State v. Baker
Supreme Court of New Jersey
405 A.2d 368 (N.J. 1979)
Relevant factsFree
Dennis Baker (defendant) lived in a single-family zoned home with his wife, their three children, an unrelated woman, and her three children — nine people who functioned as an extended family, sharing meals, prayers, and household expenses — in violation of Plainfield's zoning ordinance capping single-family occupancy at no more than four unrelated adults; Baker was convicted three times for violating the ordinance and appealed to the state supreme court.
IssueFree
Whether a zoning ordinance preventing more than a specific number of unrelated persons from inhabiting a house is a valid exercise of the state's power to preserve the family character of a neighborhood.
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