New Jersey Privacy, Guests & Animal Rules

New Jersey rules on privacy, guests & animals for renters and landlords, with the statute or official page behind each answer. Last verified: 2026-10-22.

Short answer: No landlord-specific camera statute. It is a crime to observe another person without consent, knowing one is not licensed or privileged to do so, where a reasonable person would know the person may expose intimate parts or engage in sexual activity and would not expect to be observed. N.J.S.A. 2C:14-9

The rules in New Jersey

Cameras & privacy	No landlord-specific camera statute. It is a crime to observe another person without consent, knowing one is not licensed or privileged to do so, where a reasonable person would know the person may expose intimate parts or engage in sexual activity and would not expect to be observed. The same statute separately criminalizes photographing, filming, or recording such a person and disclosing such images. In multiple dwellings, tenants must give the owner access for inspections and required repairs on reasonable notice, ordinarily one day, and immediately in safety or structural emergencies (N.J.A.C. 5:10-5.1(c)); otherwise entry is governed by the lease and the covenant of quiet enjoyment. Source: N.J.S.A. 2C:14-9
Guests & occupants	No statute — lease governs guests and occupants. Leases may set conditions of occupancy and restrictions on subletting or assignment. Evictions require 'good cause' under the Anti-Eviction Act (N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.1), so a lease occupancy violation is enforceable only through those grounds. Local occupancy codes and the Law Against Discrimination limit unreasonable occupancy restrictions. Source: N.J.S.A. 46:8-44 to -47 (Truth in Renting Act); lease
Service & support animals (state law)	Under the Law Against Discrimination, a person with a disability, or who is blind or deaf, who has or obtains a service or guide dog is entitled to full and equal access to all housing and may not be charged extra for the dog; a no-pets lease clause does not apply to it, and the tenant is liable for damage the dog causes. Seniors in covered senior citizen housing projects (3+ units) may keep pets after written notice to the landlord. No state statute sets emotional support animal documentation rules or penalizes misrepresentation in housing. Emotional support animals are handled as reasonable-accommodation requests under the federal Fair Housing Act and the Law Against Discrimination. LAD violations can carry penalties of up to $10,000 for a first offense. Source: N.J.S.A. 10:5-29.2; N.J.S.A. 2A:42-103 et seq. (Pets in Housing Projects)

