Keep Wantage Welcoming: Support Tourism, Local Businesses & STR-Friendly Regulations
The Issue
Wantage Township deserves a balanced short-term rental ordinance that protects neighborhoods while welcoming visitors, supporting small businesses, and respecting property owners.
We are property owners, residents, short-term rental hosts, business owners, property managers, workers, and travelers who care about Wantage and the future of Sussex County.
We ask our township leaders to listen to everyone affected and establish fair, practical rules that allow responsible short-term rentals to operate.
Protect our neighborhoods. Respect property rights. Support local businesses. Keep Wantage welcoming.
Tourism is part of our community’s history
Sussex County attracts families, outdoor enthusiasts, wedding guests, and visitors attending local events, including the New Jersey State Fair and other activities at the Sussex County Fairgrounds in nearby Augusta.
Space Farms Zoo & Museum, whose roots date to 1927, has drawn families and visitors to Wantage for generations. This longstanding attraction is part of our community’s tourism heritage and gives travelers another reason to visit and explore the area.
Visitors who want to spend more than a day here need places to stay locally.
Responsible short-term rentals can help families extend their visits, enjoy nearby attractions, and support restaurants, shops, farms, entertainment venues, and local service providers.
They can also create work for cleaners, maintenance professionals, landscapers, contractors, and property managers. For homeowners, rental income can help cover property taxes, insurance, repairs, and maintenance.
For travelers, a rental home may offer space for a family, a kitchen, or accommodation close to relatives and local events.
Short-term rental policy affects more than hosts. It affects residents, businesses, workers, and the people who visit our area.
Wantage’s restrictions deserve reconsideration
Wantage’s published Ordinance 2026-21 contains significant restrictions, including:
• A six-acre minimum lot requirement.
• A blanket exclusion of properties in the R-2 residential district.
• An exclusion of shared-driveway properties.
• A 180-day annual rental limit.
• A $1,000 initial registration fee and $500 renewal fee.
These restrictions can exclude responsible homeowners even when their properties could satisfy meaningful safety and operating standards.
Acreage alone does not determine whether a rental is safe, well managed, or respectful of its neighbors. Eligibility should reflect actual conditions: occupancy, septic capacity, parking, emergency access, noise, and responsible management.
We believe these restrictions deserve reconsideration and a clear public explanation of the evidence supporting them.
It is deeply disappointing when regulations risk excluding responsible homeowners and discouraging local economic opportunities without adequately considering more balanced alternatives.
Township leadership should take these concerns seriously. Residents and small business owners deserve a meaningful voice in decisions affecting their properties and livelihoods.
Wantage should recognize its longstanding tourism tradition and provide a fair path for safe, well-managed places to stay.
Nearby municipalities offer practical examples
Other municipalities have established frameworks that allow qualifying short-term rentals while requiring registration, inspections, and operating standards.
Lafayette Township adopted its short-term rental ordinance on November 5, 2025. Its framework permits qualifying rentals, including single-family detached residences, and expressly recognizes benefits to homeowners, travelers, tourism, and the local economy.
Frankford Township adopted its short-term rental ordinance on April 14, 2026. Montague Township and the Town of Warwick, New York, also have regulatory frameworks for qualifying short-term rentals.
Each community has its own requirements. We ask Wantage to examine these approaches—including Lafayette’s—and consider how practical safeguards can provide a fair path for responsible hosting.
Neighborhood protection and responsible hosting can work together
We support registration, inspections, guest safety, adequate parking, appropriate occupancy limits, quiet hours, proper trash disposal, and a reachable manager or responsible party.
We also support meaningful enforcement against properties with substantiated violations.
Neighbors deserve peace and safety. Guests deserve safe accommodations. Responsible operators deserve clear rules, proportionate enforcement, and a fair opportunity to comply.
These goals can be achieved without unnecessarily excluding suitable homes or discouraging responsible hosts.
