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New Jersey noise laws: state decibel limits, the model noise ordinance and how to complain
New Jersey has no statewide quiet hours for neighbors. N.J.A.C. 7:29 limits only sound from businesses, industry and community facilities: continuous sound over 65 dBA from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. or 50 dBA from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., measured at or within a home's property line. Your town's ordinance, which may follow the DEP model, covers neighbors.
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New Jersey's state noise rule covers businesses, not neighbors
New Jersey has a statewide noise rule, but it does not reach a neighbor's stereo. Under the Noise Control Act of 1971 (N.J.S.A. 13:1G), the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) sets noise standards, and its rule, N.J.A.C. 7:29, "applies to sound from industrial facilities, commercial facilities, and community service facilities" received at homes, businesses and community facilities (7:29-1.2(a) and (b)). Answering public comments on the 2026 amendments, the DEP put it plainly: "The Department does not, at this time, regulate the residential property source category." It added: "Music from an adjacent home is not regulated when it is not for commercial use or when the property it originates from is not a commercial, industrial, or community service property."
Commercial facilities include shops, restaurants, offices, entertainment venues and warehouses. They also include apartment, condominium and co-op buildings of more than six units "when they are the source of the sound that is being investigated and the source of sound is a mechanical device, electronic device, or sound production device owned or operated by the commercial facility", such as the building's own air conditioning or pool equipment. Community service facilities include schools, places of worship, health care facilities, government offices and public works yards (7:29-1.1).
| Where it is measured | Time | Continuous sound | Impulsive sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| At or within a home's property line | 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. | More than 65 dBA | Maximum over 80 dBA |
| At or within a home's property line | 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. | More than 50 dBA | Maximum over 80 dBA; impulsive sound that repeats more than four times in an hour may not exceed 50 dBA |
| At or within the property line of a business or community facility | Any time | More than 65 dBA | Maximum over 80 dBA |
Continuous sound (lasting one second or longer) is read on the A scale at "slow" response. There are also octave band limits, read unweighted (dB or dBZ) at the same home property line, from 96 dB at 31.5 Hz to 53 dB at 8,000 Hz from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and from 86 dB to 38 dB from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., so a low hum can break the rule while reading under 65 dBA. Investigators measure "at or within any residential property line of any affected person" with a Class 1 or Class 2 sound level meter certified at least once a year, the microphone at least 3 feet above the ground, normally for at least 10 minutes, and not when the wind exceeds 12 miles per hour (7:29-2.4, 2.5 and 2.7). They must be certified through a DEP-approved course, renewed every two years (7:29-2.9).
The limits do not apply to aircraft, public roadways, trains in motion, the unamplified human voice, bells or chimes used with religious services, emergency work, farm work on a commercial farm with proper mufflers, motor racetracks, or a "Public celebration" such as a festival or parade "authorized by a government body" that is not for profit and open to the public, among other exemptions (7:29-1.5). A violation can bring a civil penalty of up to $3,000 for each offense, and each day it continues is a separate offense (7:29-1.7(c); N.J.S.A. 13:1G-14). A minor violation (not purposeful, reckless or criminally negligent, and no enforcement action over it against the same party in the previous 12 months) is given 30 days, or another period of up to 180 days set by the agency, to be fixed before a penalty is sought (7:29-1.7(d) and (f)).
The model noise ordinance: limits for homes and neighbors
Noise between neighbors is left to towns. A municipality, county or board of health may adopt a noise ordinance with decibel standards if it is more stringent than the state rule, consistent with the statewide scheme, and has "the written approval of the Department" (N.J.A.C. 7:29-1.8; N.J.S.A. 13:1G-21). The DEP publishes a Model Noise Control Ordinance (the current version is dated September 10, 2026) that towns can adopt without change. It covers sound from homes, apartment buildings, streets and public property as well as businesses. Towns can also use a nuisance code with a "plainly audible" test; the DEP says it does not "review or approve" those codes.
