Bulletin - Bayonne, NJ News Today
A new ordinance would halt new approvals, bar license transfers and treat unlicensed hosting as a violation while the city drafts a replacement program with no set timeline
Bayonne Moves to Repeal Short-Term Rental Ordinance and Sunset Existing Licenses
A new ordinance would halt new approvals, bar license transfers and treat unlicensed hosting as a violation while the city drafts a replacement program with no set timeline
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Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/JATvUqOemss?t=2378
Bayonne is moving to repeal and replace its short-term rental rules after Business Administrator Andrew Casais presented an ordinance at the November 4 council caucus that would sunset existing licenses and stop new short-term rentals from operating for the foreseeable future. The measure affects every host operating under the city’s 2024 rules which officials now describe as unenforceable.
What the City Announced
The mayor said current approvals will stay valid through the end of their terms but will not be renewed. Council President Melissa Godesky-Rodriguez has said the city intends to end the program altogether following months of resident complaints about noise, late-night gatherings, litter and parking.
LawfulStay
Business Administrator Andrew Casais said the existing rules lack the enforcement mechanisms needed to deal with problem properties and that fines have not stopped them although he could not say whether the city would consider a different regulatory approach.
Who Is Affected
The phase-out reaches every permit holder under Ordinance O-24-37. That ordinance allows short-term rentals only in owner-occupied homes and in certain small buildings where the owner lives on site and it bars tenants from hosting. Because each permit is valid for one year and renewed on its anniversary, operators can expect their permission to end at their next scheduled renewal.
Current Fees, Caps and Fines
Until the program closes, the ordinance requires a non-refundable $1,000 initial registration fee and a $750 renewal fee. It caps rentals where the owner is not present at 60 nights per calendar year and bans those unhosted rentals outright in buildings with more than four units.
Violations carry fines of up to $2,000 each and no less than $100 per day with a 30-day cure period and three substantiated complaints lead to revocation along with a one-year bar on reapplying.
Why the Rules Fell Short
Residents told the council at its September 16 meeting that one property was operating well beyond the 60-night cap they said the city had no way to track it because enforcement relies largely on owners reporting their own nights.
In April, the previous administration had tried to tighten the program by proposing a 3% municipal occupancy tax and a neighbor notification requirement but the council agenda that month listed both ordinances as withdrawn. Bayonne’s shift follows neighboring Kearny where the town council expanded its short-term rental ban in February.
Bayonne’s official short-term rental FAQ outlines licensing requirements, rental limits, inspections, and noise-violation rules under the city’s original regulations. | Source: https://www.bayonnenj.org/
⦾ Status: Announced by the mayor; no repeal ordinance published yet
⦾ New applications: No longer approved
⦾ Renewals: Will not be granted; permits run only to the end of their one-year term
⦾ Effective date: Not announced
⦾ Current fees: $1,000 initial registration, $750 renewal
⦾ Night cap: 60 nights per year for rentals where the owner is not present
⦾ Penalties: Up to $2,000 per violation with a minimum of $100 per day
⦾ Platform responsibility: None specified; hosts must show their city permit number in every listing
🚨 NO MORE STR IN BAYONNE: City Council Meeting Tues, Nov. 10 at 6 PM — Time to Speak Up About Airbnb & Short-Term Rentals!
by u/Appropriate-Cloud186 in BayonneNJ
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