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

90 defines a short-term rental (STR) as an accessory use, meaning the unit rented to transient guests must be tied to a dwelling the owner actually occupies. 010 defines 'owner-occupied' to mean the owner resides in the STR property itself, or in the principal residential unit associated with the STR property on the same lot, and identifies that address as his or her principal residence. The same section defines 'principal residence' with a three-part test: it must be the address where the owner spends the majority of non-working time, it must be the clear center of the owner's domestic life, and it must be the address shown on the owner's driver's license, voter registration, or state identification card.

All three elements must be met or the address does not qualify. If the owner is an entity rather than an individual, at least one principal or member of that entity must personally satisfy the same principal-residence test. 040(B)(3)-(4), every STR license applicant must submit a copy of their driver's license, voter registration, or state ID confirming the property is their principal residence, and must sign a sworn acknowledgement of compliance with that requirement or of an entitlement to an exemption from it. 020(B) separately bars STR use in any unit whose rent is set by a government agency, an owner/developer affordability agreement, or the city's own rent control chapter.