Allenhurst Borough is one of the smallest and most distinctive municipalities in New Jersey. With 472 residents on 0.28 square miles of land (2020 Census), Allenhurst ranks 554th of 565 New Jersey municipalities by total area and 50th of 53 in Monmouth County. The borough was incorporated April 26, 1897 from a former 120-acre farm owned by Abner Allen, and operates under a Walsh Act Board of Commissioners form of government — one of the few municipalities in New Jersey still using that structure. Mayor Frieda O. Adjmi’s term runs through May 2028. The borough is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Deal Lake to the west, with Interlaken and Loch Arbour as immediate small-borough neighbors.

The tax story is structurally unusual. The 2024 average residential property tax bill of $21,877 per the New Jersey DCA MOD-IV report places Allenhurst third-highest in Monmouth County, behind only Deal ($23,294) and Rumson ($22,890). But the 2025 general tax rate of $0.567 per $100 of assessed value is among the four lowest in Monmouth, similar to Spring Lake ($0.457), Deal ($0.435 effective), and Sea Girt ($0.499). The bill is high because the homes are expensive; the rate is low because the luxury ratable base is enormous relative to the borough’s tiny operational footprint. This post walks through the mechanical math, the recent Director’s Ratio recalibration, the Allenhurst-Interlaken-Loch Arbour school exit from Asbury Park, and what 2026 looks like for the borough’s taxpayers.

The Allenhurst Tax Snapshot

Numbers from the Monmouth County Board of Taxation 2025 Certified Tax Rates (TR2025Final.pdf), NJ Treasury 2025 Table of Equalized Valuations, NJ DCA MOD-IV 2024 Average Residential Tax Report, Allenhurst 2025-26 User Friendly Budget Summary (NJ Dept of Education), and the Borough of Allenhurst Tax Office.

▸ Anthony’s Take

“Allenhurst is the borough most buyers underestimate. Everyone talks about Deal because of the Syrian Sephardic enclave story, but Allenhurst sits right next door with the same oceanfront, the same Historic District designation, and a 0.528 percent effective rate. The ratable base of $1.24 billion supporting only 472 residents is some of the best per-resident wealth concentration in the state. Quiet, preserved, low-friction. The right buyer finds Allenhurst before everyone else does.”

— Anthony Licciardello, Broker, The Prodigy Team

How Allenhurst Compares: The Three-Borough Cluster

Allenhurst, Interlaken, and Loch Arbour are the three small inland-and-shore boroughs that historically anchored the Deal Lake corridor — and in 2017 they collectively ended their sending-receiving relationship with Asbury Park Public Schools, redirecting students to West Long Branch K-8 + Shore Regional HS. The three boroughs are sometimes lumped together in casual conversation, but the tax math and structural features differ meaningfully:

Allenhurst vs Deal: The Oceanfront Premium Decision

Allenhurst and Deal are immediate oceanfront neighbors, with Deal directly to the north. Both are tiny premium boroughs, both run extraordinarily low effective rates, both anchor at the top of Monmouth’s average bill table. For premium oceanfront buyers, the Allenhurst vs Deal decision is the most common comparison — and most often misunderstood. Here is the data:

Two structural takeaways. First: Allenhurst is the open-market oceanfront play, with a publicly transparent listing inventory, while Deal’s transactions are dominated by the Syrian Sephardic community network and a substantial off-market deal flow that most buyers never see. Second: Allenhurst’s NJ Transit station means daily commuters have direct rail access to Manhattan; Deal does not. For Deal’s specific market dynamics, see our Deal NJ Real Estate 2026 deep dive — the borough’s off-market transaction culture is the central operating reality. For Allenhurst buyers, the practical implication: the inventory is searchable, the comps are public, and the appeal math is fully transparent.

▸ Anthony’s Take

“Deal is closed market. Allenhurst is open market. That’s the operative distinction. A buyer who walks into Deal without community ties is going to see a curated subset of inventory. The same buyer in Allenhurst sees everything that’s available, with full price history transparency. For sophisticated buyers who want to know they’re seeing the whole picture, Allenhurst is the answer to the oceanfront question.”

