East Brunswick, NJ Short-Term Rentals: Night Caps (2026)

Section 182-3(E) of the East Brunswick Township Code, added to Chapter 182 by the Township Council and amended by Ord. No. 25-34 on 10-13-2025, puts a hard annual ceiling on rentals that are not owner-occupied: no more than 90 total nights per calendar year. The ceiling counts nights across the whole calendar year rather than per booking, and the code treats every night beyond the limit as its own violation, so the exposure grows night by night instead of arriving as a single citation. Section 182-3(F) adds that dwelling units are limited to one short-term rental at a time, and § 182-7(C) repeats that a dwelling unit is limited to a single short-term rental contract at a time.

The exemption turns on the definition of owner-occupied in § 182-2: the owner of the property resides in the short-term rental property, or in the principal residential unit with which it is associated on the same lot, and identifies that unit as his or her principal residence. If the owner is an entity, at least one principal or member must live there. Rentals that fall outside that definition are the ones counted against the 90-night limit.

The Township has the tools to count. Under § 182-5(G), each time there is a change of occupancy the owner or agent must give the Township the identity of every transient occupant on a Department of Planning & Engineering form or in electronic format, including names, ages, contact information and the dates the term of each short-term rental period begins and expires. Section 182-5(A)(12) requires the owner to list every booking-service listing by URL or listing identifier, and § 182-8 makes it unlawful for a booking service to collect a fee unless the listing is registered with the Zoning Officer. The permit itself is valid for a period of one year from issuance under § 182-4(C), and the permit number must appear in every advertisement under § 182-5(F). A short-term rental under § 182-2 covers occupancy for no less than 30 and no more than 180 consecutive days.