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Whole house
Immunizations
New Jersey has no separate homeschool law.The school law that allows homeschooling does not mention shots.The state shot rule covers children in child care centers and schools.Colleges have their own shot rule.
You do. 1.Keep the shot record at home.2.A school, child care or college may come up later.When it does, bring the shot record or an exemption.An exemption is a paper that excuses a child from shots.
Source.
The law allows each choice below. Read what each one covers.
An exemption is a paper that says a shot rule does not apply to this person.
The state says
You do
The paper
Your own signed and dated letter asking for a religious exemption. There is no state form to fill in. It does not expire.
Source. nj.gov
You do
The paper
The shot record from the doctor's office or the health department.
The state says
You do
The paper
You do
Source. nj.gov
The shot rule does not say if one team counts; ask your board in writing what shot record or exemption it wants.
Can my child play? See the full guideThe state says. College has its own shot rule.It covers New Jersey colleges, except those that are only online.Where the student lives does not matter.Students 16 to 18 need one meningococcal shot on or after age 16.That shot guards against one kind of meningitis.Students 19 and older need it only if they are at higher risk.Degree students age 30 or younger also need the school shots, like MMR.MMR is the measles, mumps and rubella shot.Students taking 12 or more credits toward a degree also need hepatitis B.The same two exemptions work there.
You do. 1.Ask the college which shots it needs from a high school student.2.Send the shot record, a medical exemption or a signed religious letter.The college may use form IMM-53 or its own medical form.A parent or guardian may sign the religious letter for a minor.
Where. The college door in the Academic Planner
Source. nj.gov
The state says. Child care centers and preschools follow the same shot rule.Each year, children 6 months and older need a flu shot by November 30.A child without it, and without an exemption, is kept out until the shot is given.This can last through March 31.The same two exemptions work there.
You do. 1.Before the first day, give the center the shot record or an exemption.2.Each fall, get the flu shot by November 30, or have an exemption on file.
Source. nj.gov
The state says. The immunization record for each person, or the written exemption, belongs in the same folder as the rest of the school records.
You do. Keep the record, or the exemption, with everything else the state asks you to keep.
Where. Keep the records
Checked against New Jersey's own law on October 20, 2026.
Everywhere in America
Where a shot record actually gets asked for, and where it does not.
Before any shot, what federal law already gives you
This is a summary of public law, not legal advice. Requirements change, so always check your state's own page before you rely on it.
State form IMM-53, Request for Medical Exemption from Mandatory Immunization. A doctor signs it. How long it lasts: Reviewed at least once a year, and a short term exemption ends on the date the provider writes. Open the form
Source. nj.gov