By Reshmee Jugmohun, REALTOR®, Licensed Real Estate Salesperson in New Jersey, Prominent Properties Sotheby's International Realty. Published October 9, 2026.
Glen Rock is a small, almost entirely residential borough in Bergen County, bordered by Ridgewood, Paramus, Fair Lawn and Hawthorne, and its housing is overwhelmingly single-family and mostly built before 1960. The questions that decide whether a Glen Rock house works for you are concrete ones: what the house stock is, what the property tax bill actually is, how the schools are organized, and what the borough requires before a sale can close. This guide answers each of those from the public record, with the source and year attached to every figure, and then sets Glen Rock beside two nearby boroughs buyers often weigh against it, Waldwick and Hillsdale.
It describes places, buildings, rules and costs. It does not rank towns, it does not describe who lives in any of them, and it makes no prediction about prices. Everything below was checked in October 2026, and where I could not verify something at a primary source, I have left it out rather than repeat it.
Where is Glen Rock, and what is it next to?
Glen Rock sits in northwest-central Bergen County, with Ridgewood to the north, Paramus to the east, Fair Lawn to the south and Hawthorne, in Passaic County, to the west, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's boundary files.
It is compact. The 2025 Census Gazetteer puts the borough's land area at 2.703 square miles, and the 2020 Census counted a population of 12,133. For comparison, its larger neighbor Ridgewood covers 5.742 square miles. A borough of under three square miles means that most of Glen Rock is a short drive from everything else in it, and that the character of one street tends to carry across the whole place rather than changing district by district.
Glen Rock is governed as a borough, with a mayor and a six-member council. Borough Hall is at 1 Harding Plaza. For a buyer, that matters mainly because the borough code, its zoning and its resale inspection rules, which I come to below, are set at that level and differ from the towns around it.
Rail access is the detail most people already know about Glen Rock, and I cover it in full elsewhere. The borough has two NJ Transit stations of its own, one on each of two different lines, which is unusual for a town of this size. How those lines run, and how they compare with the other Bergen County rail towns, is in my guide to which Bergen County towns actually work for a Manhattan commute. Glen Rock's small commercial area and how walkable it is are covered in my piece on downtown Ridgewood and the other walkable centers of Bergen County. Neither is repeated here.
What is the housing stock in Glen Rock actually like?
Glen Rock is a borough of detached single-family houses, and that is the single most important fact about its housing.
About 91% of Glen Rock's housing units are single-family detached homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates for 2020 to 2024 (table B25024). The survey counts about 3,696 housing units in the borough. Attached houses and buildings with two or more units make up only a small remainder. If you are looking specifically for a condominium or a multi-unit building, Glen Rock offers very few, and the search usually widens to neighboring towns.
The stock is old, and concentrated in two eras. The same Census survey (table B25034) estimates that about 34% of Glen Rock's homes were built before 1940 and about 41% between 1940 and 1959. Only about 8% date from 1960 to 1979, and about 17% from 1980 onward. The estimated median year built is 1952. In practical terms, that means a large share of what comes on the market is either a pre-war house or a mid-century one.
An older house changes what you inspect for. Houses of that age in this region commonly raise questions about original electrical service, older plumbing materials, foundations and drainage, and any work done without permits over several decades of ownership. A licensed home inspector is the right professional for the condition of a specific house. My point is only that the age profile of Glen Rock makes the inspection more important here, not less, and that the borough's own resale inspection, described below, is not a substitute for it.
Lot sizes are set by zoning, and Glen Rock's residential zones are specific about them. The borough's zoning chapter (Chapter 230 of the Glen Rock code, as codified through December 2025) sets a minimum lot area of 17,500 square feet in the A-1 residence district and 11,200 square feet in the A-2 district, rising to 14,000 square feet for corner lots in A-2. In A-1, front and rear yards must each be at least 50 feet. These minimums govern what can be built or subdivided.
If you plan to add to a house, check the current zoning rather than the codified text. The borough adopted two ordinances in 2026, Ordinance 1965 in May and Ordinance 1969 in September, revising floor-area ratios and side-yard requirements in the A-1 and A-2 districts. At the time of writing, those changes had not yet been folded into the published code. An addition or a second story is exactly the kind of project they affect, so an architect or the borough's zoning office should confirm the rules in force before you price a renovation into an offer.
You can see what is currently for sale on my Glen Rock homes for sale page, which updates from the multiple listing service.
What do property taxes in Glen Rock actually cost?
The average residential property tax bill in Glen Rock was $20,138 in 2025, according to the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs' 2025 Property Tax Information data. In 2024 it was $19,297.
That figure needs to be read precisely. It is the tax on a residential property carrying the borough's average assessed value, which the same data puts at $591,156, and it is calculated before any credits or deductions are applied. It is an average, not your bill. The bill on a specific house depends on that house's assessment.
