Perth Amboy, NJ Short-Term Rentals: Repeat Violator Strikes (2026)

Chapter 369 of the Perth Amboy City Code, adopted by the City Council on 6-24-2024 as Ord. No. 2169-2024, gives every short-term rental property (STRP) in the City of Perth Amboy, Middlesex County, New Jersey a strike system. Under § 369-6I, a property that is the subject of three or more substantiated complaints has its permit revoked. The Director of the City Department of Code Enforcement or a designee, or the Business Administrator or a designee, makes the revocation, and the property cannot be the subject of a new STRP permit application for one year following the date of revocation.

Section 369-1 defines a substantiated complaint as a civil or criminal complaint, summons, or notice of violation(s) supported by substantial evidence. Three is not the only trigger. The same officials keep discretion to revoke after a single substantiated complaint if, in their sole discretion, the interests of the City and its residents justify immediate revocation. If a property is the subject of a civil or criminal complaint or code violation involving a dangerous condition, meaning a condition that creates a substantial risk of injury to life and/or property, they can suspend the permit pending substantiation. Vehicle complaints have a lower threshold of their own: two substantiated complaints about excessive vehicles belonging to transient occupants make the permit subject to revocation.

The process runs on fixed clocks. Under § 369-6J, the City issues a written notice of revocation or suspension stating the reasons within 30 days. The applicant has 10 business days to appeal in writing to the City Council, and the Council hears and decides the appeal within 30 days after that. While a property is rented, the owner, the short-term rental agent, or the responsible party must be available 24 hours per day, seven days per week to respond within two hours to complaints (§ 369-6H). Violations of noise and nuisance ordinances by transient occupants expose the occupants, owner, responsible party and agent to fines and to revocation or suspension of the permit (§ 369-6D). The permit application also requires a sworn statement that there have been no prior revocations or suspensions of this or a similar license.