Short-term rental rules · Randolph Township, New Jersey
Short-term rentals in Randolph Township, explained properly.
Randolph Township bans short-term rentals of single family detached dwellings. Under Chapter 26, Article IX of the Township's Revised Ordinances (Ord. No. 16-19, adopted May 16, 2019), it is unlawful for an owner or occupant of a dwelling unit to receive consideration for a rental of 30 days or less, and unlawful to advertise, solicit or promote such a rental. The article does not apply to lawfully established hotels, motels, rooming houses, boarding houses and bed and breakfast establishments, or to uses protected by New Jersey statutes, and it is not intended to prohibit a rental of more than 30 days or a no-charge stay by a guest. The police and health departments enforce it, and each day of a violation is a separate offense. The Land Development Code (zoning) and the penalty in Sec. 1-7 have not been reviewed yet. This page does not total State and local taxes.
At a glance
What you need to know before you buy or list
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Are short-term rentals allowed? | Conditional: for a single family detached dwelling, it is unlawful for an owner or occupant of a dwelling unit to receive consideration for a rental of 30 days or less. The article does not apply to lawfully established hotels, motels, rooming houses, boarding houses and bed and breakfast establishments, or to uses protected by New Jersey statutes [1] ClauseConfirming |
| Is it unlawful for an owner or occupant of a dwelling unit to receive payment for a rental of 30 days or less? | Yes: it is unlawful to receive or obtain consideration for the rental of any dwelling unit for a period of 30 days or less. The article does not apply to lawfully established hotels, motels, rooming houses, boarding houses and bed and breakfast establishments [1] Clause |
| Is the receipt of consideration for a rental of a dwelling unit for more than 30 days prohibited by the article? | No: the article says nothing in it is intended to prohibit the receipt of consideration for the lawful rental of a dwelling unit for a period of more than 30 days [1] Clause |
Watch this market
Want to know when Randolph Township's rules change?
We watch Randolph Township's official rule pages, council agendas and New Jersey legislation. When a change affecting short-term rentals is proposed or passed, we email you what changed, when it takes effect, and a link to the source.
Alerts are free. Own in several cities? Pro will track every rule for your whole portfolio.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. See our privacy policy.
Detailed rules
The full picture, section by section
Related restrictions
| Is it unlawful to advertise a rental of a dwelling unit for 30 days or less? | Yes: it is unlawful to advertise, solicit or promote by any means the rental of dwelling units for a period of 30 days or less in violation of the article [1] Clause Sec. 26-263 (the first of two sections the Township's code publisher numbers 26-263, headed Advertising prohibited) bars advertising, soliciting or promoting by any means the rental of dwelling units for 30 days or less in violation of the article. Sec. 26-260 defines advertising to cover any form of solicitation, promotion, marketing or communication, including newspapers, flyers, radio, direct mail, internet websites and text or other electronic messages, used for the purpose of establishing occupancies or uses of rental property, for consideration, that the article prohibits. |
|---|---|
| Is a stay of 30 days or less by a guest of an owner or occupant permitted when no consideration is exchanged? | Yes: the article is not intended to prohibit the occupancy of a dwelling unit for 30 days or less by a guest of an owner or occupant where no consideration is exchanged [1] Clause Sec. 26-262(2) (Ord. No. 16-19, 5-16-2019) lists this as a permitted use. The ban in Sec. 26-261 turns on receiving consideration, which the article defines to include rent, fees, money and other things of value, so a stay for which something of value is exchanged is not within this permitted use. |
| Does the article apply to lawfully established hotels, motels, rooming houses, boarding houses and bed and breakfast establishments? | No: the article does not apply to lawfully established and operating hotels, motels, rooming houses, boarding houses and bed and breakfast establishments [1] Clause Sec. 26-261 (Ord. No. 16-19, 5-16-2019) excludes these lawfully established and operating lodging uses. It also says the article does not apply to uses of single family dwellings protected by New Jersey statutes, including community residences for the developmentally disabled, community shelters for victims of domestic violence, community residences for the terminally ill, community residences for persons with head injuries and children in group homes pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:55D-66c. Whether any lodging use is lawfully established is decided under other Township ordinances, which have not been reviewed yet. |
Penalties & enforcement
| What are the penalties and who enforces the short-term rental article? | The police department and health department enforce the article; a violation is punished under Sec. 1-7 of the Township Code, each day is a separate offense, and the penalty is in addition to other remedies such as eviction proceedings and injunctive relief [1] Clause The second Sec. 26-263 (headed Enforcement; violations and penalties) authorizes the police department and health department of the township to enforce Article IX. A person who violates or neglects to comply is, upon conviction, punished in accordance with section 1-7, and a separate offense is committed on each day during or on which a violation occurs or continues. The penalty is in addition to any other remedies under any other law, including eviction proceedings and injunctive relief in any court of competent jurisdiction. Sec. 1-7 has not been reviewed yet, so no fine or jail amount is stated here. The site numbers both the advertising section and this enforcement section 26-263. |
|---|
State law that also applies