About two-thirds of the average Glen Rock bill is school tax. The Department of Community Affairs breaks the 2025 average into three parts: $13,536 for schools, $4,673 for the municipality, and $1,929 for the county. School tax is also the largest part of the average bill in each of the neighboring towns in the table below, and it is worth knowing because it explains why the bill responds to school budgets more than to anything the borough itself spends.
The general tax rate and the assessed values are the two numbers that produce a bill. Glen Rock's 2025 general tax rate was 3.407 per $100 of assessed value, according to the Bergen County Board of Taxation's 2025 Abstract of Ratables. A house's tax is its assessed value multiplied by that rate. The rate looks high on its own because Glen Rock's assessments are well below market value: the borough's last reassessment was in 2007, according to the same Board of Taxation records, and the average ratio of assessed to market value used for Glen Rock's 2025 rate was 71.58%. The Board's 2025 effective tax rate, which adjusts for that gap, was 2.439 per $100 of market value. The ratio the New Jersey Division of Taxation certified in October 2025, for use in tax year 2026, is lower again at 62.75%, which means assessments fell further behind market value between the two certifications.
A reassessment is on the schedule. The Bergen County Board of Taxation's revaluation and reassessment history lists Glen Rock as scheduled for 2027. A reassessment resets assessed values toward market value across the whole borough. I am not going to predict what it will do to any individual bill, because that depends on how each property's value moves relative to the rest, and anyone who tells you otherwise is guessing. What a buyer can do is ask the tax assessor's office about the schedule and read the current assessment of any house they are considering.
How to find the tax on a specific house. Every New Jersey property's assessment and recent tax history is public. The listing should state the current annual tax, and you can confirm it through the Glen Rock tax assessor and tax collector. Use the actual figure for the actual house in your monthly cost, not the borough average.
Here is how the same 2025 averages look across Glen Rock and its neighbors. These are the Department of Community Affairs figures for each municipality, stated without comment, because the reasons they differ belong to assessment timing and school structure rather than to any judgment about the towns.
| Municipality | 2025 average residential bill | 2025 average assessed value | 2025 general tax rate (per $100) | 2025 effective tax rate (per $100) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glen Rock | $20,138 | $591,156 | 3.407 | 2.439 |
| Ridgewood | $20,589 | $712,672 | 2.889 | 1.948 |
| Hillsdale | $15,867 | $476,583 | 3.329 | 2.306 |
| Waldwick | $12,956 | $564,735 | 2.294 | 2.172 |
Do not compare the assessed values across towns. Each municipality was last assessed in a different year, so an assessed value in one town is not on the same footing as an assessed value in another. The average bill and the effective tax rate are the two columns that can be read side by side. Sources: New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, 2025 Property Tax Information; Bergen County Board of Taxation, 2025 Abstract of Ratables.
How do the Glen Rock schools work structurally?
Glen Rock runs its own kindergarten-through-12th-grade district, so a child can attend every grade within the borough's own schools.
The Glen Rock Public School District operates six schools, according to the New Jersey Department of Education's School Performance Report for 2023 to 2024. Four elementary schools serve the early grades: Alexander Hamilton (kindergarten to 5), Central (pre-kindergarten to 5), Clara E. Coleman (pre-kindergarten to 5) and Richard E. Byrd (kindergarten to 5). Glen Rock Middle School serves grades 6 to 8, and Glen Rock High School serves grades 9 to 12.
Which elementary school a house feeds into is a question to ask about the specific address. With four elementary schools in a small borough, the assignment depends on where the house is, and the district is the authority on it. Confirm it with the district before you rely on it.
I do not describe school quality, and I would encourage you not to rely on anyone who does it in a sentence. The New Jersey Department of Education publishes a School Performance Report for every district and school in the state, covering enrollment, programs, staffing and assessment results, at rc.doe.state.nj.us. It is the primary source, and reading it yourself is the honest way to answer the question for your own circumstances.
What comes with a Glen Rock address?
Owning in Glen Rock means a specific set of utilities and public facilities, some of which are arranged differently from the towns next door.
Water comes from a neighboring municipality's utility. Glen Rock is served by Ridgewood Water, which is governed by the Village of Ridgewood, an arrangement I describe in more detail in the Ridgewood article. It is worth knowing about before closing, because the water account is set up with Ridgewood Water rather than with Glen Rock.
The sewers are the borough's own. Chapter 171 of the Glen Rock code establishes that the public sewers are owned by the borough, with connections and lateral work requiring permits, and the borough's sewage goes for treatment through the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commissioners. Neighboring Waldwick, by contrast, sits within a different regional sewer authority, which is one of several ways towns that look alike from the street are organized differently underneath.