What we ask township leaders to do
We call upon Mayor Justin VanderGroef, Deputy Mayor Justin Dudzinski, and Committeeman Ron Bassani to:
1. Reconsider and revise Ordinance 2026-21’s restrictive eligibility requirements, including the six-acre minimum and blanket R-2 exclusion.
2. Permit responsible short-term rentals under fair zoning and safety standards, based on a property’s actual capacity and neighborhood impacts.
3. Review shared-driveway properties individually, considering lawful access, emergency access, and parking rather than automatically excluding them.
4. Reconsider the annual rental-day limit, and address harmful conduct through enforceable operating standards.
5. Establish proportionate registration fees and practical requirements, with a transparent explanation of administrative costs and a predictable renewal process.
6. Invite the entire affected community into an open public discussion—including residents, homeowners, hosts, businesses, managers, workers, and travelers.
7. Work with the Land Use Board and community stakeholders to develop a balanced ordinance informed by approaches in Lafayette, Frankford, Montague, and Warwick.
We also ask the Wantage Land Use Board to contribute its planning expertise and help develop standards that protect neighborhoods while allowing suitable properties to qualify.
Keep Wantage welcoming
Our elected officials have an opportunity to demonstrate that neighborhood protection, responsible tourism, and local economic opportunity all deserve consideration.
For generations, attractions such as Space Farms have given people reasons to visit Wantage. Our township should make room for responsible accommodations that help visitors stay locally and participate in our community’s economy.
We urge Wantage Township’s leaders to listen to the entire community and adopt fair, reasonable, STR-friendly regulations.
Sign this petition if you believe responsible property owners should have a fair opportunity to host, local businesses should benefit from visitors, and neighbors should be protected through meaningful safeguards.
Protect our neighborhoods. Respect property rights. Support local businesses. Keep Wantage welcoming.
Organized by the Sussex County Short-Term Rental Association
Sussex STR Association
SussexSTR.org
Contact: info@sussexstr.org
EMAIL THE MAYOR, TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE & LAND USE BOARD
Open our prewritten supporter-letter link to contact the Mayor, Township Committee, and Municipal Clerk. Select the role or roles that apply to you, explain your connection to the area, and review the message before sending.
CLICK HERE TO EMAIL THE MAYOR, TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE, LAND USE BOARD & ZONING OFFICE
Source: Wantage’s published Ordinance 2026-21
Source: Lafayette Township’s short-term rental ordinance
Source: Frankford’s adopted Ordinance 2026-005
Source: Space Farms Zoo & Museum history
PROPOSED WANTAGE STR ORDINANCE — ASSOCIATION DRAFT FOR CONSIDERATION
The Sussex County Short-Term Rental Association requests that township officials review the following proposed alternative as a framework for amending Wantage’s STR regulations. This is proposed model legislation, not an adopted ordinance. Submitted October 14, 2026.
TOWNSHIP OF WANTAGE
COUNTY OF SUSSEX • STATE OF NEW JERSEY
PROPOSED ORDINANCE NO. ______ - 2026
AN ORDINANCE REPLACING THE SHORT-TERM RENTAL PROVISIONS OF CHAPTER 8-6 AND AMENDING CHAPTER 13 (ZONING) TO PERMIT AND REASONABLY REGULATE SHORT-TERM RENTALS
SUBMITTED FOR CONSIDERATION by the Sussex County Short-Term Rental Association. This is proposed model legislation, not an adopted ordinance.
WHEREAS, short-term rentals provide visitor accommodations, support local businesses and tourism, and help homeowners meet housing and maintenance expenses; and
WHEREAS, the Township seeks balanced standards protecting public safety, neighboring properties and community character without unnecessary restrictions based solely on acreage or zoning classification;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by the Township Committee of the Township of Wantage, County of Sussex, State of New Jersey, as follows:
SECTION I. Chapter 8-6, Short-Term Rentals, is established or replaced in its entirety as follows:
§ 8-6.1. Purpose and applicability.