| New Jersey sales tax on hotel and short-term rental occupancies | 6.625% New Jersey sales tax on hotel and motel occupancies. The State says sales tax was extended to transient accommodations booked through a marketplace and to professionally managed units, but the rate page read here is for hotels and motels [2] [3] [4] Clause 1 Clause 2 Clause 3Confirming The Division of Taxation page on hotel and motel occupancies says New Jersey imposes sales tax on hotel and motel occupancies at a current rate of 6.625% (page last updated 04/07/26, no effective date shown). The Division's Tax Topic Bulletin S&U-13 (rev. 3/23) says it does not address transient accommodations and points to a separate bulletin on them, which was not read for this layer. The Department of Community Affairs' Local Finance Notice 2026-09 (April 7, 2026) says P.L. 2018, c. 49 and P.L. 2019, c. 235 amended the hotel and motel occupancy fee law to implement sales tax and the State Occupancy Fee on a transient accommodation obtained through a transient space marketplace, or one that is a professionally managed unit. The notice defines a professionally managed unit as a unit that is directly or indirectly owned or controlled by a person offering for rent two or more other units during the calendar year. Because the rate for transient accommodations is not stated on a page that addresses them, this is marked for review. Booking-platform collection is covered in a separate row. |
|---|---|
| New Jersey State Occupancy Fee on hotel and short-term rental stays | 5% State Occupancy Fee on charges for hotel and motel rooms that are subject to sales tax; 1% in Jersey City (and in Atlantic City, Elizabeth and Newark), where hotel occupancies are already subject to a local tax [5] [3] Clause 1 Clause 2Confirming The Division of Taxation's State Occupancy Fee page says the fee is 5% of charges for the rental of hotel and motel rooms that are subject to sales tax, in addition to sales tax and any municipal occupancy tax, and is imposed at a lower rate in cities where hotel and motel occupancies are already subject to a local tax: 1% in Atlantic City, Elizabeth, Newark and Jersey City, and 3.15% in the three Wildwoods. The fee is imposed directly on the occupant and must be shown on the bill as "New Jersey State Occupancy Fee". It is not imposed on an occupancy of at least 90 consecutive days (the permanent resident exemption), on assembly space, or on qualifying government occupants. Bulletin S&U-13 (rev. 3/23) gives the same rates for hotels. The Department of Community Affairs' Local Finance Notice 2026-09 says the State Occupancy Fee applies to transient accommodations obtained through a transient space marketplace or that are professionally managed units; the fee page and bulletin read here describe hotel and motel rooms, so how the rates apply to a short-term rental is marked for review. The fee page was last updated 09/22/25 and shows no effective date for its rates. |
| Local occupancy tax on short-term rentals in New Jersey | Municipalities may adopt an occupancy tax of up to 3% on short-term rentals booked through a marketplace and on professionally managed units. Newark, Elizabeth, Jersey City, Paterson, Atlantic City and the Wildwoods apply separate statutory hotel or tourism taxes instead [4] [3] Clause 1 Clause 2 The Department of Community Affairs' Local Finance Notice 2026-09 (April 7, 2026) says municipalities that allow short-term rental of transient accommodations are authorized to impose a municipal occupancy tax not to exceed 3% on those transactions, except Newark, Elizabeth, Jersey City, Paterson, Atlantic City, Wildwood, Wildwood Crest and North Wildwood, which are authorized to apply separate hotel or tourism-related statutory taxes to transient accommodation rentals. The notice says the municipal tax applies only to transient accommodations obtained through a transient space marketplace or that are professionally managed units, and that leases of real property with a term of at least 90 consecutive days are not transient accommodations. A new or amended ordinance must be transmitted to the Division of Taxation and does not take effect until 90 days after it is transmitted. The tax must be collected by the person collecting rent from the customer. Tax Topic Bulletin S&U-13 gives the same 3% ceiling and the same list of excluded cities for hotel occupancies. Each municipality's own tax is on its page. |
| Does New Jersey law let municipalities license and regulate short-term rentals? | Yes: the State's Department of Community Affairs says short-term rentals are largely subject to municipal ordinance, and N.J.S.A. 40:52-1(n) authorizes municipalities to issue licenses for rentals of real property for a term of less than 175 consecutive days for residential purposes by a person having a permanent place of residence elsewhere [4] Clause Local Finance Notice 2026-09 (April 7, 2026) of the Department of Community Affairs, Division of Local Government Services, says rental of short-term transient accommodations is largely subject to municipal ordinance and quotes N.J.S.A. 40:52-1(n) as authorizing municipalities to issue licenses for rental of real property "for a term less than 175 consecutive days for residential purposes by a person having a permanent place of residence elsewhere". License amounts are to be adopted by the governing body as part of the municipal fee ordinance. The notice adds that many municipalities have adopted ordinances authorizing and regulating short-term rentals through online marketplaces such as Airbnb and VRBO. The statute itself was not read; its wording is taken from the notice. Each municipality's own rules are on its page. |
Changes
Recent and pending changes
We read Chapter 26, Article IX (Short Term Rental Property Prohibition) of the Randolph Township Revised Ordinances as published on Municode (version of August 13, 2026) and the Code title page, both fetched October 18, 2026. We haven't reviewed the Township Council agendas or minutes, Sec. 1-7 (general penalty) or the Land Development Code yet, so we will watch the Code and the Township's agendas for changes.
The Township adopted Chapter 26, Article IX on May 16, 2019 (Ord. No. 16-19, Sec. 1). The fetched text shows no separate effective date. The Code title page says the Code is codified through Ordinance No. 13-26, enacted May 7, 2026.
Sources
Every rule above links to one of these
Newsletter
Not tracking Randolph Township specifically?
One email a month with STR rule changes across the US markets we track.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. See our privacy policy.
Questions
Managing properties in several cities?
Tell us what you're trying to decide and which markets you operate in. We read every message.
This page is general information compiled from public sources, not legal or tax advice. HOA rules, deed restrictions and zoning for a specific property can be stricter. Confirm with the local permitting office and a qualified professional before buying or listing a property.