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

Chapter 182 of the East Brunswick Township Code, adopted by the Township Council on 9-14-2020 as Ord. No. 20-20 and amended by Ord. No. 25-34 on 10-13-2025, ties every permitted short-term rental in this Middlesex County township to the owner's own home. Section 182-3(B) lists the only property types where a rental can operate: condominium units whose association bylaws or master deed permit it, single-family residences where one owner identifies the address as a principal residence, one unit within a two-family dwelling where the owner occupies the other unit, no more than one unit in a multifamily dwelling where the owner occupies another unit, and no more than one room in a single-family dwelling where the room shares the kitchen and bathroom with the occupant. Section 182-3(C) mirrors that list with prohibitions, including a single-family dwelling that none of the owners identifies as a principal residence and a two-family unit whose other unit is not owner-occupied.

The test is the definition in § 182-2. A principal residence is the address where at least one owner spends the majority of his or her non-working time, which is most clearly the center of his or her domestic life, and which is identified on his or her driver's license or State Identification Card as the legal address. All three requirements must be met. An owner that is an entity qualifies only if at least one principal or member of the entity lives in the unit. Section 182-5(A)(3) and (4) enforce this at the counter: the permit application must include a copy of the owner's driver's license or State Identification Card and the owner's sworn acknowledgement that the property is the owner's principal residence. Section 182-7(K) closes the sublease route: the person offering the unit must be the owner, and a tenant cannot apply for a permit or sub-lease any portion of the property. Section 182-3(C)(6) also prohibits renting indoor or outdoor residential swimming pools or any other accessory structure. The chapter covers occupancy for no less than 30 and no more than 180 consecutive days, and rentals for less than 30 consecutive days are a prohibited short-term rental under § 182-2.