Kearny Homes and the People Selling Them
Kearny is the largest of the West Hudson towns, with close to 42,000 residents in 2020 on nearly nine square miles. Just under 43% of households own their homes, and the median owner-occupied value in the latest census survey was $459,400.
Whether your two-family has had the same tenant upstairs for years, are selling a parent's house, or simply want out of being a landlord, the same piece of Kearny paperwork applies, so we start there.
- 41,999residents in 2020; 40,862 estimated for July 2025
- 42.9%owner-occupied housing rate
- $459,400median value, owner-occupied homes
- $1,720median gross monthly rent
Source: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, Kearny town, New Jersey (ACS 2020–2024 for housing values and rent). Land area 8.84 square miles.
Kearny's Certificate of Continued Occupancy
Kearny puts its resale rule in the zoning chapter of the town code. Once title transfers, nobody may occupy the property until the Construction Code Enforcement Department has issued a certificate of continued occupancy, and that certificate cannot be issued until a zoning permit has been obtained for the property. The code describes the inspection as a general check of what can be seen of the building. The certificate confirms that no violations or unsafe conditions were found and that the existing use was lawful. If the inspector does find violations, occupancy has to wait until every item is corrected and re-inspected.
| Dwelling | Certificate fee | Alarm certificate |
|---|---|---|
| One-family | $60 | Included |
| Two-family | $80 | Included |
| Three-family or more | $40 per dwelling unit | Not required |
Source: Town of Kearny Code, Chapter 38, Zoning (Existing Residential Uses).
For one- and two-family homes, the smoke and carbon monoxide compliance certificate required by state law comes from the same office, before the occupancy certificate. Kearny's application asks the owner to confirm alarms on every level including the basement and outside each sleeping area, and it calls for ten-year sealed battery units. The certificate is not required for transfers by inheritance, although the estate's later sale to a buyer does need one.
Timing is the real issue. The department, in the Town Hall Annex at 410 Kearny Avenue, (201) 955-7880, schedules certificate inspections only on select days as availability allows, and its own page says last-minute inspections right before a closing cannot be accommodated. We file the zoning permit and the application as soon as you sign, so the closing date you pick is not held hostage to the inspection calendar. Anything the inspector flags becomes our repair, not yours. Our as-is selling guide explains how that works in the offer.
Landlord Rules a Buyer Inherits
Several Kearny and state requirements land on whoever owns a rental. The Kearny Department of Public Health, at 645 Kearny Avenue, inspects rental dwelling units for lead hazards at $120 per unit. A 2022 state law requires landlords to carry liability insurance, at least $500,000, or $300,000 when the owner lives in a two- to four-family home, and to register that coverage with the town each year, with fines from $500 to $5,000. And Kearny's rental housing chapter prohibits short-term rentals of a dwelling outright.
When you sell to us, these become our obligations going forward. Your tenants stay, because New Jersey law does not allow a sale to end a lease, and their deposits with interest are transferred to us at settlement with written notice to each tenant. Our rental property guide.
Kearny Taxes, Penalties and Liens
Kearny's 2025 general tax rate of 10.848 per $100 stands out on the state table, but it reflects assessments that sit well below today's values. The effective rate, 1.985, is the better comparison; it ranked among the higher rates in Hudson County, a hair under Bayonne's 1.987. Bills are due quarterly on Feb. 1, May 1, Aug. 1 and Nov. 1.
The Tax Collector's office is open weekdays from 9 to 4. Two Kearny-specific charges are worth knowing: a 6% year-end penalty applies when an owner's delinquency tops $10,000 at the close of the fiscal year on June 30, and a redemption statement costs $20. The town also notes that liens it holds may be available by assignment sale. If a lien has been sold, it can earn interest of up to 18%, so the cost of waiting climbs. A sale clears it all: the title company pays the redemption amount from the price, and you receive the balance. See selling a house with a tax lien for the steps.
Water, Sewer and Lead Service Lines
The town's Water Department, based at 570 Elm Street, maintains the pipes, but Veolia handles meter reading, billing and collection under contract (1-800-242-5695). Kearny's DPW maintains the sanitary sewers, which carry wastewater to the Passaic Valley Sewerage Authority plant in Newark; the private lateral from the house to the street main is the owner's to repair. For a seller, that means two things: final water readings come from Veolia, and a backed-up lateral is an as-is condition we will price rather than ask you to fix.
Kearny also publishes a 2026 lead service line inventory with an address lookup on its water page, and its replacement program is run through Neglia Engineering. A line listed as lead, galvanized or unverified is no obstacle to selling to us.
Estates, Foreclosure and Free Help
Probate for a Kearny estate runs through the Hudson County Surrogate on Central Avenue in Jersey City (201-795-6378). As soon as letters are issued, our contract can be signed by the executor or administrator. If a foreclosure is under way, the sheriff's auction at 595 Newark Avenue is the deadline, and the Waterfront Project at (551) 256-7578 offers free counseling first. Northeast New Jersey Legal Services in Jersey City (201-792-6363) and the Hudson County Division on Aging (201-369-4313) can also help.
Every seller fills out the state's flood risk disclosure, required since March 2024. With parts of Kearny inside the Meadowlands District, expect those questions to need careful answers. We buy either way.
Selling to Us, Step by Step
- Send the address and a few lines about the house, the tenants and your timeline.
- After one visit, a written cash figure follows, normally the next day.
- We file the zoning permit, the alarm certificate and the continued occupancy application right away.
- The title company collects payoffs for the mortgage, taxes, Veolia and any liens.
- You sign on your chosen date, in person or with a notary anywhere.
Kearny's neighbors across the West Hudson line are covered too: see Harrison and East Newark, or the Hudson County page for every town.