Zoning Overlays & Bonuses in New Jersey (2026)
13 rules on the books across New Jersey, 10 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
Specific Plans Overview
How specific plans (LA has 35+) layer on top of underlying zoning to set neighborhood-tailored rules for height, density, design, and use.
Density Bonus Law
California Density Bonus Law (Gov Code §65915) and local implementations granting up to 50% density bonuses for affordable-housing projects.
Brick
Some RestrictionsIn Brick Township's R-R-2 and R-R-3 zones, single-family density can rise to 2.5 units per buildable acre if a…
Read full rule →Edison
Some RestrictionsEdison Township grants density bonuses in multi-family zones when developers set aside 10 to 20 percent of units as…
Read full rule →Freehold Township
Some RestrictionsFreehold Township's Mount Laurel Contribution Zone MLC-6 lets a developer build at up to 6 dwelling units per…
Read full rule →Hamilton
Some RestrictionsHamilton's RRC Rural Resource Conservation zone caps base density at 0.167 units per net developable acre, but §…
Read full rule →Newark
Some RestrictionsNewark's inclusionary zoning ordinance rewards affordable-housing compliance with a real number: any residential…
Read full rule →Passaic
Some RestrictionsPassaic offers developers up to a 20% density bonus above the maximum Dwelling Units per Acre once they satisfy the…
Read full rule →Toms River
Some RestrictionsToms River Township's RHB-AH9 affordable-housing overlay grants a 15% residential density bonus when the low- and…
Read full rule →Jersey City
Light RestrictionsJersey City has no citywide density bonus: its only bonus-density program sits inside the optional MWORD (Marion Works…
Read full rule →Downtown Design Guide
LA's Downtown Design Guide and Community Plan governing high-rise massing, ground-floor activation, and adaptive-reuse standards in DTLA.
Brick
Significant RestrictionsBrick Township requires Planning Board Architectural Review Committee approval for new nonresidential and mixed-use…
Read full rule →Long Branch
Significant RestrictionsLong Branch controls the look of new buildings in its West End "village" commercial core through the West End Design…
Read full rule →Ridgewood
Significant RestrictionsEvery development application inside the Village of Ridgewood's Village Center Historic District, the Bergen County…
Read full rule →Toms River
Some RestrictionsIn Toms River Township's Village Seaport Zone, new buildings must be designed to protect public views of the Toms…
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