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Governor Cracks Down on Junk Fees in New Jersey
Directs Agencies to Report on Recommendations to Reduce or Eliminate Fees
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill and Attorney General Jennifer Davenport issued a press release on June 15, 2026 announcing the coordinated executive actions aimed at reducing and eliminating junk fees in New Jersey.
In Executive Order 19, also signed by the Governor directed all state agencies (including the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU)) to review the industries they regulate to identify and analyze the impact of junk fees on consumers and report recommendations on legislative and regulatory measures to reduce or eliminate them.
In addition, Attorney General Davenport and the Division of Consumer Affairs (DCA) published an Enforcement Statement on Junk Fees that explains how certain conduct related to junk fees may violate New Jersey law.
The Enforcement Statement identifies several common practices in charging junk fees, including:
- Bait-and-switch pricing that excludes mandatory fees from the advertised price but then tacks them on later in the purchasing process;
- Hiding costs in fine print or using websites and apps deceptively designed to make them difficult to spot;
- Misrepresenting the purpose of a fee, or whether it is mandatory, in order toobtain payment consent; and
- Using obscure or vague language to tack on excessively overpriced or useless fees that provide little or no benefit to consumers.
“The Consumer Fraud Act is one of the strongest consumer protection laws in the nation and is uniquely equipped to protect New Jerseyans from the trickery and manipulation that often accompany junk fees,” said Jeremy Hollander, Acting Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs. “We urge businesses to review the Division’s Enforcement Statement on the Division’s website and correct any practices that violate the CFA before facing enforcement action.”
By September 14, Executive Order 19 requires Executive Branch departments and agencies to provide the following to the Governor’s Office: (i) an assessment of prevalent junk fees and their impact on New Jersey consumers; (ii) if applicable, proposed rulemaking to curtail or eliminate junk fees; (iii) proposed measures to ensure that “all in” pricing and transparent fee disclosure is standard across the state; and/or (iv) any other recommended measures to eliminate junk fees.
