Elizabeth, NJ Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)

030(A)-(B) makes the license a precondition, not a formality: the owner must obtain a short-term rental license from the bureau of central licensing before renting or advertising the property, and advertising, in print, digital, MLS, or any web platform, before the license issues is itself a separate violation. Licenses are non-transferable and tied to both the specific owner and the specific dwelling unit. 040 lays out the application, which the chief license inspector forwards to the police director, fire director, health and human services director, and the heads of the construction and planning/zoning bureaus for investigation.

The applicant must supply the owner's contact information and a 24/7 emergency contact, a copy of a driver's license or similar ID proving principal residence, a sworn compliance acknowledgement, a parking-space count, proof of at least $500,000 in general liability insurance, and, for a condominium unit, a letter of approval from the condo association. 030(D) requires the applicant to separately obtain a rental certificate of occupancy from the bureau of planning and zoning confirming compliance with the housing and zoning codes, plus a carbon monoxide inspection certificate from the fire prevention bureau; failing either inspection gives the applicant sixty days to fix the problem before the whole application must be resubmitted with a new fee.

050, the bureau of central licensing must issue or deny the license, in writing with reasons for any denial, within ten business days, and a denied applicant has ten business days to appeal to the chief license inspector, with the business administrator deciding the appeal within thirty days.