This Jersey Shore Town Put A Legal Limit On How Long You Can Stay In A Hotel (And People Are Furious)

In recent years, New Jersey has seen an uptick in visitors, with the state reporting record numbers for both visitation and tourism spending in 2024. The eastern state is supposedly home to the best hotel options in the entire U.S., but its hospitality industry is facing a new series of challenges. Absecon and Galloway Township city councils have passed a new ordinance that makes it illegal to stay in a hotel or motel for more than 14 consecutive days or more than 28 days in a 45-day period. This decision comes after numerous unhoused people from neighboring towns moved into local accommodations with the intention of staying long-term and paid with subsidized vouchers.

"It takes such a drain on our services," Absecon Mayor Tommy Marrone told NBC. "Hotels are not a de facto homeless shelter. There's no kitchen. It's transient by nature. It's transient by code. People should not be living in a motel." The ordinance has angered hotel and motel owners, who argue that this new law is uncessariy strict and will hurt their business in the long run. 

The law most directly affects people currently living in hotels and motels in Absecon and Galloway. One resident of an Absecon hotel said she was worried about being forced to live on the streets again. Absecon city officials clarified that affected residents will not be left to their own devices, and that local services and initiatives will help them find a place to live.

Many opposed the ordinance. Reddit users were quick to point out that the decision overlooks a growing concern in the area, with one user commenting, "If someone can't afford to live anywhere else ... It is a housing problem." Affordable housing has been a hot topic in New Jersey for a while now, with the state mandating that municipalities plan for the construction or renovation of hundreds of affordable units over the next decade. Some towns object, noting that the state is overestimating the number of units needed and that land is limited. 

Absecon and Galloway Township's prospective affordable housing needs are relatively small compared with those of larger New Jersey municipalities. For example, Paramus Borough was once assigned a quota of 1,000 homes to build by 2035. In Absecon, local concerns have spurred action: The nonprofit organization Veteran 101 is renovating a motel in the city to convert it into affordable apartments for 26 veterans. Absecon and Galloway are located less than 20 minutes from Atlantic City, home to the most beautiful and thrilling seaside amusement parks across America. Both cities, especially Absecon, host a variety of accommodations that many visitors return to on trips to the Jersey Shore.

New Jersey is perhaps more famous for its less-serious laws, like the one that makes it illegal to pump your own gas under the state's Retail Gasoline Dispensing Safety Act, or the one that prohibits a person or business from selling cars on Sundays.