Bloomfield, NJ Short-Term Rentals: Primary-Residence-Only Rule (2026)

Chapter 433 of the Bloomfield Township Code, rewritten by the Township Council on 6-27-2022 by Ord. No. 22-37, opens with a narrow list of what can be rented. Section 433-2B permits a short-term rental in one dwelling unit within a two-family to five-family, owner-occupied residence, and only where the owner, or at least one principal or member of an owner entity, legally identifies the address as his or her principal residence.

Section 433-2C then prohibits several property types: single-family homes, condominiums and townhomes; a unit in a two-family to five-family dwelling where one unit is not occupied by the owner; a unit rented for less than two days; a two-family to five-family dwelling without on-site parking for each unit based on the Residential Site Improvement Standards; a room or portion of a dwelling unit where full access to the entire property among all occupants is not permitted, except for existing legal rooming houses; and any unit in a property with six or more dwelling units.

The definitions in § 433-1B set the test for principal residence. The address must be where at least one owner spends the majority of nonworking time, must be most clearly the center of the owner's domestic life, and must be the legal address on the owner's driver's license or state identification card. All three requirements must be met. A short-term rental means occupancy for 30 or less consecutive days.

The application backs this up. Under § 433-4A the owner submits a copy of the driver's license or state identification card and a sworn acknowledgement that the property is the owner's principal residence. Section 433-6J adds that the person offering the unit must hold title, so a tenant cannot apply or sublease, even if a private lease allows subleasing.