— Anthony Licciardello, Broker, The Prodigy Team

How Your Allenhurst Tax Bill Is Built

An Allenhurst property tax bill combines five independently authorized levies summing to the $0.567 general rate certified for 2025:

Allenhurst Borough Municipal Levy (2025: ~$0.388 per $100). Funds Borough government — police, fire/EMS, public works, recreation, and administration under the Walsh Act Board of Commissioners structure. Mayor Frieda O. Adjmi and the Board of Commissioners set the annual budget. Roughly 68 percent of the total bill — the highest municipal share among Monmouth’s premium municipalities. The reason: full-service borough operations spread over only 472 residents and 0.28 square miles.

Allenhurst K-8 School Levy (2025: $0.028 per $100). Total school levy of $348,900 for the entire 2025-26 budget. Allenhurst has no district schools of its own — students are sent to West Long Branch K-8 (Betty McElmon Elementary PK-4, Frank Antonides School 5-8) on a tuition basis under a sending-receiving relationship. Roughly 13-14 total students from the borough are sent each year. This is the smallest school component as a percentage of any premium Monmouth municipality.

Shore Regional High School District Levy. Allenhurst students attend Shore Regional High School in West Long Branch (grades 9-12, Niche A-minus). The regional levy is apportioned across all sending municipalities (West Long Branch, Monmouth Beach, Sea Bright, Interlaken, Loch Arbour, Oceanport, and Allenhurst).

Monmouth County Levy + Library + Open Space. County-level apportionment based on Allenhurst’s equalized value share of the total Monmouth County base.

The remaining components include county open space, county health, and very small statutory items.

The 2024-2025 Director’s Ratio Swing

The Director’s Ratio is the state-certified relationship between aggregate assessed value and aggregate true market value for a municipality. When the ratio is at 100, assessments reflect current market value exactly. When the ratio is below 100, assessments are running behind market — the lower the ratio, the more assessments lag.

Allenhurst’s Director’s Ratio moved from 79.71 (2024 final) to 90.93 (2025 final) — an 11.22 point swing in a single year. Per the NJ Treasury Table of Equalized Valuations dated October 1, 2025, the borough’s aggregate assessed valuation of $1.24 billion corresponds to a true value of approximately $1.37 billion, producing the 90.93 ratio. Three implications for taxpayers:

Chapter 123 corridor tightens. The statutory band for appealability under Chapter 123 of the Laws of 1973 narrows as the ratio approaches 100. At 79.71 in 2024, the corridor allowed meaningful room for appeals based on assessment-to-value discrepancies. At 90.93 in 2025, the corridor is tighter — meaning fewer properties qualify for statutory relief on ratio grounds alone.

Equalization shift affects shared levies. The Monmouth County, Shore Regional HS, and West Long Branch K-8 levies are apportioned across sending/sharing municipalities based on equalized property value share. When Allenhurst’s ratio recalibrates upward, the equalized valuation moves correspondingly — meaning Allenhurst’s share of these shared levies adjusts for the 2026 budget year.

2026 assessment postcards will reflect tighter calibration. Owners of properties that have appreciated significantly may see assessment increases that match or approach actual market gains. Owners of properties that have not changed in character but have benefited from neighborhood appreciation may also see meaningful increases. Pull the November 2025 postcard and compare against your block-level comparable sales before the January 15 appeal deadline.

The Allenhurst-Interlaken-Loch Arbour School Exit

In 2017, Allenhurst became the third small borough in the Deal Lake corridor to end its sending-receiving relationship with Asbury Park Public Schools. Interlaken left first in 2014. Loch Arbour followed in 2017. Allenhurst joined that same year. All three now send K-8 students to West Long Branch Public Schools (Betty McElmon Elementary PK-4, Frank Antonides School 5-8) and high school students to Shore Regional High School — both operating on a tuition basis.

The structural significance: Allenhurst, with only 13-14 K-8 students total, operates a Board of Education that exists primarily to manage tuition contracts and oversee the borough’s participation in the Shore Regional district. The Long Branch BOE provides shared services support including the School Business Administrator (per the 2025-26 User Friendly Budget Summary, this saves Allenhurst approximately $35,000 annually).

