NJ's Law Against Discrimination, expanded in 2002, prohibits Jersey City landlords from refusing tenants based on lawful source of income including Section 8 housing choice vouchers, Social Security, and disability benefits.
Refusing to rent, charging higher security deposits, or imposing extra screening on voucher holders violates the NJ Law Against Discrimination (NJ LAD). Jersey City Civil Rights Ordinance Chapter 254 mirrors and expands these protections. Landlords must accept vouchers if the tenant otherwise qualifies under standard income, credit, and reference checks applied uniformly to all applicants. Advertising that excludes vouchers (no Section 8 listings) is itself a violation. The NJ Division on Civil Rights enforces, with awards including back rent, emotional distress damages, civil penalties up to 50,000 dollars, and mandatory training requirements for repeat offenders.
Refusing voucher holders, advertising no-Section-8, or applying stricter screening based on income source exposes landlords to NJ DCR penalties up to 50,000 dollars plus tenant damages.
Jersey City, NJ
Jersey City's 2020 Right to Counsel ordinance provides free legal representation to low-income tenants facing eviction. JC was the fifth US city to adopt thi...
Jersey City, NJ
Jersey City has strong tenant protections including just cause eviction requirements. New Jersey's Anti-Eviction Act (N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.1) requires landlords...
See how Jersey City's source-of-income discrimination rules stack up against other locations.
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