Criminalizes unlawful occupancy of dwellings.
This New Jersey bill (S 318) criminalizes three specific acts related to vacant dwellings: forcibly entering without permission to take residence ("housebreaking"), occupying without permission ("unlawful occupancy"), and reentering after a court-ordered eviction ("unlawful reentry"). All are classified as fourth-degree crimes punishable by up to 18 months in jail or a $10,000 fine. The law presumes occupants know they lack permission unless they have a notarized written rental agreement with the owner's current contact details. It directly affects property owners seeking to evict unauthorized occupants and occupants in vacant properties without documented authorization.
Bill status
in committee
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 13, 2026
Last action Jan 13, 2026
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
1
Key actions
0
Committee
0
Jan 13, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee
upper
1 primary · 10 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Doug Steinhardt
RRepublican
Co
Bob Singer
RRepublican
Co
Brian Stack
DDemocratic
Co
Holly Schepisi
RRepublican
Co
Jim Holzapfel
RRepublican
Co
Kristin Corrado
RRepublican
Co
Latham Tiver
RRepublican
Co
Owen Henry
RRepublican
Co
Parker Space
RRepublican
Co
Tony Bucco
RRepublican
Co
Vince Polistina
RRepublican
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