Edison at a Glance
Edison was Raritan Township until 1954, when voters chose to rename it after the inventor whose Menlo Park laboratory had made the place famous from 1876 on. Today it is one of the largest municipalities in New Jersey, a township of roughly thirty square miles that the township itself calls a hub of rail and highway routes, crossed by the same rail line Thomas Edison rode. Its older sections still carry names from colonial families and hamlets: Bonhamtown along the Old Post Road, Stelton, Piscatawaytown, Oak Tree. The southeast corner is Raritan Center, which the township describes as the largest industrial park east of the Mississippi.
For a homeowner, that mix means a market of mostly owner-occupied houses, with a large share of rentals too: about four homes in ten are rented. The township's own rules for a sale are specific enough that it pays to know them before you list or before you call us.
- 107,588residents in 2020; 109,077 estimated for July 2025
- 60.6%of homes owner-occupied (ACS 2020–2024)
- $496,900median value of an owner-occupied home (ACS 2020–2024)
- $1,974median gross rent per month (ACS 2020–2024)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, Edison township, Middlesex County, New Jersey.
The Resale Certificate From Edison's Fire Prevention Bureau
Edison folds its resale requirement into the fire code. When a single-family home is sold or its occupants change, the township's Fire Code Official issues a certificate of occupancy together with a certificate of smoke detector compliance, after an inspection. The fee depends on how much notice you give:
| When you request it | Fee |
|---|---|
| 10 or more business days before it is needed | $60 |
| 4 to 10 business days before | $90 |
| Fewer than 4 business days before | $140 |
| Reinspection after a missed appointment | $50 |
| Reinspection after items failed | $20 |
Source: Township of Edison Code, Chapter 16, Fire Prevention and Protection.
The township's guidance tells sellers to have the inspection booked several days ahead and says the certificate is good for 180 days from the inspection. Inspectors look for at least one smoke detector on every level, including one on the ceiling at the bottom of the basement stairs, and one within ten feet of each bedroom door. A hard-wired detector cannot be swapped for a battery model. If the house has a monitored alarm system, the inspector will want the alarm company's contact details and the reset code. Closing without the certificate exposes the seller to a penalty of up to $500.
On a sale to us, we schedule that inspection, buy and install whatever detectors are missing, and pay for any return visit.
Taxes, Sewer and Water Before Settlement
Edison's Tax Collector, on the second floor of the Municipal Building at 100 Municipal Boulevard (732-248-7228), handles more than 30,000 property tax accounts and about as many sewer accounts. Property taxes follow the state's quarterly calendar, with installments owed on 1 February, 1 May, 1 August and 1 November. The township allows ten days' grace, pushed to the Monday when the tenth day lands on a weekend.
Sewer is the item sellers most often forget. Edison bills it once a year, based on the previous year's water use, and splits it into two payments; the second half is due October 1. Lenders do not escrow it, so even owners with a mortgage pay it themselves. Unpaid municipal charges still open on November 11 can be put into the township's tax sale. At settlement, the title company collects any open sewer balance along with the taxes, and the township asks that the bill be passed to the new owner.
Water is a separate question, because Edison is split between two suppliers: the township's own water utility serves some streets, Middlesex Water Company serves others, and the township publishes a lookup map to tell which is yours. Whichever it is, the final water figure is part of what the title company clears before you sign.
On the tax bill itself, Edison's 2025 general rate was 5.725 per $100 of assessed value, but its effective rate, the figure that adjusts for how assessments compare with market value, was 2.005. That effective rate sat in the middle of the Middlesex County range. Overdue taxes or sewer charges never stop a sale to us; they are simply paid from the price.
Selling an Edison Rental
Edison regulates rentals closely. Every rental unit must be registered with the Township Clerk and licensed, landlords file an annual statement by January 15, and buildings of five or more units pay $100 per unit each year. Most relevant for a sale is the reoccupancy rule: before a unit can be rented to a new tenant, the township's Division of Health must inspect it and issue a certificate of approval. The request is due at least seven business days before move-in, costs $75, and each reinspection costs $100.
If your rental is occupied, none of that has to happen before you sell. Under New Jersey's Anti-Eviction Act, a sale is not a reason to remove a tenant, and the lease carries over to the buyer. So occupied houses are fine with us: the tenants stay, their deposits and the interest on them become ours at settlement, and we send the required written notice by certified or registered mail. If the unit is empty and has not been re-inspected, or the registration has lapsed, we take care of that afterward. More on this in our New Jersey rental property guide.
Estates, Foreclosure and Other Hard Situations
An Edison house in an estate goes through the Middlesex County Surrogate in New Brunswick (732-745-3055). Once the executor holds letters, the house can be sold as it is, contents and all; the inherited house guide covers inheritance tax waivers and the rest.
For an owner behind on the mortgage, the court process can run many months, and Middlesex County sheriff sales are held every other week at the Heldrich Hotel in New Brunswick. A sale to us can happen at any point before the auction and pays the lender in full. If you live in the house, state law gives you ten business days after signing to cancel, and we plan the closing around that. Read how the whole case unfolds on our New Jersey foreclosure page.
Central Jersey Legal Services takes Middlesex County calls at (732) 249-7600, and income-eligible owners and tenants can get free legal advice there. For foreclosure counseling, New Jersey's housing agency answers at 1-800-NJ-HOUSE.
How an Edison Sale to Us Runs
- You call or type your address above, and tell us about the house, who lives there and your timing.
- We visit once. A written price usually follows within a day.
- The title company orders the tax, sewer, water and mortgage payoffs.
- We book the fire prevention bureau's resale inspection and fix what it calls for.
- You sign on your chosen date at a title or attorney's office, or remotely with a notary.
Every New Jersey seller also answers the state's flood risk questions on the disclosure form, and that applies to an Edison sale to us too. We buy the house as it is either way.