For 2026, the structural significance for taxpayers: the school component of the bill remains tiny in absolute and relative terms. With only $348,900 in total school levy across the entire borough budget, any single student’s tuition or special education cost is meaningful at the margin — but the overall school-component math protects the residential rate from the kind of pressure that K-12 in-district school operations create in larger municipalities.

The Allenhurst Historic District and the Inventory Premium

The Allenhurst Residential Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The borough was developed primarily between 1895 and 1925 as a resort community for New York and Philadelphia families, with architectural inventory dominated by:

Late Victorian and Colonial Revival estates on tree-lined Main Street and ocean blocks — many National Register-contributing structures with original woodwork, leaded glass, and period detailing.

Allenhurst Beach Club — a private oceanfront facility that anchors the borough’s social and recreational profile.

Centennial Park, the Colonnade, and Memorial Gardens on Main Street — civic amenities maintained in part by the Allenhurst Garden Club, an active civic organization that supports the borough’s preservation aesthetic.

From a tax-base perspective, the Historic District designation provides preservation protection that constrains the inventory base — existing structures are largely protected from demolition, and new construction is limited. This structurally protects the residential character that drives the borough’s premium pricing. The "Crackup" and "The L" beach groins on the oceanfront are landmark features that anchor the local geographic identity.

Appeal Deadlines and the $1M Tax Court Option

Allenhurst uses Monmouth County’s alternative appeal calendar under the ADP. For why Monmouth runs differently from the rest of New Jersey, see our complete explainer on the ADP framework, the January 15 deadline, and the seven non-ADP towns. Two deadlines apply:

January 15 — for properties assessed under $1 million in true value. Filed with the Monmouth County Board of Taxation. Assessment postcards arrive in late November.

April 1 — for properties assessed over $1 million in true value. May file directly with the New Jersey Tax Court. Given that essentially all Allenhurst inventory exceeds $1M, the Tax Court route is the strategically relevant option for most appeals.

The 2025 ratio swing changes appeal economics materially. With the Director’s Ratio now at 90.93, the Chapter 123 corridor is tighter than it was a year ago. For appeals seeking statutory relief on ratio-mismatch grounds alone, the math is more constrained. For appeals based on direct comparable-sales evidence showing over-assessment of the specific property, the analysis is unchanged.

For Allenhurst properties carrying tax bills above $18,000 — which describes the majority of the borough’s inventory — the premium-market appeal playbook walks through direct Tax Court filing, contingency-fee attorney economics, the appraiser ROI threshold, and the Freeze Act. For county-board mechanics, see the full NJ appeal playbook.

The Mansion Tax and Closing-Table Math

Allenhurst sales are essentially all above $1 million, meaning the New Jersey Realty Transfer Fee changes adopted under the FY2026 Appropriations Act on July 10, 2025 are squarely material to every closing. The legacy 1 percent Mansion Tax was replaced with a graduated rate applied to the entire sale price. On a $3M Allenhurst sale, the difference between legacy and new structure can run into five figures of additional closing cost. Sellers should model the new RTF tier structure into the listing strategy from the earliest pricing conversation.

The full breakdown of the 2025–2026 Realty Transfer Fee structure walks through the new graduated tiers and the pricing-cliff effects near each threshold boundary. For the complete closing-process walkthrough, see the 2026 NJ real estate closing process timeline.

Allenhurst has no PILOT or tax abatement structures. For contrast on how PILOTs reshape effective rates in other Monmouth municipalities, see how Long Branch Pier Village condos operate under PILOT.

Tax Relief Programs Available to Allenhurst Homeowners

$250 Veteran Deduction + $250 Senior Citizen / Disabled Persons Deduction available under state income guidelines.

100% Disabled Veteran Property Tax Exemption. Full exemption on the primary residence for honorably discharged veterans with 100% service-connected permanent disability.

Active Military Service Property Tax Deferment. Defers payment during deployment.

At the state level: ANCHOR, Senior Freeze, and Stay NJ. Stay NJ reimburses 50 percent of property taxes for eligible homeowners age 65+, capped at $13,000 with a 2024 cap of $6,500. For Allenhurst’s retiree demographic — meaningful share of the year-round population per industry estimates — the combination of state programs and the low effective rate makes long-term carrying cost exceptionally favorable. Our analysis of NJ towns with the lowest property taxes places Allenhurst in the company of the lowest-effective-rate Monmouth municipalities.

