Hackensack, NJ Rental Property Rules: Rent Control (2026)
Rent control rules in Hackensack, NJ, also known as rent stabilization or rent cap ordinances, limit annual rent increases and protect tenants from displacement.
Key Facts
- Adopted
- 1990, Ord. No. 35-90, effective January 1, 1991
- Covered buildings
- 3+ rental units, most condo/co-op units held by same owner
- Enforcement body
- Rent Stabilization Board hears disputes and hardship applications
- Exempt
- Units first rented after August 2, 1982, public housing, hotels
- Violation penalty
- Up to $2,000 fine or 90 days jail, § 1-15
Summary
Hackensack has run its own rent control law since 1990: Chapter 134, Rent Stabilization, caps annual rent increases on covered rental units and creates a Rent Stabilization Board to hear disputes and hardship applications. New Jersey is one of the few states that lets cities regulate rent directly, and Hackensack's ordinance covers buildings with three or more units.
It is hereby declared to be in the interest of the health, safety and general welfare of all the people of the City of Hackensack, tenants, landlords and homeowners, to create a fair and equitable system for determining an appropriate relationship between landlords and tenants. It is specifically the purpose of this chapter to secure the following objectives: ... To prevent unwarranted and unreasonable increase in rents and harassment of tenants.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4592721; v20 updated 2026-01-06; through 01-06-2026).
Full Breakdown
Adopted in 1990 (Ord. No. 35-90, effective January 1, 1991) and broadened in 1997, Chapter 134 declares it is in the interest of the health, safety and general welfare of Hackensack's tenants, landlords and homeowners to create a fair and equitable system for determining an appropriate relationship between landlords and tenants, aimed specifically at preventing unwarranted and unreasonable increases in rent and harassment of tenants. Coverage extends to any building with three or more rental units, most condominium or cooperative units held by an owner of three or more units in the complex, and older one-, two- and three-family rental tenancies that began before December 31, 1990.
Units first offered for rent after August 2, 1982, plus public housing, licensed boarding and rooming houses, hotels, motels and any unit already rent-regulated by state or federal law, are exempt under § 134-14. A Rent Stabilization Board hears disputes, hardship applications and qualified-senior-tenant status determinations, with appeals going to New Jersey Superior Court. Under § 134-11, a landlord may not charge more than what was being received on the chapter's effective date except through increases the chapter itself authorizes, and § 134-13 makes a willful violation, including a false statement to the Board, punishable under the citywide penalty in § 1-15.
Violations & Fines
A willful violation of Chapter 134, including filing a material misstatement of fact with the Rent Stabilization Board or failing to file a required document, is punishable under § 1-15 of the City Code per § 134-13: a fine of up to $2,000, up to 90 days' imprisonment, or community service. Rent charged above what the ordinance authorizes, or outside the chapter's rules, is void under § 134-3C.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Hackensack have rent control?
Which rentals in Hackensack are covered by rent stabilization?
What happens if a Hackensack landlord violates rent stabilization?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hackensack
Compare Hackensack to another location·View the New Jersey rental property rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.