New Jersey Enacts the Nation's Costliest Data Broker Law
On June 30, 2026, New Jersey enacted a data broker law that legal analysts are calling the most far-reaching in the country. The legislation introduces annual registration fees ranging from $5,000 to as much as $1.5 million depending on how many state residents' data a company sells, and it goes further than most states by also regulating "data collectors" — companies with a direct relationship to consumers that sell data onward to brokers.
Most of the law took effect immediately upon signing, according to legal analysis published by law firm Wiley, giving companies limited time to review their compliance obligations. The one delayed provision is a public registry of data brokers and collectors, which won't be required until March 2027.
The law also amends New Jersey's existing consumer privacy statute to prohibit the sale of sensitive personal data outright — including racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, health conditions, and financial account details — a restriction that applies regardless of how many residents' data a company handles, according to reporting from Troutman Pepper Locke's privacy practice.
The law arrives amid a broader wave of state action on data brokers in 2026, following expanded registration and disclosure rules in California and new comprehensive privacy statutes in Indiana, Kentucky, and Rhode Island earlier in the year.
For consumers, the practical impact is a stronger legal basis to demand that companies disclose and limit the sale of sensitive categories — though as with most state privacy laws, exercising that right still generally requires an individual opt-out or deletion request rather than happening automatically.
Run the free DataCash Score calculator to see how your own data breaks down by sensitivity category, and see our guide on how to opt out of data brokers for the practical steps.
Sources: Wiley Law, Troutman Pepper Locke.