Ship Bottom rent control: no local ordinance (2026)
Ocean County — no local rent control ordinance on file.
Generate a rent increase notice
Even without local rent control, a rent increase in New Jersey generally must follow the statewide termination-and-reoffer notice rules below — at least one month's notice, delivered a specific way, and never mid-lease. Fill in the tenant, unit, and rent details and get a printable, statute-cited notice for Ship Bottom — $9, pay by card.
Generate a rent increase notice — $9
No local rent control ordinance on file
The NJ Department of Community Affairs' 2026 Rent Control Survey lists no ordinance on record for Ship Bottom. See the DCA survey (xlsx) ↗
Ordinances change — confirm current status with Ship Bottom's municipal clerk before relying on this page. Checked against the state survey as of 2026-09-23.
What this means for a rent increase
New Jersey has no statewide cap on rent increases. Without a local rent-control ordinance, Ship Bottom has no percentage cap either — but a rent increase still isn't unlimited:
- Unconscionable-increase standard: for units covered by the Anti-Eviction Act (N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.1 et seq.), a court can strike down an increase so large it would "shock the conscience of a fair and honest person" (Fromet Properties, Inc. v. Buel, 294 N.J. Super. 601 (App. Div. 1996)), weighing the size of the increase, the landlord's expenses, comparable-area rents, and the parties' relative bargaining position. The landlord bears the burden of proving the increase is not unconscionable.
- Owner-occupied, 2 or fewer rental units: the Anti-Eviction Act's notice-to-quit/unconscionability mechanics don't apply the same way to an owner-occupied building with 2 or fewer rental units — a different, less protective notice-period scheme governs instead (N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.1's opening clause).
- Notice required: a rent increase must terminate the current tenancy and offer a new one at the higher rent, with at least one full month's notice before the increase takes effect (N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.1(f), 2A:18-61.2) — delivered by personal delivery, by leaving a copy at the tenant's usual place of abode with a household member age 14 or older, or by certified mail (regular mail to follow if unclaimed). It can't take effect mid-term on a fixed-term lease.
- New construction is separately exempt from any local rent control for 30 years from the certificate of occupancy (N.J.S.A. 2A:42-84.2) — moot here since there's no local ordinance to be exempt from, but relevant if Ship Bottom adopts one later.
- Pending bills, not law: statewide rent-cap and unconscionability-codifying bills (e.g. S452/A751, A5432) remain pending in the Legislature as of September 2026 — none is currently enacted.
Checklist for raising rent in Ship Bottom
- Confirm the unit isn't in an owner-occupied building with 2 or fewer rental units — those fall under a different, less protective notice-period scheme instead of the rules below.
- Set the new rent. There's no percentage cap here, but it must not be "unconscionable" under Fromet Properties, Inc. v. Buel — be ready to justify it against your costs and comparable rents nearby; the burden is on the landlord.
- Write a notice that terminates the current tenancy and offers a new one at the higher rent — a notice that just states a new number doesn't fit the statutory structure.
- Give at least one full month's notice before the increase takes effect (N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.1(f), 2A:18-61.2), and never mid-term on a fixed-term lease.
- Deliver it by personal delivery, by leaving a copy with a household member age 14 or older, or by certified mail (regular mail to follow if unclaimed).
- If the unit was built before 1978, confirm its lead-safe certificate (method: visual assessment here) is current before or at the next turnover.
Lead-safe certification
Pre-1978 rentals here also need a lead-safe certificate (separate from rent control, valid 3 years, P.L.2024, c.74). Per the state's 2025-26 inspection-methodology list, Ship Bottom's method is: Visual assessment. See the lead-safe hub for the statewide deadlines and checklist.
Visual assessment — an inspector can certify the unit by checking painted surfaces for deterioration, without lab dust sampling. This is allowed here because the state's childhood blood-lead testing data shows under 3% of tested children age 6 or younger with an elevated reading (an owner may still elect dust-wipe by hiring their own contractor).
Ocean County towns that do have rent control
4 of 33 municipalities in Ocean County currently have a local rent control ordinance on file:
- Barnegat — A yearly increase equal to the lesser of 3.5% of current rental income or the percentage increase in the CPI-U (Northern NJ-NY region, July-to-July), plus separate pass-throughs for increased landlord utility costs and increased Township mobile home space/license fees.
- Jackson — An annual increase equal to the annualized CPI average for the prior year, capped at a maximum of 4.25% for apartments (a separate 2.5% cap applies to manufactured home community spaces).
- Lakewood — 6.5% flat annual increase where the landlord supplies heat, or 5% where the tenant pays for heat; parties may instead mutually agree to a two-year lease with a higher optional increase of 9.75% (landlord-supplied heat) or 7.5% (tenant-paid heat).
- Manchester — The Rent Leveling Board reviews the CPI each October and sets the following year's cap rate; regardless of the rate set, no increase may exceed 10% of the tenant's monthly rent, unless a larger increase is separately mandated by law.