Bayonne, NJ Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)

Bayonne City Code § 21-11.1 requires that anyone who has contracted, undertaken or is bound to heat a residence or occupied business establishment maintain a minimum temperature of 68 degrees Fahrenheit in every occupied room during the period from October 1 to May 1, and applies during usual working hours for business space. Under § 21-11.1b, landlords may not convert their heating fuel or system type between September 15 and April 15 unless the replacement still meets that standard. Section 21-11.2 exempts buildings or portions used for trades or occupations where high or low temperatures are essential or unavoidable.

Section 21-11.3 makes clear that an owner, agent or lessor who controls a building's furnace or boiler is deemed to have contracted to furnish heat, and must maintain the heating system in safe, proper working condition. Separately, § 21-13.1 requires every person, firm or corporation bound to furnish hot water to occupants of rooming houses or residences occupied by two or more families to supply an adequate, constant supply of running hot water at a minimum of 120 degrees Fahrenheit; § 21-13.2 deems the owner, lessor or agent responsible whenever the hot water plant is under their control, absent a written contract stating otherwise, and treats the presence of such a system as prima facie evidence of that obligation.

These sections work together with the emergency heat-repair procedure at § 21-12, which lets the Health Officer step in when a landlord fails to restore heat after a tenant complaint.