Fair Haven is located on the Rumson peninsula along the Navesink River and is bordered by Red Bank and Little Silver to the west.

[21] Fair Haven was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 28, 1912, from portions of Shrewsbury Township, subject to the results of a referendum held on April 23, 1912.

Fair Haven has an annual Fireman's Fair during the last weekend of summer including Labor Day weekend which attracts a couple of thousand people, including noted musicians Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi.

[1][2] The borough borders the Monmouth County communities of Little Silver, Middletown Township, Red Bank and Rumson.

[39] As of the 2000 United States census[16] there were 5,937 people, 1,998 households, and 1,658 families residing in the borough.

[6] The borough form of government used by Fair Haven is a "weak mayor / strong council" government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie.

The mayor can veto ordinances subject to an override by a two-thirds majority vote of the council.

[41][42] As of 2025[update], the mayor of the Borough of Fair Haven is Republican Joshua Halpern, whose term of office ends on December 31, 2026.

[3] Members of the Fair Haven Borough Council are Council President Elizabeth M. "Betsy" Koch (R, 2027), Tracey Cole (R, 2027), Michal DiMiceli (D, 2026), Kristen Hoey (R, 2025), Andrew "Drew" LaBarbera (R, 2025) and Brian Olson (R, 2026).

[43][44][45][46][47] In February 2017, the borough council selected Christopher Rodriguez from a list of three candidates nominated by the Democratic municipal committee to fill the seat expiring in December 2017 that had been held by Aimee Humphreys until she resigned from office as she was moving out of the borough; Rodriguez serve until the November 2017 general election, when he was elected to serve the two-month balance of the term and to fill a new three-year term.

[48][49] Benjamin Lucarelli was chosen as mayor in February 2012 to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Mike Halfacre, and who left office to take a position in the New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control,[50][51] with Eric R. Jaeger in turn chosen in March 2012 to fill Lucarelli's vacancy on the borough council.

A report was prepared that proposed that on or about July 1, 2009, Fair Haven would close and move their Police, Fire and EMS dispatching over to Little Silver.

After deadlines to begin this operation were missed, dispatching of police and emergency services would be handled by the Monmouth County Sheriff's office by October 1, 2009.

[55][56][57] Prior to the 2011 reapportionment following the 2010 census, Fair Haven had been in the 12th state legislative district.

[58] Prior to the 2010 Census, Fair Haven had been part of the 12th Congressional District, a change made by the New Jersey Redistricting Commission that took effect in January 2013, based on the results of the November 2012 general elections.

[58] For the 119th United States Congress, New Jersey's 6th congressional district is represented by Frank Pallone (D, Long Branch).

[61] For the 2024-2025 session, the 13th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the New Jersey Senate by Declan O'Scanlon (R, Little Silver) and in the General Assembly by Vicky Flynn (R, Holmdel Township) and Gerard Scharfenberger (R, Middletown Township).

[85] The Fair Haven Public Schools serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.

The nearest train station is at Red Bank,[102] where service is available on the North Jersey Coast Line.