In a town that has adopted the model, these are the limits, and a reading that "equals or exceeds" the figure is a violation. Outdoor readings are taken at or within the property line of the home or business receiving the sound. The indoor limits apply only where the two homes or units "share a common or abutting wall, floor or ceiling, or are on the same parcel of property", with the meter at least 3 feet from any wall, floor or ceiling.
| Measured | At a home, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. | At a home, 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. | At a business or community facility, any time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outdoors, continuous sound | 65 dBA | 50 dBA | 65 dBA |
| Indoors, through a shared wall, floor or ceiling | 55 dBA | 40 dBA | 55 dBA |
| Outdoors, impulsive sound | 80 dBA | 80 dBA; 50 dBA if it repeats four or more times in an hour | 80 dBA |
| Indoors, impulsive sound | 70 dBA; 60 dBA if it repeats 10 or more times in an hour | 40 dBA if it repeats four or more times in an hour; otherwise 70 or 60 dBA | 70 dBA; 60 dBA if it repeats 10 or more times in an hour |
Music, TVs and other sound production devices heard inside a neighbor's home may not raise the level above the room's normal background (the "neighborhood residual sound level") by more than 3 dBC on weekday nights (10 p.m. to 7 a.m.) and weekend nights (11 p.m. to 9 a.m.), or 6 dBC at other times, measured with C-weighting and "fast" response (section VIII and Table IV). C-weighting is "more sensitive to low frequencies" than A-weighting, so it catches bass. Footsteps between units are excluded from the indoor impulsive limits.
The model also has optional rules a town may adopt. Power tools and yard equipment may not run on a home's property between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. unless they meet the limits. Construction and demolition may not run between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m. on weekdays, or between 6 p.m. and 9 a.m. on weekends (Friday 6 p.m. to Monday 7 a.m.) and federal holidays, unless they meet the limits. Portable music players on public property or streets, and car stereos, may not be "plainly audible" 50 feet away from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. or 25 feet away from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. Burglar alarms must stop within 5 minutes (15 for intermittent sound), and barking for 5 minutes without a break, or 20 minutes on and off, is evidence of an animal noise violation. Each offense can bring a civil penalty of up to $2,000, the cap in N.J.S.A. 40:49-5. Under the model, a stereo or other sound production device at a home is not a minor violation, so there is no grace period: if it is not corrected at once, a penalty notice follows (sections VIII(C) and XI(E)).
Disorderly conduct, loud exhaust and noisy tenants
These state laws apply in every town, whatever its noise ordinance. Read on November 11, 2026 from the New Jersey Legislature's statutes database.
| Law | What it covers | Class or remedy |
|---|---|---|
| N.J.S.A. 2C:33-2(a), disorderly conduct | With "purpose to cause public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm, or recklessly creating a risk thereof", engaging "in fighting or threatening, or in violent or tumultuous behavior" | Petty disorderly persons offense |
| N.J.S.A. 2C:33-2(b), offensive language | In a public place, addressing "unreasonably loud and offensively coarse or abusive language" to any person present, to offend or in reckless disregard of doing so | Petty disorderly persons offense |
| N.J.S.A. 39:3-70, mufflers | Every motor vehicle with a combustion motor needs "a muffler in good working order and in constant operation to prevent excessive or unusual noise", and no "muffler cut-out, bypass, or similar device" may be used on a highway. Motorcycles need mufflers designed for motorcycles (39:3-76.4) | Motor vehicle equipment rule (Title 39) |
| N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.1(b), noisy tenants | A tenant who "has continued to be, after written notice to cease, so disorderly as to destroy the peace and quiet of the occupants or other tenants living in said house or neighborhood" | Good cause for eviction |
New Jersey's disorderly conduct law has no general noise clause: it covers fighting, threats and "violent or tumultuous behavior" meant to cause public annoyance, and unreasonably loud abusive language aimed at someone in public. Party noise is usually handled under the town's noise or nuisance ordinance. We found no state statute that limits car stereo volume; the 50-foot and 25-foot "plainly audible" rule applies only where a town adopts it. Loud exhaust is covered statewide by the muffler law.
For tenants, the eviction law does not cover owner-occupied buildings with no more than two rental units. The landlord must first give the noisy tenant written notice to cease, and the Department of Community Affairs says a Notice to Quit must then be served "at least three days prior to filing a suit for eviction". A tenant bothered by a noisy neighbor in the same building can complain to the landlord in writing, since this route starts with the landlord's notice to cease. See also the covenant of quiet enjoyment.
