Newark, NJ Rental Property Rules: Section 8 Voucher Acceptance (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code § 2:10-1.2(d)(5)
- Program
- Neighborhood Rehabilitation Program (NRP)
- Applies to
- HOME-assisted units in NRP-funded properties
- Rent cap
- Lesser of HUD FMR or 30% of 65% AMI
- Affordability period
- 5 to 15 years, by loan amount
- Administered by
- Division of Housing Assistance (DHA)
Summary
Newark's Neighborhood Rehabilitation Program (NRP), run through the Division of Housing Assistance under City Code Section 2:10-1.2, bars any participating property owner from refusing to lease a HOME-assisted unit to a Section 8 certificate or voucher holder. The duty attaches once an owner accepts a City-funded rehabilitation loan; it is not a citywide source-of-income law covering every landlord in Newark.
Nondiscrimination Against Rental Assistance Subsidy Holders. The owner cannot refuse to lease HOME-assisted units to a certificate or voucher holder under 24 CFR part 982-Section 8 Tenant-Based Assistance: Unified Rule for Tenant-Based Assistance under the Section 8 Rental Certificate Program and the Section 8 Rental Voucher Program or to the holder of a comparable document evidencing participation in a HOME tenant-based rental assistance program because of the status of the prospective tenant as a holder of such certificate, voucher or comparable HOME tenant-based assistance document.
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
2 establishes Newark's Division of Housing Assistance and lets it run the City of Newark Neighborhood Rehabilitation Program (NRP), which gives owner-occupants of one- to three-unit residential buildings a deferred, HOME-funded loan to cover mandatory code-violation repairs such as facade work, window replacement, siding and sidewalk repair. Rehabbed units carry an affordability period keyed to the loan size: five years for $0-$14,999, ten years for $15,000-$40,000, and fifteen years for awards over $40,000, secured by a deed restriction and lien that the DHA removes once the loan is repaid or the affordability period runs.
111 or 30% of the adjusted income of a family earning 65% of area median income, and any rent increase requires 30 days' written notice to the tenant. Within that framework, subsection (d)(5), Nondiscrimination Against Rental Assistance Subsidy Holders, forbids the participating owner from refusing to lease a HOME-assisted unit to the holder of a Section 8 Rental Certificate or Section 8 Rental Voucher under 24 CFR Part 982, or to the holder of a comparable HOME tenant-based rental assistance document, solely because of that status.
253. The Director of the Department of Economic and Housing Development administers the program and reports contract counts, amounts and addresses to the Municipal Council annually.
Violations & Fines
The ordinance does not set a stand-alone fine for refusing a voucher holder under this section; compliance is enforced through the NRP contract itself. An owner who accepts NRP funds signs a recorded lien, deed restriction and promissory note administered by the DHA, and breaching program conditions, including the nondiscrimination duty, exposes the owner to loss of program participation and enforcement of the underlying loan repayment terms by the Department of Economic and Housing Development.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Newark have a citywide law banning Section 8 discrimination?
What counts as a HOME-assisted unit under this rule?
How much can rent be raised on an NRP unit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Newark
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