East Brunswick, NJ Short-Term Rentals: Host Presence Rule (2026)

Chapter 182 of the Township Code, adopted by the Township Council as Ord. No. 20-20 and amended by Ord. No. 25-34 on 10-13-2025, ties every permitted short-term rental to an owner who lives there. Section 182-3(B) lists the allowed classes: condominium units where the association bylaws or master deed permit rentals and the owner identifies the address as a principal residence; single-family residences where one owner does; one unit in a two-family dwelling where the owner occupies the other; no more than one unit in a multifamily dwelling where the owner occupies another; and no more than one room in a single-family home sharing kitchen and bathroom, with the owner living in the rest. Section 182-3(C) prohibits the mirror cases, and also prohibits rental of swimming pools or any other accessory structure or part of the land.

Under § 182-2, owner-occupied means the owner resides in the rental property or in the principal residential unit on the same lot and identifies it as a principal residence. If an entity owns the property, at least one principal or member must live there. Principal residence is a three-part test, all required: the owner spends the majority of non-working time there, it is most clearly the center of domestic life, and it is the legal address on the driver's license or State Identification Card. The application includes a copy of that license or ID and a sworn acknowledgement (§ 182-5(A)).

Owner-occupied rentals are exempt from the night cap in § 182-3(E): every other dwelling unit can be rented no more than 90 total nights per calendar year, and each night over is a separate violation. A tenant cannot sublet or operate a short-term rental under § 182-7(K). The permit comes from the Department of Planning & Engineering, costs $250 a year under § 182-4, and the owner, agent or responsible party must be reachable 24 hours a day and respond to complaints within two hours (§ 182-7(H)).