East Orange, NJ Short-Term Rentals: Occupancy Limits (2026)

Chapter 228, Short-Term Rentals, was adopted by the East Orange City Council on June 10, 2024 by Ordinance 14-2024 and limits each dwelling unit to no more than three short-term rental contracts at any one time, preventing a single STR property from being subdivided into multiple simultaneous bookings. The chapter does not publish a fixed two-per-bedroom headcount; instead it incorporates the city's underlying Chapter 159 Housing Standards and Property Maintenance code, which sets the residential occupancy floor: no cellar, kitchen, foyer, vestibule, or living area used in common may be used for sleeping (with limited exceptions for living-room sleeping in larger units and single-family homes), basements may be used for habitation only with the required natural light and ventilation, and a dwelling or rooming unit with only one habitable room is limited to two persons. New Jersey's Uniform Construction Code (NJAC 5:23-3) and the IPMC habitable-room standards (70 sq ft minimum sleeping room for one occupant, 50 sq ft per occupant for two or more) form the baseline; East Orange enforces these alongside Chapter 228 through the Department of Property Maintenance. Applicants must hold a current zoning compliance certificate confirming the unit is not used in violation of land-use regulations, must provide $500,000 per claim/$500,000 aggregate general liability insurance, and must be free of code, tax, water, and sewer arrears. Confirm the maximum permitted overnight occupancy for your specific bedroom count with East Orange Property Maintenance at (973) 266-5320.