Short-term rentals (“STRs”) are permitted subject to this Chapter. The purpose is to encourage responsible tourism and lawful use of existing homes while establishing straightforward rules for guest safety, parking, noise, sanitation and enforcement.
§ 8-6.2. Definitions.
STR: Compensation-based rental of all or a lawful portion of a residential dwelling unit for a stay of 30 consecutive nights or fewer. OWNER: Record owner of the dwelling. RESPONSIBLE PARTY: Owner or designated manager available to address safety and nuisance concerns. LAWFUL BEDROOM: Sleeping room legally approved or otherwise lawful for residential occupancy.
§ 8-6.3. Eligible properties; permitted use.
A. STRs are permitted in lawfully established single-family detached dwellings, duplexes, triplexes and townhouses, in every district where such residences are lawfully permitted or lawfully existing, including the R-2 Residential District, subject to applicable building, fire, health and land-use law.
B. No special minimum acreage, owner-occupancy requirement, or annual limit on the number of rented days shall apply solely because a lawful dwelling is operated as an STR. A lawful shared driveway or private road shall not, by itself, disqualify a property, provided legal access and emergency access are maintained.
C. STRs shall not authorize unlawful dwelling conversions or be operated in rooming or boarding houses, dormitories, institutional care facilities, shelters, or structures not lawfully approved for residential occupancy. Lawful deed restrictions or private covenants remain enforceable by those entitled to enforce them.
§ 8-6.4. Annual STR permit and fees.
A. Before advertising or offering a dwelling as an STR, the owner or authorized agent shall obtain a permit from the Township Clerk. One permit is required for each rental dwelling unit; permits are valid for one year, are renewable, and are not transferable upon sale.
B. The initial permit fee shall be $350; the annual renewal fee shall be $125. Any inspection fee otherwise required by applicable law shall be separately identified. A renewal application may be filed up to 60 days before expiration; no daily late-payment penalty is imposed by this Chapter.
§ 8-6.5. Application; safety and insurance.
The owner shall provide: (1) owner and property information; (2) a 24-hour responsible-party phone number; (3) lawful bedroom count, proposed maximum guest occupancy and a simple parking sketch; (4) proof of at least $500,000 general liability insurance covering STR use; and (5) certification that required fire-safety equipment, legal egress, sanitation, potable-water and sewage-disposal facilities comply with applicable law and approved capacity. The Township may conduct lawful inspections and require reasonable evidence of compliance; it shall not duplicate inspections or testing not otherwise required by law.
§ 8-6.6. Occupancy, parking and good-neighbor rules.
A. Maximum overnight occupancy shall be two persons per lawful bedroom plus two additional persons, but never more than permitted by fire, building, septic and other applicable capacity limits. Occupancy shall be stated in the permit and rental listing. Any request for higher occupancy requires documented code and facility approval.
B. Vehicles shall use lawful designated on-site parking areas or other legally available off-street spaces. Guests may not block streets, neighboring driveways, shared access, emergency lanes or fire apparatus access. Properties shall provide parking appropriate for approved occupancy without creating a separate acreage requirement.
C. Quiet hours are 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. Guests shall comply with existing noise, litter, parking, fireworks and public-safety laws. Trash and recycling shall be secured and disposed of under Township requirements. Ticketed events, commercial parties and gatherings beyond lawful property capacity are prohibited.
§ 8-6.7. Guest information; management and complaints.
The responsible party shall be reachable 24 hours a day during occupancy and shall respond to a Township-referred material complaint within two hours. The owner shall give guests written house rules stating maximum occupancy, designated parking, quiet hours, refuse instructions, emergency contacts and the manager’s contact number. The STR permit number shall appear in public advertisements. Guest personal information need not be routinely filed with the Township unless required by other law or lawful process.
§ 8-6.8. Permit decisions and appeals.
