Governor Mikie Sherrill signed Executive Order 19 on June 15, 2026, directing all state agencies to review the industries they regulate and identify junk fees—hidden, surprise, or excessively overpriced charges that drive up advertised prices with little or no consumer benefit. The order requires agencies to report recommendations on legislative and regulatory measures to reduce or eliminate such fees by September 14, 2026.
Attorney General Jennifer Davenport simultaneously published an Enforcement Statement on Junk Fees explaining how certain conduct related to these charges may violate New Jersey’s Consumer Fraud Act, one of the nation’s strongest consumer protection laws. The statement identifies common junk fee practices: bait-and-switch pricing that excludes mandatory fees from advertised prices, hiding costs in fine print or deceptively designed websites, misrepresenting whether a fee is mandatory, and using obscure language to tack on excessively overpriced or useless charges.
“These ‘junk’ fees fuel the affordability crisis for families and undermine confidence in the prices they see advertised,” Governor Sherrill said in a statement. “This Executive Order will help us tackle junk fees, strengthen consumer protections, and promote greater price transparency.”
The initiative represents the latest effort by New Jersey to address growing consumer costs. In May 2026, the Division of Consumer Affairs issued guidance warning hotels and short-term rental providers against hidden fees ahead of the FIFA World Cup. In April 2026, Attorney General Davenport led a bipartisan coalition of 27 state attorneys general urging the Federal Trade Commission to regulate hidden rental housing fees, and the state published guidance capping rental application fees at $50.
New Jersey’s move follows a broader national trend. The Federal Trade Commission finalized a Junk Fees Rule in December 2024, which took effect in May 2025 and prohibits bait-and-switch pricing and other hidden-fee tactics in live-event ticketing and short-term lodging. Several states have enacted their own comprehensive junk fee laws: California, Minnesota, and Virginia have adopted cross-industry statutes, while Colorado and Connecticut’s similar laws take effect in 2026.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani signed executive orders cracking down on junk fees and subscription traps in January 2026, signaling that state and local governments across the country are treating fee transparency as a consumer protection priority. New Jersey’s whole-of-government approach, coordinating the governor’s office, the attorney general, and the Division of Consumer Affairs, extends that commitment across all regulated industries in the state.
Sources
- NJ.gov — Governor Sherrill and Attorney General Davenport’s official announcement of Executive Order 19 and the Enforcement Statement on Junk Fees
- New Jersey Globe — Reporting on the executive order’s requirements and the whole-of-government review process
- NJBIZ — Coverage of Executive Order 19 targeting hidden junk fees across industries
- Federal Trade Commission — Information on the December 2024 Junk Fees Rule and its May 2025 effective date
- NYC.gov — Mayor Mamdani’s January 2026 executive orders on junk fees and subscription traps
