Rent control in Union City, NJ

2 rules apply — the local one first, then the county and state rules that bind alongside it.

Four or more units, capped at the lesser of CPI or 3%
Union Citymedium confidence

Verified on 2026-08-17.

Union City's Chapter 334 permits the lesser of 3.0% or the increase in the CPI for the New York–Northern New Jersey metropolitan area over the twelve months before the notice of increase, and 2.0% for a qualified senior tenant. It does not apply to premises with fewer than four units.

Premises with fewer than four units are outside the chapter. Above that, owner occupancy matters and the conditions are unusually specific — see the exemptions.

A rented condominium or co-operative unit is not exempt, and neither the owner's residence elsewhere nor the number of units they own creates an exemption beyond the unit the owner occupies. Base rents run from those established on 1 March 1973. Hardship requires operating expenses of at least 75% of gross income, management fees capped at 6%, and eighteen months' ownership — so a new buyer cannot apply. Union City is in Hudson County and is not Union County: two different places whose names collide, and confusing them applies the wrong ordinance entirely. Neither the DCA survey nor the sections read here records a vacancy-decontrol provision, which is evidence and not proof: confirm with the rent board before modelling a reset to market on turnover.

Exemptions

  • Units on premises with fewer than four units.
  • Owner-occupied four-family buildings — but only on an affidavit of residency filed with the registration, with the burden on the owner, effective only once a tenant who lived in a non-owner-occupied unit before the owner moved in has vacated, and with written notice of the exemption given to prospective tenants and recited in every lease.
  • Five- and six-unit buildings owner-occupied as at the date of the ordinance — a closed, non-transferable class that ends when the owner leaves the building.
  • First-time rentals, as to the initial rent only.
  • Dwellings constructed after 25 June 1987 and not for senior citizens, per N.J.S.A. 2A:42-84.1, for the amortisation period of the initial mortgage or 30 years, whichever is less, conditioned on the statutory filings.
Annual cap
3%
Unit counts
4+ units
Owner-occupied exemption
Yes

Sources

  • Union City Chapter 334 — Rent Stabilization (Ordinance 2017-22)City-hosted and read directly. A New Jersey Appellate Division opinion refers to a 2019 revision of Chapter 334, so confirm the 3.0% against the current text before relying on it.
  • NJ DCA — 2026 Rent Control Survey — New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, 2026 Rent Control Survey (spreadsheet, linked from the DCA Landlord-Tenant Information page; last revised 20 May 2026). The department's own caveat: the survey is only as current as the published codes, and the stated percentage may differ from the increase actually permitted.
  • Union City Rent Control Office — Union City Rent Control Office, (201) 348-5734
Rent control is municipal, and 120 of the 564 towns have it
New Jerseymedium confidence

Verified on 2026-08-17.

New Jersey has no statewide rent control. The Department of Community Affairs' 2026 survey of all 564 municipalities found 120 with an ordinance and 444 without, and their caps, unit thresholds, exemptions and vacancy rules differ town by town.

This municipality's ordinance has not been read into this knowledge base. Check the DCA's survey — it names every municipality and gives the unit threshold and the increase limit for each — and then read the ordinance itself or call the rent board, before assuming rents can be reset on purchase or turnover. One statewide limit does apply everywhere: N.J.S.A. 2A:42-84.5 keeps municipal rent control off housing completed after 25 June 1987 for 30 years from completion.

Sources

  • NJ DCA — 2026 Rent Control Survey — New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, 2026 Rent Control Survey — every municipality, with its rent board, ordinance link, unit threshold, increase limit and exceptions.The department's own caveat: the survey is only as current as the published municipal codes, and the stated percentage may differ from the increase actually permitted. Rent control ordinances are adopted by each municipality, not by the state.
  • NJ DCA — Landlord-Tenant Information

Every rule for Union City, NJ