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New Jersey is unique in the United States for having five distinct types of incorporated municipalities. Each type of municipality has equal legal standing, rights, and powers as any other type or form. Unlike other parts of the United States, New Jersey does not have different tiers of power or legal standing for its municipal governments.
The township form of local government is used by 27% of New Jersey municipalities; however, slightly over 50% of the state's population resides within them. Townships in New Jersey differ from townships elsewhere in the United States. In many states, townships can be an intermediate form of government, between county government and ...
Among New Jersey's 564 municipalities, the borough is the most common form of local government, though the majority of state residents actually reside in townships. In 2023 there were 253 boroughs in New Jersey. [2] However, boroughs were not always so common. In 1875 only 17 boroughs had been created, all by special acts of the legislature.
Under the terms of the New Jersey State Constitution of 1947 and the Faulkner Act of 1950, a municipality may obtain a special charter form from the New Jersey Legislature, providing a unique form of governmental organization for that community. [1]
As of 2024, New Jersey is divided into 21 counties and contains 564 [2] municipalities consisting of five types: 253 boroughs, 52 cities, 15 towns, 240 townships, and four villages. The largest municipality by population in New Jersey is Newark, with 311,549 residents, whereas the smallest is Walpack Township, with seven residents. [3]
A village, in the context of New Jersey local government, is one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government. The Village Act of 1891 defined the form of government to consist of a five-member board of trustees to be elected to three-year staggered terms. One member serves as president, one member serves as treasurer.
The Optional Municipal Charter Law or Faulkner Act (N.J.S.A 40:69A-1 [1], et seq.) provides New Jersey municipalities with a variety of models of local government. This legislation is called the Faulkner Act in honor of the late Bayard H. Faulkner, former mayor of Montclair, New Jersey, U.S., and former chairman of the Commission on Municipal Government.
The Town Act of 1895 allowed any municipality or area with a population exceeding 5,000 to become a town through a petition and referendum process. Under the 1895 act, a newly incorporated town was divided into at least three wards, with two councilmen per ward serving staggered two-year terms, and one councilman at large, who also served a two ...