The borough runs a full-size municipal pool. The Glen Rock Municipal Pool at 390 Doremus Avenue has a 50-meter main pool with eight lanes, plus a separate children's pool, according to the borough's recreation department for the 2026 season. Membership and season details are set by the borough each year.
The parks are small and spread across the borough rather than concentrated in one place. The borough's recreation department lists passive parks including Veteran's Park, Dean Street, Demarest Park and Triangle Park; playing fields at Sycamore Park, Main Street Field, Faber Field and Wilde Memorial Fields; and the Thielke Arboretum at 460 Doremus Avenue, along with a dog park and a community garden. Bergen County's Saddle River County Park, including the area known locally as the Glen Rock Duck Pond, also runs through the borough and is managed by the county rather than by Glen Rock.
What should a buyer check before making an offer in Glen Rock?
Four things specific to Glen Rock are worth checking before you commit to a price: the flood map, the resale certificate, the actual tax bill, and the zoning if you plan to change the house.
1. Check the flood map for the specific address. Glen Rock's floodplain ordinance, Chapter 112 of the borough code, adopts the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Flood Insurance Study for Bergen County dated August 28, 2019. FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layer shows mapped special flood hazard areas inside the borough along Diamond Brook and the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook. A property in or near a mapped zone can carry a lender requirement for flood insurance and restrictions on building work. FEMA's Flood Map Service Center at msc.fema.gov lets you look up any address, and a licensed insurance agent can tell you what coverage a specific house would need.
2. Plan for the borough's resale certificate early, because it has a deadline. Glen Rock requires a residential certificate of continued occupancy when a house changes ownership, under sections 230-95 to 230-99 of the borough code. The application is due a minimum of 30 days before the change of ownership. Before the certificate issues, the house must have smoke detectors in each bedroom, within 10 feet of bedroom entrances and on every story including the basement, plus a carbon monoxide detector, and any open building permits must be closed. A buyer should know the requirement exists, because an old open permit discovered late can delay a closing.
3. Use the actual tax bill, not the average. As above, the borough average is a reference point. The listing, the tax collector and the assessment record give you the figure for the house you are buying.
4. Confirm zoning before you price in an addition. With the 2026 ordinances changing floor-area and side-yard rules in the main residential districts, a renovation you are counting on should be checked against the rules in force when you buy, not against an older plan or a neighbor's project.
Your real estate attorney is the right professional for the legal side of all of this. In New Jersey, the contract goes through attorney review, and the certificate, survey, title and any permit issues are part of what your attorney checks. I am not an attorney and nothing here is legal advice.
What are Waldwick and Hillsdale trading against Glen Rock?
Buyers who look at Glen Rock often look at Waldwick and Hillsdale as well, and the three differ on rail line, school structure, utilities, housing age and tax figures.
Waldwick sits on the Main-Bergen County Line, north of Ridgewood and Ho-Ho-Kus. Waldwick Station, at Prospect and Hewson Avenues, is on the line NJ Transit identifies as the Main-Bergen County Line, north of the point where Glen Rock's two lines join at Ridgewood. The borough was formed in 1919, when it replaced Orvil Township, and covers 2.046 square miles with a 2020 population of 10,058.
Waldwick also runs its own K-12 district and its own water. The Waldwick School District operates Crescent and Julia A. Traphagen elementary schools, Waldwick Middle School and Waldwick High School, according to the Department of Education's 2023 to 2024 report. Its water comes from the Waldwick Water Department, a borough utility supplied by six borough-owned wells in the Brunswick Aquifer, according to the borough's 2026 water quality report, and its sewer service runs through the Northwest Bergen County Sewer Authority. Its housing is younger on average than Glen Rock's: the Census survey estimates about 13% of Waldwick's homes were built before 1940 and about 52% between 1940 and 1959, with a median year built of 1956, and about 81% are single-family detached.
Waldwick's resale certificate checks more items than Glen Rock's. Its certificate of compliance, required on a transfer of title under section 97-128.5 of the Waldwick code, covers smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, handrails on stairs with three or more risers, that no sump pump is connected to the sanitary sewer, that open permits are closed, sidewalk repair, restoration of converted garages, visible house numbers, and water laterals and curb stops. The certificate is valid for one year. For a buyer, the practical effect is that a Waldwick seller has more to clear, which is worth asking about early on an older house. Waldwick's 2025 average residential tax bill was $12,956.
Hillsdale is on a different rail line altogether. Hillsdale Station, at Broadway and Hillsdale Avenue, is on NJ Transit's Pascack Valley Line, which runs through the eastern side of the county rather than through Ridgewood. That is the clearest structural difference between Hillsdale and the other two, and it is worth riding before you choose. The borough was formed in 1923, replacing Hillsdale Township, and covers 2.902 square miles with a 2020 population of 10,143.
