines will double. For a third offense the fines will triple. ... To conduct or operate the business of ... body art (tattoo, permanent cosmetics, ear and body piercing) establishments, the initial license fee shall be $500. Thereafter, the annual...
Tobacco Retail License
Irvington requires every retailer selling tobacco or vaping products to hold a local license issued by the Department of Health, renewed annually for a $250 fee. The Township Code sets escalating fines for violations, from $100 for a first offense up to $1,000 and a mandatory court appearance for a third, and lets the Department deny, suspend or revoke a license for underage sales or other cause.
Irvington Tobacco Retail License Requirement
Some RestrictionsIrvington Township Code § 290-14
License required. ... No person shall sell tobacco unless a local license to operate the same has been issued by the Department of Health following the requisite approval, as defined in N.J.A.C. 8:24-1.5. ... Annual fee. The annual fee for a tobacco license shall be $250. ... Penalties. Fines for violations of this section are as follows: (1) First violation: a fine of $100. (2) Second violatio...
Secondhand Dealers
Anyone buying used precious metals, gems or jewelry in Irvington needs a license from the Division of Licensing before doing business, and each business address must be separately licensed. The license runs $342 the first year and $197 annually after that, with dentists disposing of dental amalgams exempt.
Irvington Secondhand Precious Metals License
Some RestrictionsIrvington Township Code §§ 491-1, 491-8
No person shall engage in the business of buying used or secondhand precious metals, natural and synthetic gems and all forms of previously owned jewelry, without first obtaining a license as provided herein. ... The fee for a license for a person engaged in the business of buying used precious metals, gems and jewelry shall be $342 initially and $197 annually thereafter, provided that transact...
Pawnbrokers
Irvington treats pawnbrokers as a conditional use with a strict spacing rule rather than a separate license. Township Code § 650-67.A bars a pawnbroker from locating within 500 feet of another pawnbroker or within 500 feet of any residential use, school, place of worship, hospital, philanthropic institution, park, or playground.
Irvington Pawnbroker Distance Requirements
Significant RestrictionsIrvington Township Code § 650-67.A
No such use shall be located within 500 feet of another such use, nor within 500 feet of a residential use, school, place of worship, hospital, philanthropic or eleemosynary institution, park, or playground.
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Irvington's zoning code allows limited home occupations inside a residence, but Section 650-4's definition expressly excludes "auto repair or body shop" work from that category. Anyone fixing, servicing, or doing bodywork on vehicles for pay from a house, garage, or driveway in any residential zoning district is running an unpermitted use, not a lawful home occupation.
Irvington Zoning Bars Home Auto Repair
Heavy RestrictionsIrvington Township Code § 650-4 (Definitions, "Home Occupation")
An accessory use of a service character customarily conducted within a dwelling only by residents thereof, which is clearly secondary to the use of the dwelling for living purposes and does not change the character thereof or cause any exterior evidence of such use, but excluding the operation of a beauty parlor, barbershop, convalescent or nursing home, tourist home, boardinghouse, rooming hou...
Towing Companies
Irvington bars anyone but a property owner or a Township official from ordering a nonconsensual tow. Under § 604-18, the owner must call the Department of Public Safety, and the responding officer will not authorize the tow until the caller shows photo ID and gives a full name, address, phone number and email; tenants and visitors cannot request one.
Irvington Non-Consent Towing From Private Property
Some RestrictionsIrvington Township Code §§ 604-18, 604-19
If a property owner wants an unauthorized vehicle towed from their property they must call the Irvington Department of Public Safety and request that an officer come out to tow the vehicle. The only person that can request a tow is the property owner and/or a Township official, not a tenant or visitor. Also the person requesting the tow must show photo identification and provide their full name...
Looking for Essex County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Irvington city rules.
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