Business Licensing & Operations in Trenton, NJ (2026)
7 verified business licensing & operations rules for Trenton, New Jersey, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Trenton requires a $1,000 annual license for adult entertainment businesses under § 146-20, on top of strict zoning spacing rules: no adult use may sit within 1,000 feet of another adult use, a school, church, park, bus stop, hospital or day care center.
Trenton Adult Entertainment License and Buffer
Significant RestrictionsTrenton Code §§ 146-20.B(1), 315-8.4.A
§ 146-20.B(1): Adult entertainment: $1,000. The location must comply with the zoning requirements as set forth in § 315-135 of the City of Trenton Code Book. § 315-8.4.A, Adult Use: 1. Adult uses cannot be located within 1,000 feet of the boundaries of the site of an existing adult use. 2. Adult uses cannot be located within 1,000 feet of a residential district, place of worship, educational fa...
Massage Establishments
Every massage salon operating in Trenton must hold an annual business license under Code § 146-20, which sets the fee at $250. No massage business may open without first applying to the City Clerk under § 146-2 and § 146-3 and providing proof of state business registration.
Trenton Massage Salon Business License
Some RestrictionsTrenton Code § 146-20B(15)(c)
B. The license fees affixed are for the purpose of regulation and control and shall be paid annually, in the amount hereinafter set forth, to the City of Trenton for conducting or engaging in business, at the place designated in the license certificate issued: ... (15) Service providers. (a) Barbershops, beauty shops, styling shops, nail establishments, including cosmetologists, manicurists and...
Tattoo & Body Modification
Trenton zones tattoo and body-piercing shops as a defined "Body Modification Establishment" use under § 315-2.3. The City's fee schedule does not list a dedicated license category for them; the operative rule is the Land Development Ordinance's use table and its parking cap of one space per 300 square feet.
Trenton Body Modification Establishment Zoning
Light RestrictionsTrenton Code §§ 315-2.3, 315-10.4
§ 315-2.3, BODY MODIFICATION ESTABLISHMENT: An establishment that offers tattooing services, body piercing, and/or non-medical body modification. Body modification establishment does not include an establishment that offers only ear piercing as an ancillary service. § 315-10.4.B.1: The provision of off-street vehicle parking is not required... Table 10-2: Off-Street Parking Maximums... Body Mod...
Tobacco Retail License
Trenton requires a $750 annual license from the Department of Health and Human Services before any retail electronic smoking device establishment can sell vape or nicotine products, with sales limited to face-to-face exchanges and buyers under 21 turned away.
Trenton Tobacco & Vape Retail License
Significant RestrictionsTrenton Code § 280-5
No person shall conduct, maintain, or operate a retail electronic smoking device establishment that sells, offers for sale at any cost or no cost, distributes, furnishes, or gives electronic smoking devices without first obtaining from the Department of Health and Human Services a license to do so on the premises. ... Annual retail electronic smoking device establishment license fee: $750.
Pawnbrokers
Trenton pawnbrokers need an annual license from the City Clerk, capped at three citywide, costing $500 per year, and new or relocated shops must sit at least 2,500 feet from any other licensed pawnshop. The Police Director can revoke a license after five days' notice and a hearing.
Trenton Pawnbroker License Requirements
Significant RestrictionsTrenton Code § 197-2
No person shall engage or continue in business as a pawnbroker in the City except as authorized by this chapter, and without first obtaining a license from the City Clerk. No person other than a licensee under this chapter shall display any sign or other device in or about the premises of the business, or in any advertising matter or other printed matter which in anywise resembles the emblem or...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Trenton's zoning code flatly bans auto repair as a home occupation. Under § 315-9.4L(13), 'repair and service of any vehicles, any type of heavy machinery, or any type of engine is prohibited' in a home-based business, though small electronics repair like computers is still allowed.
Trenton Bars Vehicle Repair as Home Business
Heavy RestrictionsTrenton Code § 315-9.4L(13)
L. Home Occupations. 1. Home occupations are permitted in a dwelling unit as an accessory use provided that this use is clearly incidental and secondary to the primary use of the dwelling for residential purposes and does not change the character of the dwelling unit or adversely affect the surrounding residential district of which it is a part. ... 13. Repair and service of any vehicles, any t...
Towing Companies
Trenton runs a rotating list of licensed tow vendors under Police Department contract, charging a $500 annual application fee and requiring 20-minute response times, round-the-clock service, and a storage yard within three miles of headquarters.
Trenton Towing Vendor Contract Rules
Significant RestrictionsTrenton Code §§ 283-1, 283-3
The purpose of this chapter is to provide for motor vehicle towing and storage contracts with the City on a rotating basis... This chapter does not apply to tow operations from private property pursuant to private contracts. ... The application fee for a tow vendor shall be $500 for a one year contract, which is the cost of administering, investigating and processing the annual towing contract.
Looking for Mercer County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Trenton city rules.
Business Licensing & Operations in Mercer County →