Newark, NJ Rental Property Rules: Rental Registration (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger
- building designed for 3+ families
- Registered with
- Office of the City Clerk
- Must list
- owner, lessor, and local agent in charge
- Penalty
- $100-$2,000 per violation, per day
- Note
- newer Chapter 18:17 registry repealed 5-20-2026
Summary
Anyone who owns, operates or manages a Newark building designed for three or more families must register with the City Clerk before doing so, listing the owner, any lessor, and a local agent in charge of the premises. Newark briefly ran a separate, newer rental registry, but that chapter was repealed in May 2026, leaving this older registration duty as the operative rule.
No person shall own, operate or manage any building or structure in the City which is intended, arranged, or designed for occupancy by three or more families, whether occupied or vacant, without first registering with the City Clerk, upon forms prescribed and provided by the City Clerk.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 5019615; v61 updated 2026-06-17; through 06-17-2026).
Full Breakdown
1 of the Revised General Ordinances bars any person from owning, operating or managing "any building or structure in the City which is intended, arranged, or designed for occupancy by three or more families, whether occupied or vacant," without first registering with the City Clerk on prescribed forms. 2 spells out what the form must contain: the name and address of the owner, the name and address of the lessor if different from the owner, and the name and address of an agent in charge of the premises who resides in the City of Newark, so the City always has a local contact for enforcement.
A. 12a. A related but separate duty in Article 2 requires operators of multiple dwellings with three or more furnished units to register that fact with the Director of the Department of Engineering, with a copy sent to the Board of Adjustment. Newark also adopted a more detailed Chapter 18:17, "Rental Property Registration," in 2023, but the Municipal Council repealed that chapter on May 20, 2026, so it currently reads "Reserved" in the code and this older Chapter 18:7 registration duty is the one landlords must follow.
Violations & Fines
Section 18:7-1.19 sets the chapter's penalty for violating any provision of Chapter 18:7, including the registration duty, at not less than $100 and not more than $2,000 per violated provision, with each day of noncompliance a separate offense. The court may add up to 90 days of imprisonment or community service, and a repeat offense within one year draws an additional fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Newark landlords have to register rental buildings with the City?
What information does Newark's rental registration form require?
Is Newark's 2023 rental registration ordinance still in effect?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Newark
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