The 2026 Budget Watch

Four items worth monitoring on the 2026 Allenhurst budget cycle:

Allenhurst K-8 BOE 2026-27 budget. With $348,900 in total levy for 2025-26 and tuition costs at West Long Branch driving the underlying spend, a small change in enrollment or special education caseload can move the levy meaningfully. Watch the spring 2026 budget hearings.

Shore Regional High School 2026-27 budget. Allenhurst’s share is apportioned across the seven sending municipalities based on equalized value shares. Watch for Allenhurst’s share shift if its 90.93 ratio holds while other sending municipalities recalibrate differently.

Borough Commissioners’ 2026 municipal budget. The 68% municipal component is the dominant component — Watch the Commissioners’ budget hearings in early 2026 for trajectory.

Continued ratio recalibration. With the Director’s Ratio at 90.93 in 2025, watch the 2026 ratio update from the Monmouth County Board of Taxation in fall 2026 for whether the recalibration continues toward 100.

For broader context on Monmouth County new construction in 2026, see our 2026 Monmouth County new construction inventory.

▸ Anthony’s Take

“The Allenhurst ratio swing is the most important 2026 data point in the borough. From 79.71 to 90.93 is not noise — that’s the state recalibrating assessments toward current market value. Buyers shopping Allenhurst in 2026 should expect the November postcard to reflect a more aggressive valuation than 2024 owners are used to. Sellers should price into that reality. And taxpayers considering an appeal should know the Chapter 123 corridor is narrower now than it was last year.”

— Anthony Licciardello, Broker, The Prodigy Team

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the 2025 property tax rate in Allenhurst Borough, NJ?

The 2025 general tax rate in Allenhurst is $0.567 per $100 of assessed value, certified by the Monmouth County Board of Taxation. The 2025 effective tax rate is 0.528% — the 5th-lowest in Monmouth County and below the New Jersey statewide median of 1.89%.

What is the average property tax bill in Allenhurst?

The 2024 average residential property tax bill in Allenhurst was $21,877 per the NJ DCA MOD-IV Average Residential Tax Report — the 3rd-highest among Monmouth County’s 53 municipalities, behind only Deal ($23,294) and Rumson ($22,890). The bill is high because home values are high, not because the rate is aggressive — the rate is in fact among the lowest in Monmouth.

Where do Allenhurst kids go to school?

West Long Branch Public Schools (Betty McElmon Elementary PK-4, Frank Antonides School 5-8) for K-8, and Shore Regional High School for grades 9-12. Both arrangements operate on a tuition basis under sending-receiving relationships. The relationship with West Long Branch and Shore Regional began in 2017 after Allenhurst ended its previous arrangement with Asbury Park Public Schools.

What changed about Allenhurst’s Director’s Ratio?

The Director’s Ratio (the state-certified relationship between assessed value and true market value) moved from 79.71 in 2024 to 90.93 in 2025 — an 11.22-point increase. The recalibration brings Allenhurst assessments closer to current market value and tightens the Chapter 123 statutory appeal corridor for the 2026 tax year.

How does Allenhurst compare to Deal for property taxes?

Both are tiny oceanfront premium boroughs with extraordinarily low effective rates. Deal runs slightly lower (0.435% vs Allenhurst’s 0.528%) on slightly higher absolute average bills ($23,294 vs $21,877). The structural distinction: Allenhurst is open market with publicly transparent inventory, while Deal’s transactions are heavily dominated by the Syrian Sephardic community network with substantial off-market deal flow. Allenhurst also has an in-borough NJ Transit station; Deal does not.

When is the Allenhurst tax appeal deadline?

January 15 of the tax year for properties assessed under $1 million in true value. April 1 of the tax year for properties assessed over $1 million in true value (filed directly with the New Jersey Tax Court). Given Allenhurst’s near-universal $1M+ inventory, the Tax Court route is the relevant option for most properties.

Does Allenhurst have any PILOT properties or tax abatements?

No. Allenhurst has not designated any current redevelopment zones under N.J.S.A. 40A:20. Every residential property in the borough pays the standard general tax rate against its full assessed value.

Written by

Anthony Licciardello

Broker, The Prodigy Team · (718) 873-7345