New Jersey vs. neighboring states

Privacy, Guests & Animals: New Jersey vs. neighboring states
State	Cameras & privacy	Guests & occupants	Service & support animals (state law)
New Jersey	No landlord-specific camera statute. It is a crime to observe another person without consent, knowing one is not licensed or privileged to do so, where a reasonable person would know the person may expose intimate parts or engage in sexual activity and would not expect to be observed. The same statute separately criminalizes photographing, filming, or recording such a person and disclosing such images. N.J.S.A. 2C:14-9	No statute — lease governs guests and occupants. Leases may set conditions of occupancy and restrictions on subletting or assignment. N.J.S.A. 46:8-44 to -47 (Truth in Renting Act); lease	Under the Law Against Discrimination, a person with a disability, or who is blind or deaf, who has or obtains a service or guide dog is entitled to full and equal access to all housing and may not be charged extra for the dog; a no-pets lease clause does not apply to it, and the tenant is liable for damage the dog causes. Seniors in covered senior citizen housing projects (3+ units) may keep pets after written notice to the landlord. No state statute sets emotional support animal documentation rules or penalizes misrepresentation in housing. N.J.S.A. 10:5-29.2; N.J.S.A. 2A:42-103 et seq. (Pets in Housing Projects)
Delaware	No landlord-specific statute, but Delaware's privacy law applies directly: it is a crime to install, in any private place, a device for observing, photographing or recording sounds or events without the consent of the persons entitled to privacy there, or to use a device outside a private place to pick up sounds from inside that would not ordinarily be audible. Recording people undressing where they expect privacy, and intercepting private communications without consent, are also crimes. 11 Del. C. § 1335(a)(1)-(4), (6); 25 Del. C. § 5509	No statute on guests versus tenants, occupancy limits or roommate rights — the lease governs. Tenants and their guests must behave so as not to unreasonably interfere with other tenants' peaceful enjoyment, and landlords may adopt reasonable written rules that meet statutory conditions. 25 Del. C. §§ 5511, 5512	A landlord may require a pet deposit of up to one month's rent, but may not require any pet deposit for a certified and trained support animal for a disabled resident of the unit. A 'support animal' is defined as an animal individually trained to do work or tasks for a disabled person. Delaware has no state statute on emotional support animal documentation or misrepresentation penalties; reasonable-accommodation requests are governed by state and federal fair housing law. 25 Del. C. §§ 5514(i), 5141 (support animal)
New York	No landlord-specific camera statute. Unlawful surveillance in the second degree (class E felony) includes using or installing an imaging device to surreptitiously view, broadcast, or record a person dressing or undressing or their intimate parts where they expect privacy, or to surreptitiously record in a bedroom, bathroom, changing room, or shower with no legitimate purpose (device use in those rooms creates a rebuttable presumption of no legitimate purpose). N.Y. Penal Law § 250.45	The 'Roommate Law': a landlord may not restrict occupancy to the tenant and immediate family. A sole tenant may live with immediate family, one additional occupant, and that occupant's dependent children; on a multi-tenant lease, total tenants plus occupants (excluding occupants' dependent children) may not exceed the number of tenants on the lease. The tenant or spouse must use the unit as a primary residence, and the tenant must tell the landlord an occupant's name within 30 days of move-in or of the landlord's request. Occupants gain no tenancy rights. Lease waivers are void. N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 235-f	Housing providers must make reasonable accommodations in rules and policies for persons with disabilities, including permitting an assistance animal. It is an unlawful discriminatory practice to deny access to or discriminate against a person with a disability accompanied by a guide, hearing, or service dog, and no additional charge may be imposed for admittance of such a dog. No state statute sets documentation rules for emotional support animals or penalizes service-animal misrepresentation in housing. N.Y. Exec. Law § 296(14), (18)(2); N.Y. Civ. Rights Law § 47-b
Pennsylvania	No landlord-specific statute. Viewing or recording a person without knowledge and consent, for sexual gratification, while the person is fully or partially nude in a place with a reasonable expectation of privacy (or recording intimate parts not intended to be publicly visible) is criminal invasion of privacy. Intercepting oral, wire or electronic communications is a third-degree felony unless all parties consent (two-party/all-party consent state). 18 Pa.C.S. §§ 7507.1, 5703, 5704(4)	In tenement buildings and multiple dwelling premises (three or more households), tenants have a non-waivable right to invite social guests, family or visitors for a reasonable period of time, and business visitors, tradesmen and deliverymen, as long as tenant obligations are observed; the landlord may not charge any fee or extra rent for exercising these rights. Tenants must not let persons on the premises with their permission willfully damage the property or disturb other tenants. No statewide occupancy limit or roommate statute. 68 P.S. §§ 250.501-A, 250.503-A, 250.504-A	The Pennsylvania Human Relations Act makes it unlawful to refuse to lease housing, or to discriminate in terms, because of disability or because of the use of a guide animal (blindness or deafness) or support animal (physical handicap), or because a person is a handler or trainer of guide or support animals; inquiries and records about such animal use in connection with a lease are restricted. Pennsylvania has no statute specifically on emotional support animal documentation, misrepresentation penalties or pet-fee limits. 43 P.S. § 955(h)(1), (h)(6) (PHRA § 5(h))

City rules that may add to state law

More New Jersey rental law

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New Jersey Privacy, Guests & Animal Rules FAQ

Can a landlord put cameras in or around a rental in New Jersey?

No landlord-specific camera statute. It is a crime to observe another person without consent, knowing one is not licensed or privileged to do so, where a reasonable person would know the person may expose intimate parts or engage in sexual activity and would not expect to be observed. The same statute separately criminalizes photographing, filming, or recording such a person and disclosing such images. (N.J.S.A. 2C:14-9)

Can a landlord limit guests or roommates in New Jersey?

No statute — lease governs guests and occupants. Leases may set conditions of occupancy and restrictions on subletting or assignment. (N.J.S.A. 46:8-44 to -47 (Truth in Renting Act); lease)

Can a landlord deny a service or emotional support animal in New Jersey?

Under the Law Against Discrimination, a person with a disability, or who is blind or deaf, who has or obtains a service or guide dog is entitled to full and equal access to all housing and may not be charged extra for the dog; a no-pets lease clause does not apply to it, and the tenant is liable for damage the dog causes. Seniors in covered senior citizen housing projects (3+ units) may keep pets after written notice to the landlord. No state statute sets emotional support animal documentation rules or penalizes misrepresentation in housing. (N.J.S.A. 10:5-29.2; N.J.S.A. 2A:42-103 et seq. (Pets in Housing Projects))

General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.