Countywide, Monmouth isn't especially old. Only 57% of its housing predates 1980, because the western townships like Howell, Manalapan and Freehold Township are largely newer. The coast is a different story.
Asbury Park has 37% of its housing from before 1940, and nearly three households in four rent. Bradley Beach is 35% prewar and majority renter. Avon-by-the-Sea is 40% prewar, and Keyport and Red Bank are both above 30%.
Long Branch has the most renters: 7,560 households, 58% of the city, with a quarter of its homes built before 1940.
Three Monmouth municipalities are on NJ DCA's 2025-26 dust wipe list. The other 50 are visual inspection towns. The list is based on blood lead test results among young children in each town, and it's reissued, so check the current version for your address.
| Town | Method | Renter households | Built before 1940 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asbury Park | Dust wipe | 5,425 | 37% |
| Atlantic Highlands | Dust wipe | 603 | 27% |
| Avon-by-the-Sea | Dust wipe | 292 | 40% |
| Long Branch | Visual | 7,560 | 24% |
| Neptune Township | Visual | 3,386 | 22% |
| Red Bank | Visual | 2,988 | 32% |
| Bradley Beach | Visual | 1,150 | 35% |
Asbury Park and Neptune share a border but fall on opposite sides of the list. Same with Avon and Bradley Beach. Don't assume your town's method from the one next door.
Sources: NJ DCA 2025-26 Lead-Based Paint Inspection Methodology list; N.J.A.C. 5:28A (inspection cycle, tenant turnover and exemptions); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Renter counts cover year-round occupied housing and exclude homes held for seasonal use.
The regulation (N.J.A.C. 5:28A) exempts single-family and two-family seasonal rental units that are rented for less than six months a year, to tenants who don't have consecutive lease renewals. A single-family summer house rented week to week from June through Labor Day can fit that.
A hybrid setup changes the answer. Add a September to May winter lease and the unit is rented more than six months of the year, so the exemption no longer applies. And the exemption only covers one and two-family dwellings. A summer rental in a building with three or more units doesn't qualify at all.
Our price is the same in all 53 towns and doesn't change for dust wipe sampling, because the lab is included. An Asbury Park four-unit house is $500 to $600. Bulk pricing starts at five units.
Coverage includes the bayshore (Keansburg, Keyport, Highlands, Atlantic Highlands, Matawan), the coast from Long Branch through Asbury Park, Belmar and Manasquan, and inland towns like Red Bank, Freehold Borough, Eatontown, Ocean Township and Middletown. Pricing background: NJ lead inspection costs.
Neighboring county: Middlesex. Certificate types and how long they last: Lead Safe vs. Lead Free.
Tell us the addresses and how each unit is leased, seasonal or year-round.