Edison, NJ Short-Term Rentals: Permit Requirements (2026)

Edison's regulatory stack for an Airbnb or Vrbo has two layers, neither of which is an STR-specific license. First, Chapter 17 of the Code of the Township of Edison requires that every rental unit be registered with the Township Clerk and licensed before occupancy, with the license year running March 1 through February 28. The definition of 'rental unit' under the chapter excludes 'habitable rooms in motels, hotels, travel lodges, rooming houses, boardinghouses where rapid turnover is customary,' which creates an unresolved gray zone for whole-house short-term rentals - Township practice has been to require Chapter 17 registration when the dwelling functions as a residence rather than a hotel-equivalent, and to refer hotel-equivalent operations to the hotel framework and the State of New Jersey occupancy fees. Second, before any new tenant takes occupancy the operator must apply for a Rental Re-Occupancy Inspection through the Edison Division of Health (the inspection is conducted within seven working days of application, no earlier than seven days before vacancy). Substantial compliance yields a Rental Certificate of Approval issued at the inspection; absent the certificate the unit may not lawfully be occupied. Newly constructed buildings of more than four rental units are exempt from the re-occupancy inspection for two state licensing periods after issuance of the certificate of occupancy if no Building Department violations are on file. Chapter 37 (Zoning) controls whether short-stay lodging is a permitted use in the underlying district; operators should obtain a zoning determination from the Edison Planning and Zoning Division before listing.