Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ)

Overview

The Urban Enterprise Zone Program is a tax incentive program to facilitate commercial and business development in designated commercial zones. The State Department of New Jersey's Department of Community Affairs administers the program. The City of Long Branch received UEZ designation in 1994 and the program is operated out of the City's Office of Community and Economic Development and is overseen by a UEZ Coordinator. Long Branch's Zone is one of the 37 across the State of New Jersey.

How Does It Work?

A business that is located in designated Urban Enterprise Zones must show proof of being registered with the NJ State Commerce and Economic Development Office and have a viable NJ State, tax identification number. The business must also be tax compliant, and that means not having any discrepancies with the required annual filings of taxes with the NJ State Division of Taxation. An application for UEZ Certification must then be submitted to the NJ State UEZ Office and upon the review of the Trenton Office, certification is awarded to the applying business. The local UEZ staff will assist the business in this process. However, the application is submitted online. Contact the UEZ NJ State office at 609-292-1912 for more information. There is no fee involved and once certified, a business is entitled to specific tax exemption benefits.

Long Branch UEZ Program Membership Benefits

Belonging to the City of Long Branch UEZ Program, which is administered by the NJ State Department of Community Affairs (DCA) entitles members to:

• Low-Interest Loans to be used for investments in fixed assets.
• Reduced Sales Tax, currently at 3.5%.
• Tax-Free Purchases on certain items such as capital equipment, facility expansions, and upgrades.
• Financial Assistance from agencies such as the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.
• Subsidized Unemployment Insurance costs for employees who earn less than $4,500 per quarter.
• Energy Sales Tax Exemption for qualified manufacturing firms with at least 250 employees, 50% of whom are working in manufacturing.
• Tax Credit Options of up to $1,500 for new permanent full-time employees hired; or up to an 8% Corporate Business Tax credit on qualified investments.

Status of the UEZ Program

While the UEZ Program is presently being run by the Department of Community Affairs it allows businesses to make applications for certification to receive the aforementioned benefits. The present administration has reinstated the Program and has made available funds to participating municipalities for business growth and economic development initiatives.

Greater Broadway Business Meetings are held once every 3 months, are open to the public, and allow for business owners to connect with other business owners, city officials, and professionals present at the meetings, learn about different topics that can benefit their business, and learn about updates that will be happening around the City.

The 2025 Greater Broadway Business Meetings are expected to take place:

March 19th

June 18th

September 17th

December 17th

The Meetings are typically held at Brookdale College's Long Branch Campus (located at 213 Broadway, in the Community Room on the 2nd floor at 8:30 AM.

For more information, Call Rosie Nolan at 732-923-2043

The City of Long Branch Urban Enterprise Zone Program is not currently offering Façade Improvement Grants at this time. Please check back at a later date. 

To participate in the Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ) Program, an organization must be actively conducting a trade or business in one of the 32 UEZ's encompassing 37 municipalities in New Jersey.

To be certified as a UEZ qualified business, an organization must be:

• Physically and permanently located within the geographical boundary of a UEZ (Please enter your business address here, if it is in a dark shaded blue area, you are in a UEZ).
• Registered with the New Jersey Division of Revenue.
• In tax compliance with the NJ Division of Taxation. 

Businesses that conform to these criteria can apply for certification. As a condition of its participation in the UEZ Program, the business may be required to increase permanent Full-Time employment in the zone.

Once a business becomes UEZ Certified, it is expected to remain in NJ tax compliance and maintain its certification location in the Zone. If the businesses has a tax problem at the time of certification, annual reporting, or recertification, the UEZ Program may grant a 90-day extension to resolve the problem before the business's UEZ participation is inactivated. Failure to meet your New Jersey tax obligation will result in inactivation.

UEZ businesses may be of any size or may be of any size and may be structured as Corporations, Sole Proprietorships, Partnerships, Limited Partnerships, Joint Ventures, or Limited Liability Companies. The business may or may not be minority-owned or Woman-owned. 

Applying for Certification

To become a qualified UEZ business, a responsible officer of the business or authorized representative submits a Certification Application using the online UEZ Business Certification System. Instructions for the online system and the application process are available here. The UEZ informs the business of its acceptance into the program via email, and the Division of Revenue forwards the appropriate tax permits directly to the Business. 

To be a certified UEZ business, you must meet the UEZ Program Requirements and remain in compliance. DO NOT use any UEZ tax benefits unless you are in possession of valid tax exemption certificates issues by the New Jersey Treasury, Division of Revenue. 

The UEZ also informs the business, via email, if it is ineligible for UEZ certification, including the reason for ineligibility. The responsible officer of the business may contact the UEZ program for clarification of the reason for their ineligibility. Businesses may reapply for certification if they resolve the reason for ineligibility by submitting a new Certification Application in the online UEZ Business Certification System.