Office of Licensing

Office of Licensing Information

This Department oversees all municipal licensing regulations for the City of Ocean City.

Pursuant to NJSA 40A:10A-1 et seq. The owner of a business or the owner of a rental unit or units shall maintain liability insurance for negligent acts and omissions in an amount of no less than $500,000, and shall annually register the certificate with the municipality in which the business, rental units, or multi-family home is located. The City of Ocean City shall be listed as the “certificate holder” or “additional interest".

The following are the most common licenses:

Rental property: as per Vol. I, section 5-1, all residential, as well as commercial rental properties are required to obtain a Mercantile License, also know as a Rental Registration.

Contractor/Subcontractor: if you are performing work on new, commercial or a residential structure with 6 or more attached units, you are required to obtain a municipal Contractors License.

Business: all businesses, new and existing, are required to obtain a Mercantile License. New businesses must obtain pre-approval and complete a license packet prior to opening the business. If you are an existing business moving to a new location, you will need to complete a new application packet including an approved pre-application. Sidewalk café license is also required for existing food establishments wanting to have outside seating.

Vending trucks/bicycle carts are issued by a bid process through the Purchasing Department. The number of licenses are limited. Rules and regulations can be found HERE