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Merchantville council adopts ordinance to regulate cooperative sober living residences
Summary
On Oct. 13, 2025, the Borough Council adopted Ordinance 25-12 to define and regulate Cooperative Sober Living Residences (CSLRs), establishing licensing, occupancy, operator and spacing rules while preserving federal and state anti-discrimination protections and a 30-day reasonable-accommodation process.
Merchantville Borough Council voted Oct. 13 to adopt Ordinance 25-12, which defines Cooperative Sober Living Residences (CSLRs), affirms their community benefit and establishes local operational, spacing and buffer standards intended to promote resident integration and public safety.
The ordinance ties local definitions to recent state law and licensing (P.L. 2025, c.60; N.J.A.C. 5:27), requires proof of a current Class F license from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs before a certificate of occupancy, and sets an occupancy cap of 10 people per residence. It requires an on-site operator who must reside on the premises and mandates that at least one operator be present from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. when residents are present. The ordinance bars on-site clinical treatment at CSLRs, sets parking minimums and forbids exterior signage identifying a house’s purpose.
The measure also establishes a 750-foot separation requirement between CSLRs and a 1,000-foot buffer from any K–12 school, any facility licensed by the Cannabis Regulatory Commission for retail cannabis sales, and any facility licensed by the Alcoholic Beverage Commission for on-site alcohol sales. Those separation and buffer standards do not apply to Oxford House model recovery homes or MLUL-protected community residences, which remain permitted where single-family dwellings are allowed.
The ordinance includes a 30-day process for requests for reasonable accommodation under the federal Fair Housing Act and the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination. The process requires written applications to the zoning officer and directs decisions to consider disability-related need, the legitimacy of safety or integration objectives, and whether less-restrictive alternatives exist.
Support for the regulation surfaced during the meeting’s public comment period. "Am in support of the sober living ordinance. I am concerned about transient homes in the neighborhood," said Kerry Kidd of 20 E. Cedar Avenue. Jenn Perno of 3 E. Cedar Avenue said the measure would help distribute recovery housing across town and ease demands on emergency services, sanitation and policing.
The ordinance text states the Borough’s intent to administer the rules consistent with federal and state disability protections and to avoid decisions based on stereotypes or stigma. Council member Anthony Perno moved adoption; Council member Ray Woods seconded, and the council adopted the ordinance as presented. The ordinance takes effect upon passage and publication according to law.
What happens next: the ordinance provides a local permit and variance framework tied to state licensing; applications and requests for reasonable accommodation will be processed under the timeline in the ordinance.