Hillsdale's schools are split across two districts. The Hillsdale School District serves pre-kindergarten through grade 8, at Meadowbrook, Ann Blanche Smith and George G. White schools. High school students attend Pascack Valley High School, which is located in Hillsdale at 200 Piermont Avenue and is part of the Pascack Valley Regional High School District, receiving students from Hillsdale and River Vale. That regional structure shows up in the tax bill: Hillsdale's school levy includes a regional high school component, which a K-12 town like Glen Rock or Waldwick does not have. Hillsdale's 2025 average residential bill was $15,867.
Hillsdale's housing has the largest share from the 1960s and 1970s of the three. The Census survey estimates about 32% of Hillsdale's homes were built between 1960 and 1979, against about 8% in Glen Rock, with a median year built of 1959. Hillsdale's resale certificate, the Residential Continuing Certificate of Inspection under section 310-22.1 of its code, also requires the fire department's smoke and carbon monoxide certificate and residential fire extinguisher compliance before a sale can close.
The way to choose between them is to test the thing that differs. Ride the train from each station at the hour you would actually travel. Read the tax record on the specific houses, not the town averages. Read the Department of Education reports for the districts involved. Walk each town on a weekday evening as well as a weekend. You can browse current listings in Waldwick and Hillsdale, and compare them with Ridgewood next door. For another town guide built the same way, see my guide to Oakland, NJ.
If you are weighing Glen Rock against other towns in the county and want the checks above run on a specific address, I am reachable through rjc.realestate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you buy a townhouse or condo in Glen Rock?
Yes, but there are very few. Glen Rock's zoning code includes an A-2T district for attached townhouse condominiums, at a density of 6 units per acre, alongside its single-family districts. Because attached housing is such a small part of the borough's stock, availability at any given time is limited. If you are open to attached housing, the townhouse, condo or house guide explains how the ownership structures differ in New Jersey.
Where is the Glen Rock Public Library?
The Glen Rock Public Library is at 315 Rock Road. Hours and programs are set by the library and change seasonally, so check its own site before you visit.
Does Glen Rock allow liquor licenses?
Yes. Section 66-6 of the Glen Rock code, last amended in 2011, allows up to four plenary retail consumption licenses, which cover restaurants and bars, four plenary retail distribution licenses, which cover package stores, and one club license. Those numbers are the maximum the code allows, not a count of licenses in use. The borough clerk can tell you how many are currently issued.
Does Glen Rock have a historic district?
I found no designated historic district in the Glen Rock code as published through December 2025. The borough does have an Open Space, Recreation, and Farmland and Historic Preservation Trust Fund, created by ordinance in 2023, but that is a funding mechanism rather than a district with design review. If a house's age or character matters to your plans, confirm with the borough whether any review applies to that property.
When did Glen Rock become a borough?
Glen Rock was formed as a borough on September 14, 1894, from parts of Saddle River and Ridgewood townships, according to the New Jersey Geological Survey's history of the state's municipal boundaries.
What happens if a Glen Rock house fails its resale inspection before closing?
The borough code allows a certificate of noncompliance, which lets the sale close but bars occupancy until the violations are corrected. That puts the cost and timing of the repairs on the table in the negotiation, so it is worth agreeing in the contract who is responsible. Under Ordinance 1950, adopted in November 2025, the fee for the smoke alarm, carbon monoxide alarm and compliance certificate is $100 standard, $125 if requested within 10 days, $175 within 3 days, and $50 for a reinspection.
How much of Glen Rock is owner-occupied?
About 90% of occupied housing units in Glen Rock are owner-occupied, according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates for 2020 to 2024 (table B25003). That is why rental listings in the borough are scarce at any given time. If you want to rent nearby first, the Waldwick rentals page and the Ridgewood rentals page cover the adjacent boroughs.
Who handles a sewer problem at a Glen Rock house?
The public sewers belong to the borough under Chapter 171 of the Glen Rock code, and any work on the lateral that connects a house to them requires a permit. I found no requirement in the code to inspect the lateral at sale, so if the house is older, a sewer camera inspection arranged through your home inspector is a sensible addition.
Is there multifamily zoning in Glen Rock?
Only in a limited form. Glen Rock's zoning code includes an A-2MF residence district for multifamily housing that is restricted to affordable units, and the borough adopted further affordable housing ordinances in 2026 (Ordinances 1955, 1956 and 1957). Because those changes are recent and not yet folded into the published code, the borough's zoning office is the place to confirm where they apply and what they allow.
How do I see what is for sale in Glen Rock right now?
Current listings, including open houses as they are scheduled, are on the Glen Rock homes for sale page, which updates from the multiple listing service. For the wider county picture, see Bergen County homes for sale.