Within ten business days after receiving a complete application and completion of any required inspection, the Township shall issue the permit or provide a written denial identifying specific unmet requirements. The applicant may appeal in writing to the Township Clerk within ten business days of denial; the Township Committee or its lawfully designated hearing officer shall schedule and determine the appeal within 30 days, subject to applicable law.
§ 8-6.9. Violations; proportional enforcement.
Violations are subject to the Township’s otherwise applicable general penalty provisions. For non-emergency violations, written notice and a reasonable opportunity to cure shall precede suspension. After two separately substantiated material violations within 12 months, the Township may consider a permit suspension after written notice and an opportunity to be heard. Immediate action may be taken for an imminent threat to life or safety as authorized by law. A suspension or revocation decision shall state reasons and available appeal rights.
§ 8-6.10. Taxes; construction of Chapter.
Owners shall comply with applicable State taxes and any separately and lawfully adopted municipal transient-occupancy tax. This Chapter does not itself levy a tax, authorize unlawful residential uses, or impair rights under applicable State law.
SECTION II. Coordinating zoning amendment.
Chapter 13, Zoning, is amended to provide: “A short-term rental conducted pursuant to Chapter 8-6 shall be a permitted accessory residential use of a lawful single-family detached dwelling, duplex, triplex or townhouse in any district in which that dwelling is a permitted or lawful existing use, expressly including the R-2 Residential District. No additional STR-specific minimum lot area, conditional-use approval, or shared-driveway prohibition shall apply.” The Township shall conform any conflicting zoning definitions or use tables to this provision.
SECTION III. Repeal; severability; effective date.
All ordinances or provisions inconsistent with this Ordinance, including prior provisions of Chapter 8-6 if enacted, are repealed to the extent of the inconsistency. If any provision is invalidated, the remainder shall continue in effect. This Ordinance shall take effect following lawful final adoption, publication and any required land-use procedures. Existing STR operators shall have 90 days after permit applications become available to seek compliance, unless an immediate safety hazard exists.
PROPOSED ALTERNATIVE — NOT AN ENACTED ORDINANCE • October 14, 2026
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The Issue
Wantage Township deserves a balanced short-term rental ordinance that protects neighborhoods while welcoming visitors, supporting small businesses, and respecting property owners.
We are property owners, residents, short-term rental hosts, business owners, property managers, workers, and travelers who care about Wantage and the future of Sussex County.
We ask our township leaders to listen to everyone affected and establish fair, practical rules that allow responsible short-term rentals to operate.
Protect our neighborhoods. Respect property rights. Support local businesses. Keep Wantage welcoming.
Tourism is part of our community’s history
Sussex County attracts families, outdoor enthusiasts, wedding guests, and visitors attending local events, including the New Jersey State Fair and other activities at the Sussex County Fairgrounds in nearby Augusta.
Space Farms Zoo & Museum, whose roots date to 1927, has drawn families and visitors to Wantage for generations. This longstanding attraction is part of our community’s tourism heritage and gives travelers another reason to visit and explore the area.
Visitors who want to spend more than a day here need places to stay locally.
Responsible short-term rentals can help families extend their visits, enjoy nearby attractions, and support restaurants, shops, farms, entertainment venues, and local service providers.
They can also create work for cleaners, maintenance professionals, landscapers, contractors, and property managers. For homeowners, rental income can help cover property taxes, insurance, repairs, and maintenance.
For travelers, a rental home may offer space for a family, a kitchen, or accommodation close to relatives and local events.
Short-term rental policy affects more than hosts. It affects residents, businesses, workers, and the people who visit our area.
Wantage’s restrictions deserve reconsideration
Wantage’s published Ordinance 2026-21 contains significant restrictions, including:
• A six-acre minimum lot requirement.
• A blanket exclusion of properties in the R-2 residential district.
• An exclusion of shared-driveway properties.
• A 180-day annual rental limit.
• A $1,000 initial registration fee and $500 renewal fee.
These restrictions can exclude responsible homeowners even when their properties could satisfy meaningful safety and operating standards.
