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

East Orange's Department of Policy, Planning and Development, through the Public Officer, administers the citywide certificate-of-habitability requirement found at § 159-45 of the City Code. Before any dwelling unit, apartment, room or building can be rented, leased, or have rent accepted or paid on its behalf, it must be inspected by a housing inspector and certified as conforming to Chapter 159's property maintenance standards. A written request for the certificate triggers a mandatory 15-day inspection and issuance window. The certificate remains valid as long as the same tenancy continues unchanged; once the unit turns over to a new occupant, a new certificate is required.

Section 159-46 sets the inspection fee at $100 per unit, reduced to $75 for new developments or substantially rehabilitated buildings of 10 or more units; the first reinspection is free, and later reinspections cost $75. Section 159-49 further requires the certificate to state the maximum lawful occupancy and to be signed by both the owner (or authorized agent) and the tenant, with copies filed with the Public Officer; a tenant's refusal to sign without good cause is prima facie evidence of a violation. Since 2020, tenant placement organizations, entities that place tenants and pay rent on their behalf, must separately register annually with the City's Department of Property Maintenance for a $250 initial fee ($100 renewal) and are barred from paying rent on a unit until a certificate of habitability has been issued.

Violating the certificate requirement exposes an owner, landlord or tenant placement organization to the penalties of § 159-44: a fine of $250 to $2,000, up to 90 days imprisonment or community service.