Perth Amboy, NJ Rental Inspections: Inspection Programs (2026)

Section 337-3 of Chapter 337, Property Registration, attaches an inspection duty to registration. Subsection A says each unit shall be inspected at least once a year. Subsection B ties the inspection to one purpose: determining compliance with the Property Maintenance Code of the City of Perth Amboy, which the code's editor's note places in Chapter 335. The duty reaches the units listed in § 337-2, which are all residential rental units and all commercial units, and a residential rental unit includes single-family residences that are available for lease or rental.

Two failures put an owner in violation under § 337-3(C): missing the prescribed registration dates, and failing to correct all violations of the Property Maintenance Code within the time prescribed by the appropriate officials. Every day that the violation continues is a separate offense, and the provision states that it does not preclude any other legal action by the City of Perth Amboy under any other applicable ordinance.

The inspection result feeds the certificate. Under § 337-4, an owner is entitled to a certificate of habitability once a completed registration form is filed and the necessary inspections are successfully completed, and the initial certificate is valid for one year from the date of issue. Each condominium unit is treated as a separate and distinct rental unit, so a rented condominium unit is counted on its own.

Vacant buildings run on a different track. Under Chapter 339, the owner of a registered vacant property must give the Department of Code Enforcement access for exterior and interior inspections on weekdays between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., or another time agreed with the department (§ 339-3).