Acreage alone does not determine whether a rental is safe, well managed, or respectful of its neighbors. Eligibility should reflect actual conditions: occupancy, septic capacity, parking, emergency access, noise, and responsible management.
We believe these restrictions deserve reconsideration and a clear public explanation of the evidence supporting them.
It is deeply disappointing when regulations risk excluding responsible homeowners and discouraging local economic opportunities without adequately considering more balanced alternatives.
Township leadership should take these concerns seriously. Residents and small business owners deserve a meaningful voice in decisions affecting their properties and livelihoods.
Wantage should recognize its longstanding tourism tradition and provide a fair path for safe, well-managed places to stay.
Nearby municipalities offer practical examples
Other municipalities have established frameworks that allow qualifying short-term rentals while requiring registration, inspections, and operating standards.
Lafayette Township adopted its short-term rental ordinance on November 5, 2025. Its framework permits qualifying rentals, including single-family detached residences, and expressly recognizes benefits to homeowners, travelers, tourism, and the local economy.
Frankford Township adopted its short-term rental ordinance on April 14, 2026. Montague Township and the Town of Warwick, New York, also have regulatory frameworks for qualifying short-term rentals.
Each community has its own requirements. We ask Wantage to examine these approaches—including Lafayette’s—and consider how practical safeguards can provide a fair path for responsible hosting.
Neighborhood protection and responsible hosting can work together
We support registration, inspections, guest safety, adequate parking, appropriate occupancy limits, quiet hours, proper trash disposal, and a reachable manager or responsible party.
We also support meaningful enforcement against properties with substantiated violations.
Neighbors deserve peace and safety. Guests deserve safe accommodations. Responsible operators deserve clear rules, proportionate enforcement, and a fair opportunity to comply.
These goals can be achieved without unnecessarily excluding suitable homes or discouraging responsible hosts.
What we ask township leaders to do
We call upon Mayor Justin VanderGroef, Deputy Mayor Justin Dudzinski, and Committeeman Ron Bassani to:
1. Reconsider and revise Ordinance 2026-21’s restrictive eligibility requirements, including the six-acre minimum and blanket R-2 exclusion.
2. Permit responsible short-term rentals under fair zoning and safety standards, based on a property’s actual capacity and neighborhood impacts.
3. Review shared-driveway properties individually, considering lawful access, emergency access, and parking rather than automatically excluding them.
4. Reconsider the annual rental-day limit, and address harmful conduct through enforceable operating standards.
5. Establish proportionate registration fees and practical requirements, with a transparent explanation of administrative costs and a predictable renewal process.
6. Invite the entire affected community into an open public discussion—including residents, homeowners, hosts, businesses, managers, workers, and travelers.
7. Work with the Land Use Board and community stakeholders to develop a balanced ordinance informed by approaches in Lafayette, Frankford, Montague, and Warwick.
We also ask the Wantage Land Use Board to contribute its planning expertise and help develop standards that protect neighborhoods while allowing suitable properties to qualify.
Keep Wantage welcoming
Our elected officials have an opportunity to demonstrate that neighborhood protection, responsible tourism, and local economic opportunity all deserve consideration.
For generations, attractions such as Space Farms have given people reasons to visit Wantage. Our township should make room for responsible accommodations that help visitors stay locally and participate in our community’s economy.
We urge Wantage Township’s leaders to listen to the entire community and adopt fair, reasonable, STR-friendly regulations.
Sign this petition if you believe responsible property owners should have a fair opportunity to host, local businesses should benefit from visitors, and neighbors should be protected through meaningful safeguards.
Protect our neighborhoods. Respect property rights. Support local businesses. Keep Wantage welcoming.
Organized by the Sussex County Short-Term Rental Association
Sussex STR Association
SussexSTR.org
Contact: info@sussexstr.org
EMAIL THE MAYOR, TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE & LAND USE BOARD
Open our prewritten supporter-letter link to contact the Mayor, Township Committee, and Municipal Clerk. Select the role or roles that apply to you, explain your connection to the area, and review the message before sending.
