Brick, NJ Short-Term Rentals: Insurance Requirements (2026)

Chapter 239 of the Brick Township Code, adopted by Ordinance No. 21-20 on November 10, 2020, regulates short-term rentals by limiting most of the Township to 30-day-minimum rentals and allowing 7-day-minimum rentals on the barrier island only between May 15 and October 15. The Chapter conditions every rental on a Rental Certificate of Occupancy from the Construction Code Official, registration with the Township Clerk, and a $250 annual business license, but the publicly available text of Chapter 239 does not prescribe a specific liability-insurance dollar amount that STR hosts must carry. The operative insurance requirement therefore comes from state law: N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.12s (P.L. 2022, c. 92) requires every owner of a rental unit, except an owner-occupied two- or three-family dwelling, to maintain liability insurance for negligent acts and omissions of at least $500,000 for combined property damage and bodily injury, and to annually register the certificate of insurance with the municipal clerk. NJ Division of Local Government Services Local Finance Notice 2022-23 details the registration process. Hosts should also note that standard homeowner policies typically exclude commercial short-term rental activity, so a commercial-rider or short-term rental policy is generally needed; platform-provided host protection (e.g., Airbnb's program) is a supplement, not a substitute, for the statutory $500,000 minimum. Because a Brick Township rental is unlawful unless a Rental Certificate of Occupancy and seasonal barrier-island conditions are met, the insurance obligation only attaches to lawful rentals; an unlawful STR remains in violation regardless of insurance coverage.