Bloomfield, NJ Rental Property Rules: Rental Registration (2026)

Chapter 431 of the Bloomfield Township Code applies to every rental facility and rental unit in the Township. A rental unit is any dwelling unit available for lease or rental, which includes one-family, two-family and three-family homes as well as individual apartments in apartment complexes. Nonprofit senior citizen rental facilities with more than 50 rental units are exempt from all provisions.

Section 431-2 requires all rental units to be registered on forms obtained from the Township Inspections Department or designee. Under § 431-3 a registration stays effective as long as the occupancy and the information needed for the certificate of code compliance have not changed, and no rental unit can be rented unless it is registered and a certificate is issued. Section 431-11 adds that no person can occupy, and no owner can permit occupancy of, an unregistered unit or one without a certificate.

The owner files a form for each unit under § 431-4. It asks for the names of the tenant of record and occupants, shared only with the Board of Education and the Inspections Department; the owner's name and address; an Essex County resident authorized to accept notices and service of process when an owner lives outside Bloomfield and Essex County; the agent; the building superintendent; an emergency contact; mortgage holders; the fuel oil dealer and grade where the landlord furnishes oil heat; and the exact number of sleeping rooms with the unit's square footage. Under § 431-5, filing the form also satisfies the state registration requirement of N.J.S.A. 46:8-28 to the extent it applies. An amended form is due within 20 days of any change, with no fee except when ownership or occupancy changes (§ 431-6).

Registration comes with fees and conditions. Section 431-13 sets a $60 inspection fee per rental unit, $100 per unit if the owner fails to renew or to notify the Fire Department of a change of tenant, and no fee for owner-occupied units. Under § 431-16 all municipal taxes and water and sewer charges must be current before registration or a certificate, and § 431-14 requires giving each tenant a copy of the certificate.