Brick at a Glance
Brick Township packs about 77,000 people onto roughly 25.6 square miles at the northern end of Barnegat Bay. Most of them own their homes; the owner-occupancy rate is 82.2%, and the township has grown about 5% since the 2020 census. About 21% of residents are past 65, so a sale here may well begin with a retirement move, settling a parent's estate, or a home that has become more than you want to keep up.
- 77,402residents estimated for July 2025 (73,620 in 2020)
- 82.2%owner-occupancy rate (ACS 2020–2024)
- $410,600median value of an owner-occupied home (ACS 2020–2024)
- 21.4%of residents are 65 or older (2025 estimate)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, Brick township, Ocean County, New Jersey.
That median value blends waterfront homes with inland ones built decades apart, so it tells you little about a particular lot. Elevation, flood zone, the age of the roof and the condition of the bulkhead all move a Brick price. We look in person and commit to one figure.
The Brick Bureau of Fire Safety Certificate
In Brick, the alarm certificate a seller needs comes from the Bureau of Fire Safety (732-458-4100), and the price depends on how far ahead you call. A visit booked for a regular inspection day ten or more business days out costs $45. Five to nine business days costs $90, and one to four business days costs $161. Failing, or missing the appointment, adds $30. That schedule took effect August 12, 2026, and the bureau warns that a resale that closes without the certificate exposes the seller to a fine of at least $1,000.
What the inspector expects depends on when the house was built:
| Built | Smoke alarms the bureau looks for |
|---|---|
| Before 1978 | At least one ten-year sealed battery alarm on each level |
| 1978–1983 | Electric alarms on each level |
| 1984–1990 | Interconnected electric alarms with battery backup on each level |
| 1991 to now | Interconnected electric alarms with battery backup in every bedroom and on every level |
Every smoke alarm, wired or not, must be less than ten years old, and a wired alarm can only be replaced with another wired one. Carbon monoxide alarms go on each floor with bedrooms; plug-in and battery models must be under five years old. Homes with a generator, solar panels or a battery system also need a printed caution label placed close to both the main panel and the electric meter, no more than a foot and a half away. If you sell to us, we book the inspection early enough to get the $45 rate, buy and install whatever is missing, and stand in for you on the day.
The BTMUA Utility Search
Brick's water and sewer accounts are run by the Brick Township Municipal Utilities Authority, and it asks every seller to schedule a utility search before settlement. A technician checks the curb box and the sewer cleanout and reads the meter, then sends the numbers to the title company. The search costs $100 and can be paid at closing. Skip it and the authority will have the title company hold back money in escrow to cover what might be owed. The authority does not shut the water off between owners. We call the search line (732-458-7000, ext. 4261) as soon as a date is set.
Taxes on Chambers Bridge Road
The tax office at 401 Chambers Bridge Road (732-262-1021) collects for more than the township: the bill also carries school, county, library, open space and fire district taxes. The installments are February 1, May 1 and August 1, with the final one November 1, and on the eleventh day interest is charged back to the first. Brick does not accept postmarks. On the state's 2025 figures the general rate was 2.664 per $100 of assessment and the effective rate 1.575.
If a lien has already been sold, paying it off follows its own rules. The office wants a written request at least 72 hours ahead that names the date the money will arrive, plus the block, lot and lien number, and it will only take certified funds, cash or a money order; the online card system cannot be used for a redemption. When we buy, the title company handles that request and pays the lien from the proceeds. The tax lien guide explains what an owner is owed if a certificate holder forecloses.
Living on the Bay: Flood Records and Insurance
Brick sits on Barnegat Bay, and the township treats flooding as a standing concern. It belongs to FEMA's Community Rating System, which the township says cuts flood insurance premiums by 20% for compliant buildings. Its floodplain management plan was adopted by the council on August 9, 2016, it completed a repetitive loss area analysis in 2021, and after Hurricane Sandy it used a state Post-Sandy Planning Grant to fold hazard planning into land use. The township lists USGS tide gauges on the bay at Mantoloking and on Watson Creek.
Two of those resources help sellers directly. Elevation certificates on file can be searched by address on the township's Forerunner map, or requested from the engineering office, and the township will answer flood zone questions by email at [email protected]. A buyer who needs a mortgage will want both, because the lender will require flood insurance in a mapped zone. You must also complete the state flood risk disclosure that every seller has owed since March 20, 2024, and new building in flood areas now follows the state's REAL rules adopted January 20, 2026. We buy low, unelevated and flood-damaged houses for cash, with the disclosure answered honestly and the price set accordingly. See selling as-is.
Rentals and Foreclosures in Brick
Brick landlords register each rental and obtain a rental certificate of occupancy before a tenant moves in, carry at least $500,000 in liability coverage on the mercantile license, and pass an annual township inspection ($100, with $50 for a re-inspection). Homes built before 1978 must be lead-safe. When we buy a rented house, the lease and the tenant stay; a sale is not a legal reason to evict in New Jersey, and deposits with interest are transferred to us at settlement.
Lenders in Brick must notify the township and register the property within ten days of filing a foreclosure, under an ordinance passed September 27, 2022. If you are the owner in that case, you can still sell until the Ocean County Sheriff's Tuesday auction in Toms River, and you keep a ten-business-day right to cancel any contract signed while in foreclosure. Our foreclosure page walks through the timeline.
Brick Township Senior Services, at the senior center at 500 Aurora Place (732-920-8686), helps residents 60 and older with property tax relief, Medicare and benefits screening, and runs a free shuttle. An executor files with the Ocean County Surrogate, 118 Washington Street, Toms River (732-929-2011). The Legal Services of New Jersey hotline is 1-888-576-5529.
Selling Your Brick House to Us
- Tell us the address, the flood zone if you know it, and whether anyone is living there.
- We come by once and send a written cash price, generally within a day.
- We book the fire bureau ten business days out and schedule the BTMUA search.
- The title company pays the mortgage, taxes, utility balance and any sold lien from the price.
- Close on the date you choose, in person or by remote notary, and leave behind what you do not need.
Brick is part of Ocean County. Nearby, we also buy in Lakewood and Toms River.