CLICK HERE TO EMAIL THE MAYOR, TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE, LAND USE BOARD & ZONING OFFICE
Source: Wantage’s published Ordinance 2026-21
Source: Lafayette Township’s short-term rental ordinance
Source: Frankford’s adopted Ordinance 2026-005
Source: Space Farms Zoo & Museum history
PROPOSED WANTAGE STR ORDINANCE — ASSOCIATION DRAFT FOR CONSIDERATION
The Sussex County Short-Term Rental Association requests that township officials review the following proposed alternative as a framework for amending Wantage’s STR regulations. This is proposed model legislation, not an adopted ordinance. Submitted October 14, 2026.
TOWNSHIP OF WANTAGE
COUNTY OF SUSSEX • STATE OF NEW JERSEY
PROPOSED ORDINANCE NO. ______ - 2026
AN ORDINANCE REPLACING THE SHORT-TERM RENTAL PROVISIONS OF CHAPTER 8-6 AND AMENDING CHAPTER 13 (ZONING) TO PERMIT AND REASONABLY REGULATE SHORT-TERM RENTALS
SUBMITTED FOR CONSIDERATION by the Sussex County Short-Term Rental Association. This is proposed model legislation, not an adopted ordinance.
WHEREAS, short-term rentals provide visitor accommodations, support local businesses and tourism, and help homeowners meet housing and maintenance expenses; and
WHEREAS, the Township seeks balanced standards protecting public safety, neighboring properties and community character without unnecessary restrictions based solely on acreage or zoning classification;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by the Township Committee of the Township of Wantage, County of Sussex, State of New Jersey, as follows:
SECTION I. Chapter 8-6, Short-Term Rentals, is established or replaced in its entirety as follows:
§ 8-6.1. Purpose and applicability.
Short-term rentals (“STRs”) are permitted subject to this Chapter. The purpose is to encourage responsible tourism and lawful use of existing homes while establishing straightforward rules for guest safety, parking, noise, sanitation and enforcement.
§ 8-6.2. Definitions.
STR: Compensation-based rental of all or a lawful portion of a residential dwelling unit for a stay of 30 consecutive nights or fewer. OWNER: Record owner of the dwelling. RESPONSIBLE PARTY: Owner or designated manager available to address safety and nuisance concerns. LAWFUL BEDROOM: Sleeping room legally approved or otherwise lawful for residential occupancy.
§ 8-6.3. Eligible properties; permitted use.
A. STRs are permitted in lawfully established single-family detached dwellings, duplexes, triplexes and townhouses, in every district where such residences are lawfully permitted or lawfully existing, including the R-2 Residential District, subject to applicable building, fire, health and land-use law.
B. No special minimum acreage, owner-occupancy requirement, or annual limit on the number of rented days shall apply solely because a lawful dwelling is operated as an STR. A lawful shared driveway or private road shall not, by itself, disqualify a property, provided legal access and emergency access are maintained.
C. STRs shall not authorize unlawful dwelling conversions or be operated in rooming or boarding houses, dormitories, institutional care facilities, shelters, or structures not lawfully approved for residential occupancy. Lawful deed restrictions or private covenants remain enforceable by those entitled to enforce them.
§ 8-6.4. Annual STR permit and fees.
A. Before advertising or offering a dwelling as an STR, the owner or authorized agent shall obtain a permit from the Township Clerk. One permit is required for each rental dwelling unit; permits are valid for one year, are renewable, and are not transferable upon sale.
B. The initial permit fee shall be $350; the annual renewal fee shall be $125. Any inspection fee otherwise required by applicable law shall be separately identified. A renewal application may be filed up to 60 days before expiration; no daily late-payment penalty is imposed by this Chapter.
§ 8-6.5. Application; safety and insurance.
