Rental application & screening fee law in New Jersey
Fixed dollar cap
New Jersey adopted a flat statutory cap on rental application fees and "other similar" charges, effective May 1, 2026, with anti-evasion rules that stop landlords from splitting the fee into multiple labels.
What the law says
New Jersey's P.L. 2025, chapter 405 — effective May 1, 2026 — caps what a landlord may charge to apply for a lease or sublease. The cap covers the application fee and any "other similar" fees, an anti-evasion design that prevents splitting one charge into several differently labeled ones to get around the limit.
The New Jersey Attorney General's Division of Consumer Affairs has published official guidance for housing providers on how the cap applies.
Recent changes
The cap took effect May 1, 2026 and is new to New Jersey law.
Beyond the fee limit
The price rule is only part of the law. New Jersey also imposes these obligations:
- The cap extends to "other similar" fees, so charges cannot be relabeled to evade it.
Read the law
What's the actual limit in New Jersey?
Fee limits change with inflation adjustments, local ordinances, and new legislation. Use our free calculator to look up the current limit for your rental's ZIP code.
Calculate your fee limitsThis page is provided for general information only and is not legal advice. Fee rules change — caps re-index to inflation, new legislation takes effect, and cities adopt their own ordinances — so always confirm against the official statutory text linked above before relying on it. The federal Fair Housing Act applies everywhere, regardless of state or local fee rules.