Airbnb Management on Long Beach Island, NJ

Long Beach Island’s Short-Term Rental Rules

Each of the island’s six municipalities writes its own rental rules. In the official sources we reviewed we found no outright short-term rental ban, and Ship Bottom is the one town with explicit limits in the code we read. We confirm the rules for your exact address with the town before you list.

• State rental insurance law. New Jersey law (P.L. 2022, c. 92) requires owners of rental units to carry at least $500,000 in combined liability coverage ($300,000 for owner-occupied two- to four-family homes) and to register the certificate of insurance each year with the municipality where the unit sits. Towns may charge an administrative fee and fine a non-compliant owner $500 to $5,000. We confirm with your town how it treats platform-booked stays. NJ DCA Local Finance Notice 2022-23
• Long Beach Township (includes Loveladies, Brant Beach and Holgate). All rental owners, including vacation rentals under 12 months, register annually with the Municipal Clerk using a certificate of liability insurance and a $100 filing fee. The 2026 form lists a March 31 deadline, and the Township’s page still says April 1, so we confirm the current deadline and any late fee with the Clerk. A violation of the insurance rule carries a $500 fine. The registration is separate from the annual fire inspection through the Ocean County Fire Marshal. Long Beach Township
• Beach Haven (borough). Beach Haven adopted two rental ordinances in 2026. Ordinance 2026-4C requires every rental to register with the Borough Clerk before tenants arrive, once a year before May 31 for seasonal rentals, with a separate application and fee for each unit. Ordinance 2026-10C, effective August 2, changes who issues the smoke, carbon monoxide and extinguisher certificate and adds an inspection fee. We confirm the final wording and the current fees with the Borough Clerk before you list. Ordinance 2026-4C Borough legal notices
• Surf City (borough). Owners file proof of liability insurance with the Borough Clerk each year, and the Borough issues its own smoke alarm, carbon monoxide alarm and extinguisher certificate before the rental starts: $45 for a single-family home and $90 for a duplex. Surf City
• Ship Bottom (borough). Chapter 5.44 limits a rental to residential occupancy of the whole property, bars commercial and event use such as weddings and pool parties, makes it unlawful to exceed the occupancy the Code Enforcement Official calculates, and bars advertising a rental that fails the chapter. Chapter 5.66 requires an annual certificate of insurance with the Borough Clerk within 30 days of each policy issuance or renewal. The chapter sets no night cap or minimum stay, but its advertising rule refers to “regulations on duration,” so we confirm with the Borough how that applies before you list. Ship Bottom Code, Chapter 5.44 Chapter 5.66
• Seasonal-rental bonds and minors. The Township and the boroughs of Surf City and Ship Bottom have codes that let the town require a landlord bond of $500 to $5,000 after three disorderly-conduct complaints in one year are substantiated by conviction. Several island codes also restrict renting to groups of minors without a supervising adult. Long Beach Township Code, Chapter 148 Surf City Code, Chapter 14
• Harvey Cedars and Barnegat Light (boroughs). The Harvey Cedars code book we reviewed (January 2022) has no rental registration chapter, and we found no rental or insurance-registration ordinance for Barnegat Light for 2024 to 2026. A newer chapter may exist in either town, so we confirm with each clerk. Harvey Cedars Code Book Barnegat Light Code
• Ocean County Fire Marshal. A smoke alarm, carbon monoxide alarm and extinguisher certificate for rentals of 1 to 2 family buildings, valid 12 months from the inspection. The fee is $45 if the application arrives more than 10 business days before the change of occupancy, $90 for 4 to 10 business days and $161 for 3 business days or less. The County lists Barnegat Light, Beach Haven, Harvey Cedars, Long Beach Township and Ship Bottom. Surf City isn’t listed. Ocean County Fire Marshal
• State taxes. New Jersey’s 6.625% sales tax and 5% State Occupancy Fee (11.625% combined) apply to whole-home rentals booked through a marketplace such as Airbnb or Vrbo or offered as a professionally managed unit, meaning an owner who offers three or more units for rent in New Jersey. Rentals of 90 or more consecutive days are exempt. Marketplaces collect and remit on the bookings made through them. NJ Division of Taxation, TB-81R
• Local occupancy tax. Beach Haven is the only island municipality on the Division of Taxation’s list (updated April 2026), at 3% effective November 1, 2024, which brings a marketplace booking there to 14.625% in total (6.625% plus 5% plus 3%). Barnegat Light, Harvey Cedars, Long Beach Township, Surf City and Ship Bottom aren’t on the list. The state list can lag, so we confirm with each town. NJ Division of Taxation, municipal occupancy tax list

Several Township communities carry Beach Haven in their names, such as South Beach Haven and Beach Haven Gardens, so a mailing address doesn’t settle which town’s rules apply. We confirm the municipality for your parcel, keep registrations and safety certificates current, and provide clear monthly booking and tax reporting. Condo and HOA restrictions depend on your building’s documents, so check yours first.

Rules change. Confirm current requirements with your town’s clerk before you rent.