The owner shall provide: (1) owner and property information; (2) a 24-hour responsible-party phone number; (3) lawful bedroom count, proposed maximum guest occupancy and a simple parking sketch; (4) proof of at least $500,000 general liability insurance covering STR use; and (5) certification that required fire-safety equipment, legal egress, sanitation, potable-water and sewage-disposal facilities comply with applicable law and approved capacity. The Township may conduct lawful inspections and require reasonable evidence of compliance; it shall not duplicate inspections or testing not otherwise required by law.
§ 8-6.6. Occupancy, parking and good-neighbor rules.
A. Maximum overnight occupancy shall be two persons per lawful bedroom plus two additional persons, but never more than permitted by fire, building, septic and other applicable capacity limits. Occupancy shall be stated in the permit and rental listing. Any request for higher occupancy requires documented code and facility approval.
B. Vehicles shall use lawful designated on-site parking areas or other legally available off-street spaces. Guests may not block streets, neighboring driveways, shared access, emergency lanes or fire apparatus access. Properties shall provide parking appropriate for approved occupancy without creating a separate acreage requirement.
C. Quiet hours are 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. Guests shall comply with existing noise, litter, parking, fireworks and public-safety laws. Trash and recycling shall be secured and disposed of under Township requirements. Ticketed events, commercial parties and gatherings beyond lawful property capacity are prohibited.
§ 8-6.7. Guest information; management and complaints.
The responsible party shall be reachable 24 hours a day during occupancy and shall respond to a Township-referred material complaint within two hours. The owner shall give guests written house rules stating maximum occupancy, designated parking, quiet hours, refuse instructions, emergency contacts and the manager’s contact number. The STR permit number shall appear in public advertisements. Guest personal information need not be routinely filed with the Township unless required by other law or lawful process.
§ 8-6.8. Permit decisions and appeals.
Within ten business days after receiving a complete application and completion of any required inspection, the Township shall issue the permit or provide a written denial identifying specific unmet requirements. The applicant may appeal in writing to the Township Clerk within ten business days of denial; the Township Committee or its lawfully designated hearing officer shall schedule and determine the appeal within 30 days, subject to applicable law.
§ 8-6.9. Violations; proportional enforcement.
Violations are subject to the Township’s otherwise applicable general penalty provisions. For non-emergency violations, written notice and a reasonable opportunity to cure shall precede suspension. After two separately substantiated material violations within 12 months, the Township may consider a permit suspension after written notice and an opportunity to be heard. Immediate action may be taken for an imminent threat to life or safety as authorized by law. A suspension or revocation decision shall state reasons and available appeal rights.
§ 8-6.10. Taxes; construction of Chapter.
Owners shall comply with applicable State taxes and any separately and lawfully adopted municipal transient-occupancy tax. This Chapter does not itself levy a tax, authorize unlawful residential uses, or impair rights under applicable State law.
SECTION II. Coordinating zoning amendment.
Chapter 13, Zoning, is amended to provide: “A short-term rental conducted pursuant to Chapter 8-6 shall be a permitted accessory residential use of a lawful single-family detached dwelling, duplex, triplex or townhouse in any district in which that dwelling is a permitted or lawful existing use, expressly including the R-2 Residential District. No additional STR-specific minimum lot area, conditional-use approval, or shared-driveway prohibition shall apply.” The Township shall conform any conflicting zoning definitions or use tables to this provision.
SECTION III. Repeal; severability; effective date.
All ordinances or provisions inconsistent with this Ordinance, including prior provisions of Chapter 8-6 if enacted, are repealed to the extent of the inconsistency. If any provision is invalidated, the remainder shall continue in effect. This Ordinance shall take effect following lawful final adoption, publication and any required land-use procedures. Existing STR operators shall have 90 days after permit applications become available to seek compliance, unless an immediate safety hazard exists.
PROPOSED ALTERNATIVE — NOT AN ENACTED ORDINANCE • October 14, 2026
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Petition created on October 14, 2026