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Council introduces ordinance creating Division of Rental Housing Safety, targets January 2026 rollout
Summary
Jackson introduced Ordinance 2025-38 to create a Division of Rental Housing Safety to inspect rentals, enforce safety laws and educate landlords and tenants; council members said hiring and civil-service matching will follow budget rules with a planned January 2026 start.
Jackson Township councilmembers introduced Ordinance 2025-38 on Sept. 25 to create a Division of Rental Housing Safety within the municipal administrative code. The division would be responsible for enforcing rental-safety laws, conducting inspections, maintaining records, educating landlords and tenants, and coordinating with township departments.
Council members described the proposed staffing structure—a supervisor, an inspector, a trainee inspector and a clerk—and said those positions must be matched with civil service classifications. Council Vice President Bernstein and other members said the creation of the division was included in the recently passed budget as a line item and the goal is to have staffing in place by Jan. 1, 2026.
Supporters said the ordinance is the first stage of a broader effort that will be adjusted after experience and emphasized the need for bilingual staff in supervisory roles. Council members also flagged a follow-up landlord-registration ordinance and fee changes that will be required to support the new division.
Next steps: the ordinance was introduced and a public hearing/first reading was scheduled for Oct. 16; administration and human resources will proceed with civil-service classification and recruitment steps once formal adoption occurs.
