Property Tax in Barnegat Light, New Jersey
Barnegat Light sits at the very northern tip of Long Beach Island in Ocean County, New Jersey — a tiny 1.20-square-mile borough (0.83 square miles of land, 0.37 square miles of water) with a 2020 census population of just 640 people. This page does not state a current Barnegat Light property tax rate, current assessed-value figure, or current tax bill for any specific address, because none was independently confirmed during this research pass, and inventing one would do a prospective buyer more harm than an honest gap does. What is confirmed, and genuinely useful before a purchase, is that New Jersey runs its own real state sales tax and its own locally administered property-tax system, that Barnegat Light is a small, historically rich, still-working fishing town anchored by one of the tallest lighthouses on the East Coast, and that its weak-mayor/strong-council government sets the municipal budget that feeds directly into any tax levy. Get the actual current rate and assessment details from the Ocean County Board of Taxation and Barnegat Light's own tax assessor's office before budgeting a purchase.
New Jersey Has Its Own Real Tax System — Not a No-Sales-Tax Framing
Barnegat Light is a New Jersey market, and New Jersey has a real, functioning state sales tax and its own property-tax structure, genuinely different from a no-sales-tax state framing that would not apply here. Property taxes in New Jersey are assessed and levied locally, under state law, by each municipality and county — there is no single statewide rate that applies uniformly to every town, and Barnegat Light's own rate is set through its own municipal budget process in combination with Ocean County's levy and the local school districts' share.
This page will not state a specific current New Jersey state sales-tax percentage or a specific current Barnegat Light, Ocean County, or school-district tax rate, because none was confirmed during this research pass. Rates and assessment practices change from year to year and vary by municipality even within the same county, so a figure quoted for one Long Beach Island town — including Barnegat Light's southern neighbors Ship Bottom, Surf City, and Harvey Cedars — should never be assumed to apply to Barnegat Light without direct verification.
A Tiny, Growing Year-Round Population Anchors a Small Tax Base
What is confirmed is scale, not a rate: Barnegat Light is genuinely small. Total land area is just 0.83 square miles out of 1.20 square miles overall, bordered by Barnegat Bay to the west, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Barnegat Inlet to the north, and Loveladies (part of Long Beach Township) to the south. The 2020 census recorded 640 residents, up 11.5% from 574 in 2010 — which was itself down 24.9% from 764 in 2000. That recent uptick, after a decade of decline, is a real, confirmed demographic detail worth knowing, though it does not by itself say anything about a current tax rate.
Older demographic figures give some sense of who lives there year-round, though they should be treated as dated rather than current: as of the 2010 census, the median age in Barnegat Light was 60.3 years, and 41.3% of residents were 65 or older. A small, aging, and only recently growing year-round population is the real backdrop to any property-tax conversation here, not a specific figure this page does not have.
A Weak-Mayor/Strong-Council Government Sets the Municipal Budget
Barnegat Light operates under a weak-mayor/strong-council form of government, distinct from the Walsh Act commission structure used in neighboring Harvey Cedars. Per source material dated October 2025 — a roster that should be treated as dated rather than assumed current as of 2026 — the mayor was Edwin Wellington Jr. (Republican), with six council members serving staggered three-year terms.
Under this structure, the council holds the greater share of governing authority, and it is the council, working with the mayor, that sets the municipal budget feeding into the local property tax levy each year. That governance detail does not tell a buyer what the current rate is, but it is a real, structural fact about who sets Barnegat Light's municipal budget, worth knowing before assuming the process works the same way it does in a commission-form town like Harvey Cedars.
Schools: Two Districts, Shared With Other LBI Towns
Younger students in Barnegat Light attend the Long Beach Island Consolidated School District for PreK through grade 6, a district shared with Ship Bottom, Surf City, Harvey Cedars, and Long Beach Township. Older students move on to the Southern Regional School District in Manahawkin for grades 7 through 12, serving Barnegat Light alongside several other LBI and mainland communities.
Shared regional school districts of this kind are typically funded in part through property-value-based formulas across member municipalities, which is one reason school tax rates can differ meaningfully from town to town even within the same regional district. This page does not have a confirmed current per-pupil cost or tax-rate breakdown specific to Barnegat Light, and none is estimated here.
