Newark, NJ Local Taxes & Fees: Parking Tax (2026)
Key Facts
- Base parking tax
- 15% of parking fees
- Special event surcharge
- 7% in designated zones
- Mass transit access tax
- 3.5% citywide
- Late payment interest
- 12% per year
- Overcapacity fine
- $100 per day
- Missed audit fine
- $50 per day
- Collector
- Director of Finance
Summary
Newark imposes a 15% tax on fees paid to park, garage or store a motor vehicle under City Code § 10:22-3, on top of which a 7% special-event surcharge and a 3.5% mass-transit access tax can apply depending on location and timing.
There is hereby imposed a tax of 15% on fees paid for parking, garaging or storing of motor vehicles, other than fees paid by a tenant for parking in a lot or garage which is part of premises occupied solely as a private one or two family dwelling.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 5019615; v61 updated 2026-06-17; through 06-17-2026).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 10:22 of the Revised General Ordinances imposes a base 15% Motor Vehicle Parking Tax on fees charged for parking, garaging or storing a motor vehicle anywhere in Newark, excluding a tenant's fee for parking that is part of a private one- or two-family dwelling (§ 10:22-3). or later, or at any time on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays (§ 10:22-4); the surcharge zone covers Chestnut Street, Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard, Lackawanna Avenue, Division Street, McCarter Highway, Raymond Boulevard and Jefferson Street. 5% Mass Transit Access Parking Tax applies citywide except for private one- or two-family dwelling parking, stacking on top of the 15% base tax but never collected alongside the 7% special-event surcharge (§ 10:22-5).
5% tax for short-term parking or show proof of residence to avoid it entirely at a long-term facility. The Director of Finance collects all these taxes and surcharges and requires operators to keep a daily cash receipts journal, sequentially numbered tickets recording entry and departure times, and three years of records at the operator's principal place of business (§ 10:22-7). Any operator whose annual parking tax exceeds $10,000 must submit a certified annual audit within 90 days of the calendar year's end. Facilities must accept credit cards and post notice of that at the entrance and pay station (§ 10:22-6).
Violations & Fines
Unpaid taxes and surcharges accrue interest at 12% per year plus a penalty of 0.5% of the unpaid amount for every month or partial month it remains unpaid (§ 10:22-11). A parking facility using more spaces than its license authorizes is fined $100 per day of violation, and more than two warnings triggers a recommendation to revoke the operator's business license; missing the 90-day certified audit deadline draws a $50-per-day fine and the same revocation recommendation (§ 10:22-14). Failing to report, refusing to let the Finance Director examine records, or filing a fraudulent report to avoid the tax is a disorderly persons offense under N.J.S.A. 40:48C-39 (§ 10:22-12).
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is Newark's parking tax?
Do residents pay the mass transit access tax?
What happens if a garage does not pay the tax?
Where does the special event surcharge apply?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Newark
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