Trenton, NJ Code Violation Reporting: How to Report (2026)

Trenton City Code § 228-11.A sets the intake requirements for a short-term rental complaint: it 'must contain the residential unit's address, unit number, date and nature of alleged violation(s), and the name and contact information of the complainant.' A complaint can allege that a unit is in violation of 'any applicable law, code, or regulation,' not just Chapter 228 itself, so noise, trash, or disorderly-conduct citations connected to a short-term rental can be routed through this same intake.

Once filed, § 228-11.B gives the City designee 30 days to investigate and determine whether a violation exists; if the conduct falls under another city, state, or federal agency's jurisdiction, the designee refers it there instead of acting directly. If the designee finds a potential violation, § 228-11.C requires formal notice to the unit's owner (or resident agent, if the unit is unregistered), served personally or by registered mail per § 228-11.D, with a copy posted on the premises and recorded with the county. The owner then has 14 days under § 228-11.E to request a hearing, which must be held within 14 days of that request and stays the compliance clock until a decision issues. Complaints and resulting determinations are logged by the designee, and repeated sustained violations feed directly into the three-strike ineligibility rule at § 228-3.A(4).