Bayonne, NJ Rental Property Rules: Rent Control (2026)
Rent control rules in Bayonne, NJ, also known as rent stabilization or rent cap ordinances, limit annual rent increases and protect tenants from displacement.
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- City Code Chapter 16, Rent Control
- Current ordinance
- Ordinance No. O-23-31, effective July 19, 2023
- Coverage cutoff
- Units occupied continuously since June 30, 2011
- Exempt buildings
- Dwellings with 4 or fewer rental units
- Annual registration deadline
- December 1 each year
- Maximum reckless-violation fine
- $2,000 per leasehold
Summary
Bayonne's rent control ordinance, City Code Chapter 16, no longer covers new tenancies. The city let its 1973 rent control law, Ordinance No. O-73-06, lapse on June 30, 2011 for vacant units, but any residential unit continuously occupied by the same tenant since that date remains a Covered Rental Unit subject to rent control under Ordinance No. O-23-31, effective July 19, 2023.
§ 16-1.1. Effective Date. ... Whereas, in 1973, the City of Bayonne passed Ordinance No. O-73-06, an ordinance that restricted the amount of rent landlords could charge for the use and occupancy of a rental unit in their residential dwelling, subject to a few exceptions. This type of rent restriction is known as rent control; and ... The most recent ordinance that extended rent control for rental units in most residential dwellings was Ordinance No. O-11-11, which ended on June 30, 2011. Thereafter, the City of Bayonne did not pass a new ordinance to extend Ordinance No. O-73-06, the effect of which, lifted rent control for residential units that were vacant on June 30, 2011. However, the rental units that housed residential tenants as of June 30, 2011 remained subject to rent control by virtue of their occupancy; and ... Now, therefore, be it ordained, by the Municipal Council of the City of Bayonne that Ordinance No. O-11-33, and every ordinance amending it thereafter, is hereby repealed and replaced with this Ordinance No. O-23-31, effective as of July 19, 2023.
Full Breakdown
Bayonne first imposed rent control in 1973 through Ordinance No. O-73-06, renewed annually until Ordinance No. O-11-11 expired on June 30, 2011. The Municipal Council did not pass another extension, so rent control lifted automatically for any unit that was vacant on that date. Units a tenant had continuously occupied since June 30, 2011 kept rent-control protection by virtue of that occupancy, and the Council later adopted Ordinance No. O-11-33 in 2011 and, on July 19, 2023, Ordinance No. O-23-31, which repealed and replaced O-11-33 with clearer protections for those long-term Rent-Controlled Tenants.
A Board and its Rent Control Office, staffed by a Rent Regulation Officer and Board Secretary, administer the program, processing landlord applications for rent increases and hearing tenant complaints. The Board must give both the landlord and the Rent-Controlled Tenant a reasonable opportunity to be heard before deciding any application, though it can limit repetitive testimony when several units raise the same issue. Exempt from the chapter are dwellings with four or fewer rental units, motels, hotels, commercial and industrial space, government-owned housing, and units already subject to federal HUD preemption.
Landlords of a Dwelling containing any Covered Rental Unit must file a Registry of Rent-Controlled Tenants with the Rent Control Office by December 1 each year and give each listed tenant a copy of that registry.
Violations & Fines
Reckless or intentional violations of Chapter 16 can draw a fine of up to $2,000 per leasehold, with each affected leasehold counted as a separate violation. Filing a misstatement of fact in a rent control application, complaint or hearing can bring a fine of up to $500 per misstatement, and harassing a Rent-Controlled Tenant to force a vacancy so a unit becomes permanently decontrolled can also draw a fine of up to $2,000.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bayonne still a rent-controlled city?
Which Bayonne rentals are exempt from rent control?
Who administers Bayonne's rent control program?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bayonne
Compare Bayonne to another location·View the New Jersey rental property rules overview
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Rent Control in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle rent control.