Most of Morris County owns. In Montville, Jefferson, Roxbury and Denville, about one household in eight rents. So the lead-safe law lands hardest on a short list of older towns that grew up around the county's iron works, the Morris Canal and the railroad.
Dover is the clearest example. 54% of households rent, 76% of the housing is pre-1980, and almost a third went up before 1940. Wharton, Boonton, Rockaway Borough, Netcong and Butler follow a similar pattern, with 72% to 87% of their housing built before 1980.
Morristown is its own case. 63% of households rent, but only 59% of the town's housing is pre-1980, so a Morristown portfolio often includes both covered and exempt units.
All 39 Morris County municipalities are visual inspection towns on NJ DCA's 2025-26 list. None requires dust wipe sampling this cycle. A visual inspection examines painted surfaces for deteriorated paint and looks for dust, chips and debris on floors and sills.
| Town | Renter households | Share renting | Built before 1980 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parsippany-Troy Hills | 9,329 | 40% | 72% |
| Morristown | 5,744 | 63% | 59% |
| Mount Olive | 4,376 | 39% | 54% |
| Dover | 3,594 | 54% | 76% |
| Madison | 2,032 | 36% | 70% |
| Boonton | 1,333 | 38% | 80% |
| Wharton | 1,254 | 41% | 72% |
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.
Parsippany-Troy Hills has more renters than any town in the county, 9,329 households. Only 5% of its housing predates 1940, so it doesn't look like an old town. But 72% was built before 1980, which puts most of its housing inside the range the law covers.
That's the easy mistake in Parsippany: assuming a building is too new to matter. The cutoff is 1978. A 1972 building needs certification exactly like a 1910 two-family in Dover.
$125 to $150 per unit, lab included, anywhere in the county. A Dover two-family is $250 to $300. A three-apartment building in Boonton is $375 to $450. Five units or more gets bulk pricing.
Coverage includes Parsippany, Morristown, Mount Olive, Dover, Madison, Randolph, Rockaway, Boonton, Wharton, Butler, Netcong, the Chathams, Denville, Morris Plains and every other Morris town. Pricing background: the NJ cost breakdown.
Neighboring counties: Passaic and Essex. Before the inspection: the lead-safe certification checklist.
Send the building addresses and number of rental units.