Hillside Homes and Owners
Hillside covers about 2.8 square miles and had roughly 22,900 residents in 2025. Two features stand out in the census figures. Ownership is high for this part of the county, at 67.3% of occupied homes. And households are large, averaging 3.17 people, so many Hillside houses hold extended families or a set of tenants on a second floor. When those families decide to sell, the reasons are familiar: an older parent moving in with children elsewhere, a house passed down without a will, a rented floor that now costs more effort than it returns, or a tax bill that has outrun the household budget.
- 22,860residents estimated for July 2025 (22,456 in 2020)
- 67.3%of occupied homes are owner-occupied (ACS 2020–2024)
- $397,400median owner-occupied home value (ACS 2020–2024)
- 3.17people per household (ACS 2020–2024)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, Hillside township, Union County, New Jersey.
That $397,400 median is an average picture of the whole township. What we offer for your house is based on nearby sales of homes like it and a fair estimate of the repairs, and it is set down in writing before we ask you to commit.
Hillside's Certificate of Continued Occupancy
The township requires a Certificate of Continued Occupancy whenever a residential or non-residential property is resold. It comes from the Building and Housing Department, which is supervised by a licensed Construction Official and also enforces Hillside's property maintenance code. Inspection request forms go by email to [email protected], and the department's main number is 973-926-5100 (the Construction Official is at extension 322). The township's page tells applicants to contact the office for the current details, so the fee and lead time are something we confirm with the department when we file rather than guess at here.
Two things about this department are worth knowing as a seller:
- Unpermitted work is expensive. The township states that violations of the Uniform Construction Code are fined starting at $2,000. An enclosed porch, a finished basement or a replaced water heater done without a permit can hold up a sale until it is legalized or removed.
- Property maintenance counts too. Grass, litter, refuse storage and snow removal are enforced, with fines starting at $250. An empty house that nobody is tending can collect violations before it ever reaches a closing table.
The smoke and carbon monoxide certificate
New Jersey requires a smoke and carbon monoxide alarm certificate, issued by the local fire official, for the sale of any one- or two-family house, and state rules let a municipal resale inspection stand in for it where the town's inspection covers the alarms. Hillside's posted material does not say whether its CCO inspection includes the alarms, so we check with the township at the time of application and book a separate fire inspection if one is needed. Whichever applies, the arranging is ours.
When we buy, our team requests the inspections, meets the inspector, installs or replaces alarms, and corrects or permits old work as the new owner. That is the main difference between selling to us and listing: a financed buyer needs all of it finished before closing. See selling a house as-is in New Jersey.
Taxes and Sewer in Hillside
Hillside's 2025 general tax rate was 8.899 per $100 of assessed value, and its effective rate was 2.279. The Tax Collector's Office handles property tax, the township's sewer billing, other municipal charges and the annual tax sale.
| Topic | Hillside rule |
|---|---|
| Quarterly due dates | Feb. 1, May 1, Aug. 1, Nov. 1 |
| Grace period | Ten calendar days after each due date |
| Counting a payment | It must be in the Tax Office before the 4:00 p.m. close; a postmark is not proof of payment |
| Interest | 8% on the first $1,500 and 18% on the rest, back to the due date; 6% year-end penalty on delinquencies over $10,000 |
| Sewer | Billed by the same office; sewer bills due by May 11 |
| Recent change | The August 2026 grace period was extended to September 2, 2026 |
The bill that arrives each summer covers the last two quarters of the current year plus estimated first and second quarters for the next. If you are a few quarters behind, or the sewer bill has been sitting unpaid, the title company's municipal search will show it, and the balance is cleared from your proceeds at closing. If the township has already sold a tax sale certificate, our tax lien guide covers redemption and the 2024 law that protects an owner's equity.
Assessment appeals
The Tax Assessor mails each owner a postcard with the new assessment on or before February 1, and an appeal has to be filed by April 1 with the Union County Board of Taxation (300 North Avenue East, Westfield; 908-527-4775). If you added a room or finished a basement under a permit, an added assessment bill can arrive in October, due November 1. Your assessed value does not set our price, but an unexpected added assessment is something to know about before closing.
Rentals and Empty Houses
Hillside requires a Certificate of Habitability for every residential rental unit, separate from the resale certificate. A two-family with a tenant upstairs can be sold to us with the tenant in place: the lease continues, and the security deposit and its interest move to us at closing as state law requires. Our rental property page has more.
Vacant properties must be registered with the township. If the house is empty because the owner passed away, the executor named by the Union County Surrogate can sell it, and selling sooner avoids months of upkeep, registration and maintenance enforcement on a house no one lives in. See selling an inherited house.
The Sale, Start to Finish
- Day one
Address and details
Condition, who lives there, any work done without permits.
- After we see it
Written offer
One price with each closing cost listed and who pays it.
- Before closing
CCO and searches
We request the inspection by email, handle the alarm certificate and clear what the inspector flags; title runs tax and sewer searches.
- Your day
Settlement
In person or remotely with a notary.
We also buy in neighboring Union Township and Elizabeth, across Union County, and in Newark.
The Hillside Senior Center serves adults 60 and older; its supervisor can be reached at 862-227-5009. Eligible residents can get free legal advice from Central Jersey Legal Services, 60 Prince Street, Elizabeth (908-354-4340). Estates are opened with the Union County Surrogate (908-527-4280).