Newark, NJ Short-Term Rentals: Taxes & Fees (2026)

City Code § 18:14-3 requires the owner of a short-term rental property, or an agent acting for the owner, to submit a short-term rental permit application to the Department of Engineering along with an annual application and registration fee of $250. That fee is non-refundable even if the application is later denied, and it also covers the fee for the required rental Certificate of Code Compliance application. The permit is valid for one year from issuance, and § 18:14-3(f) requires the same $250 renewal registration fee every year, paired with a property inspection, to keep the permit active.

Before qualifying, § 18:14-3(a) requires an existing STR to have no more than two documented, verified police-complaint instances in the prior two years, no Noise Ordinance violations in the prior two years, current status on city taxes and water/sewer charges, and no open Code Enforcement violations. Section 18:14-3(g) automatically ends the permit when the property changes ownership, requiring the new owner to pay the $250 fee again from scratch, and the same first-time fee applies to any STR that had its permit revoked or suspended.

Section 18:14-1 defines a short-term rental as a residential dwelling unit rented to transient guests, excluding stays over 28 continuous days, licensed bed-and-breakfasts, rooming houses, hotels and motels, which are taxed separately under the City's Hotel Occupancy and Transient Accommodation Tax in Chapter 10:20 rather than through this permit fee.