Quiet hours in New Jersey cities
Quiet hours in New Jersey are set city by city and county by county. These are the places we cover, each from its own code; a place added in the last few weeks is listed without a link while we measure how its page is found.
| City or county | Quiet hours |
|---|---|
| Jersey City | 10:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. (50 dBA outdoors, 40 dBA indoors at homes) |
| Newark | 10 p.m. – 7 a.m. (50 dBA at homes); construction curbed 8 p.m. – 7 a.m. weekdays, all Sunday |
How to make a noise complaint in New Jersey
Who to call depends on where the noise comes from. For a neighbor's party, music or barking dog, call your police department's non-emergency line or your town's health or code enforcement office; they enforce the town's noise or nuisance ordinance. The DEP cannot act on a home: its rule does not cover homes, and the Act lets it inspect any building "except private residences" (N.J.S.A. 13:1G-5(d)). Call 911 only for an emergency.
For a business, factory, school, place of worship or a large apartment building's equipment, the state rule applies. It is enforced by an "authorized enforcement agency": the DEP, a local, county or regional health agency certified under the County Environmental Health Act, a town with a DEP-approved noise ordinance, or a county or town employee certified in noise enforcement (N.J.A.C. 7:29-1.1). In practice, start with your county or local health department. The DEP says "Noise investigations are complaint driven and not performed continuously", so report each time it happens, and ask whether a certified noise control officer can take a meter reading.
Keep a record of dates, times and how long the noise lasts. The free online decibel meter runs in your browser and records nothing; it is an uncalibrated estimate of about ±10 dB, enough to show 50 against 70 but not the certified Class 1 or Class 2 meter an officer must use. Turn A-weighting on for the dBA limits (dBA vs dBC) and write down the time and the session average. A dated log of repeated noise is what an officer, a landlord or a municipal court will ask for; the noise complaints guide covers what to log.
Sources
N.J.A.C. 7:29, Noise Control, NJ Department of Environmental Protection courtesy copy (readopted effective February 17, 2026, 58 N.J.R. 1193(a); amended as R.2026 d.081, effective July 6, 2026), with the DEP notices of proposal (June 16, 2025, 57 N.J.R. 1199(a)) and adoption (July 6, 2026 New Jersey Register); the Noise Control Act of 1971, N.J.S.A. 13:1G-1 to 13:1G-23, DEP copy; DEP Model Noise Control Ordinance (dated September 10, 2026); N.J.S.A. 2C:33-2 (as amended by P.L. 2025, c.59), 39:3-70, 39:3-76.4, 2A:18-61.1 and 40:49-5, New Jersey Legislature statutes database; Department of Community Affairs, "Truth in Renting"; New Jersey Noise Control Council minutes (June 2025 to September 2026). All read on November 11, 2026. This page is a plain-language summary of state law, not legal advice; your town's ordinance may differ from the model.
Is there a statewide noise ordinance in New Jersey?
Partly. N.J.A.C. 7:29, under the Noise Control Act of 1971, sets statewide limits for sound from industrial, commercial and community service facilities: continuous sound over 65 dBA from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. or over 50 dBA from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., measured at or within a home's property line. It does not cover noise from homes, which towns regulate, some with the DEP's model noise ordinance.
What are quiet hours in New Jersey?
There are no statewide quiet hours for neighbors. The state limit for business noise drops from 65 dBA to 50 dBA (continuous sound, measured at or within a home's property line) from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., and the model ordinance uses the same night hours for homes. Towns set their own hours for construction and yard work; the model's optional rules bar construction above its limits from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekdays and from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. on weekends and federal holidays.
How loud is too loud in New Jersey?
No state decibel limit applies to noise from a neighbor's home. In a town with the model ordinance, continuous sound measured at or within your property line breaks the rule at 65 dBA or more from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and 50 dBA or more from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.; inside a home that shares a wall, floor or ceiling with the source, at 55 dBA by day and 40 dBA at night. Music may not raise the C-weighted level inside your home more than 3 dBC above the background on weekday nights (10 p.m. to 7 a.m.) and weekend nights (11 p.m. to 9 a.m.), or 6 dBC at other times.
Can police ticket a loud car stereo in New Jersey?
We found no state statute on car stereo volume. Where a town has adopted the model ordinance, a car stereo may not be plainly audible 50 feet away from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. or 25 feet away from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m., and a violation can bring a civil penalty of up to $2,000. Loud exhaust is a state matter: N.J.S.A. 39:3-70 requires a muffler that prevents "excessive or unusual noise".
Can a landlord evict a noisy tenant in New Jersey?
Yes, if after written notice to cease the tenant stays "so disorderly as to destroy the peace and quiet" of other occupants or the neighborhood (N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.1(b)). The Department of Community Affairs says the landlord must then serve a Notice to Quit at least three days before filing for eviction. Owner-occupied buildings with two or fewer rental units are outside this law.
