Not Newark: A Borough of Its Own
The name confuses buyers and title searchers alike, so it is worth saying plainly: East Newark is not part of Newark. It is a separate borough in Hudson County, neighboring Harrison and Kearny, with the Passaic River between it and the city of Newark in Essex County. A sale here is recorded with the Hudson County Register in Jersey City, and the borough, not Newark, issues the occupancy certificate and collects the taxes.
It is also one of the smallest places we buy in, with no Census QuickFacts profile of its own, so we are not quoting population or price figures here. What we can tell you is how a sale works in East Newark, because the borough's code spells it out.
The Certificate of Continued Occupancy
Chapter 16 of the East Newark code, which traces to Ordinance 06-96, says no one may occupy a building after it has been sold or vacated, or after its use or occupancy changes, until the borough's Construction Official has issued a Certificate of Continued Occupancy. The stated purpose is to make sure buildings meet the Uniform Construction Code, the Fire Safety Act and borough ordinances before new people move in.
| Point | What Chapter 16 says |
|---|---|
| Fee, residential | $85 per dwelling unit |
| Fee, commercial or industrial | $135 per unit |
| Who inspects | The Construction Official, including any common areas or shared equipment |
| Zoning | The intended use must be allowed by the borough's zoning ordinance |
| If violations are found | Reasonable time to fix them; a temporary certificate of up to six months for minor items |
| How long it lasts | Void if matching occupancy does not begin within six months |
Source: Borough of East Newark Code, Chapter 16, Certificate of Continued Occupancy.
For a three-family building, that is $255 in fees before anyone touches a repair. The bigger cost is usually what the inspection finds: missing alarms, an unpermitted alteration, a unit the zoning does not allow. When we buy, those items are ours to fix, and the six-month life of the certificate means we time the application to the closing rather than filing too early.
The borough also treats a change in occupancy, such as adding or removing a residential occupant, as a trigger. Reporting a tenant change alone carries no fee, but landlords who have not kept up with those filings sometimes find gaps when they sell. Tell us about them and we will sort them out after closing.
Separately, state law makes the local enforcing agency's smoke and carbon monoxide alarm certificate a condition of selling any one- or two-family home. We confirm with the borough who performs that inspection in East Newark and order it along with the occupancy certificate.
Taxes and Water in One Office
East Newark combines its tax and water collection in a single Tax and Water Collector, responsible for billing, collecting and enforcing municipal taxes. Taxes are due quarterly on Feb. 1, May 1, Aug. 1 and Nov. 1, as in every New Jersey municipality, and the borough's tax records can be looked up online. The state's 2025 table shows a general rate of 3.076 and an effective rate of 1.620 per $100 of value, the third lowest effective rate in Hudson County after Hoboken and Secaucus.
Unpaid taxes and water charges become liens, and a lien sold at tax sale may accrue as much as 18% interest a year. If that has happened, a sale is still possible. The title company asks the collector for the payoff and redemption amounts, and they come out of your proceeds. For the full picture, read selling a house with a tax lien.
Tenants, Estates and Foreclosure
Buildings with tenants are normal for us. A sale does not end a lease under New Jersey's Anti-Eviction Act, so we take over the existing tenancies, the security deposits and their interest at closing, and notify each tenant in writing. See selling a rental property for what landlords should gather.
For an inherited property, the executor or administrator gets letters from the Hudson County Surrogate at 24 Central Avenue in Jersey City (201-795-6378) and can sign with us as soon as they are issued. If you face foreclosure, the Hudson County sheriff's auction at 595 Newark Avenue is your deadline; until that date, selling to us can clear the loan. The Waterfront Project offers free counseling at (551) 256-7578, Northeast New Jersey Legal Services in Jersey City can be reached at 201-792-6363, and older owners can call the Hudson County Division on Aging at 201-369-4313.
Selling Your East Newark Property to Us
- Share the address, how many units there are and who lives in each.
- We visit once and send a written cash figure, usually the next day.
- We file the continued occupancy application and the alarm inspection, timed to the closing.
- The title company orders payoffs from the lender and the Tax and Water Collector.
- You sign on the day you chose, in person or with a notary.
The flood risk disclosure that every New Jersey seller now completes, and the seller's realty transfer fee, are both itemized in our offer. We also buy in neighboring Harrison and Kearny; the Hudson County page covers the whole county.