| New Jersey municipal government |
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| Traditional types |
| Modern forms |
| Faulkner Act forms |
| Nonstandard forms |
| Special charter |
| Changing form of municipal government |
| Charter Study Commission |
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A borough (also spelled boro), in the context of local government in the U.S. state of New Jersey, refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government (in addition to those established under a special charter).[1]
The borough is the most common form of local government in New Jersey. 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. These original boroughs were subdivisions of townships, established by state charter; Elizabeth was the first, established by royal charter in 1740, within the now defunct Elizabeth Township. About half of them had been dissolved, or changed into other forms of government—often cities. In 1875, a constitutional amendment prohibited such local or special legislation.[3] Bergen County is home to the highest number of boroughs of any New Jersey county, at 56.[4]
- ^ Types of Government in New Jersey, New Jersey State League of Municipalities. Accessed July 1, 2024.
- ^ "2023 U.S. Census Gazetteer - New Jersey County Subdivisions". Gazetteer Files. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
- ^ Snyder, pp. 23, 237; Elizabeth, for example, was rechartered by the state in 1789, and became a city in 1855; Trenton had been chartered in 1746 and surrendered its charter in 1750.
- ^ Pettigano, Michael V. "Here's why Bergen County has so many towns", The Record, January 31, 2018. Accessed July 1, 2024. "Among New Jersey's 21 counties, Bergen County leads the pack with 70, including 56 boroughs."