A Historic, Still-Working Town — Distinct From Its LBI Neighbors
None of this substitutes for an actual current municipal, county, or school tax rate, which this page does not have and will not estimate. But it is worth knowing what kind of town is generating that tax bill: Barnegat Light was established as its own borough on November 2, 1948, replacing the earlier Barnegat City borough (created March 29, 1904). It is anchored by Barnegat Lighthouse ("Old Barney"), designed by Lt. George G. Meade — who later commanded the Union Army at Gettysburg — commissioned January 1, 1859, and reactivated January 1, 2009 for its 150th anniversary; the lighthouse closed in March 2022 for a $1.3 million renovation, and no confirmed reopening date beyond that closure should be assumed current, so check the current status directly with NJ DEP or Barnegat Lighthouse State Park.
The borough is also home to Viking Village, a real, still-operating commercial seafood dock founded in the 1920s by first-generation Norwegian immigrant fishermen as the Independent Fish Company, today producing scallops, tuna, tilefish, swordfish, and more. That combination — a working lighthouse landmark, a century-old fishing operation, and a tiny, historically distinct footprint at the northern tip of the island — is what actually distinguishes Barnegat Light from Ship Bottom, Surf City, and Harvey Cedars, not a tax rate this page can quote.
What to Verify Before Budgeting a Purchase
What is confirmed here: Barnegat Light is a 1.20-square-mile Ocean County borough (0.83 square miles land, 0.37 square miles water) with a 2020 census population of 640, up 11.5% from 574 in 2010; it operates under a weak-mayor/strong-council government, with Mayor Edwin Wellington Jr. and six council members per source material dated October 2025; students attend the Long Beach Island Consolidated School District and the Southern Regional School District; and New Jersey itself runs a real state sales tax and its own locally administered property-tax system — not a no-sales-tax framing borrowed from elsewhere.
What this page will not do is invent a current Barnegat Light property tax rate, current assessed value, current tax bill, or current New Jersey sales-tax percentage, because none was independently confirmed during this research pass. Get the actual current numbers directly from the Ocean County Board of Taxation, Barnegat Light's own tax assessor's office, and a local real estate agent or accountant familiar with Long Beach Island before making an offer. Nothing on this page is legal, tax, or financial advice.
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Get a Free Agent Referral →Independent research. No ads. No sponsored listings. Data drawn from research on Barnegat Light, New Jersey, a 1.20-square-mile Ocean County borough at the northern tip of Long Beach Island (0.83 square miles land, 0.37 square miles water), bordered by Barnegat Bay to the west, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Barnegat Inlet to the north, and Loveladies (Long Beach Township) to the south; established as its own borough November 2, 1948, replacing the earlier Barnegat City borough (created March 29, 1904); 2020 census population of 640 (up 11.5% from 574 in 2010, which was down 24.9% from 764 in 2000); 2010 median age of 60.3 with 41.3% of residents 65 or older (hedged as dated); a weak-mayor/strong-council government, with Mayor Edwin Wellington Jr. and six council members serving staggered three-year terms per source material dated October 2025 (hedged as dated, not necessarily current); students attending the Long Beach Island Consolidated School District (PreK-6, shared with Ship Bottom, Surf City, Harvey Cedars, and Long Beach Township) and the Southern Regional School District in Manahawkin (7-12); Barnegat Lighthouse ("Old Barney"), designed by Lt. George G. Meade and commissioned January 1, 1859, reactivated January 1, 2009 for its 150th anniversary, closed in March 2022 for a $1.3 million renovation with no confirmed reopening date; and Viking Village, a commercial seafood dock founded in the 1920s by Norwegian immigrant fishermen as the Independent Fish Company. No confirmed current Barnegat Light or Ocean County property tax rate, current assessed-value figure, current tax bill, or current New Jersey state sales-tax rate was independently confirmed this research pass, and none is invented here; New Jersey's property-tax and sales-tax structure is treated as genuinely different from a no-sales-tax state rather than assumed to carry over. Confirm current numbers directly with the Ocean County Board of Taxation, Barnegat Light's own tax assessor's office, and a licensed real estate agent or accountant before making any purchase decision. Nothing on this page is legal, tax, or financial advice.