Noise ordinances › Jersey City, NJ

Jersey City noise ordinance: quiet hours, limits and complaints

Last updated: October 5, 2026

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Quiet hours in Jersey City

Night under Tables I and II runs 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. and applies only to residential receivers (or the residential portion of a multi-use property): outdoors the limit drops from 65 to 50 dBA, indoors from 55 to 40 dBA; commercial, public service and community service receivers have one limit around the clock (222-5.2). Table IV, for sound production devices measured inside a complainant's residence, allows a 3 dB(C) rise over the neighborhood residual level from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. on week nights and from 11:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. on weekend nights, and 6 dB(C) at all other times (222-5.3); the code defines weekdays as Monday 7:00 a.m. to Friday 6:00 p.m., excluding federal holidays, and weekends as Friday 6:00 p.m. to Monday 7:00 a.m. (222-2). Restricted activities (222-5.4): power tools, home maintenance tools and yard equipment used by a residential owner or tenant may not run from 8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. unless they meet Tables I to III, and the tables do not apply at other times (A); power tools and landscaping and yard maintenance equipment used by nonresidential operators (e.g., commercial operators, public employees) on residential, commercial, industrial or public property may not run from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. on weekdays or 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. on weekends and federal holidays unless they meet the tables (B); construction and demolition may not be performed from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. on weekdays or 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. on weekends and federal holidays unless they meet the tables, which do not apply at other times (C); and alterations or repairs to existing owner-occupied or rental dwellings, community service facilities or schools may be performed on Saturdays and Sundays between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. subject to the tables (D); emergency work is excluded from A to C. Plainly audible clocks: portable, non-vehicular music devices on a public space or right-of-way, 50 feet from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and 25 feet from 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. (222-5.4G), and vehicle music systems, the same distances and hours (222-5.5C and D). Impulsive sound may not reach 80 decibels from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.; from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. the 80-decibel cap covers impulses occurring fewer than four times in an hour; and impulsive sound that repeats four or more times in any hour is measured as continuous sound against Tables I and II (222-5.2B). Noncommercial sound trucks may operate only 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., and not on Sundays or legal holidays (222-7D(2)). Industrial businesses within 1,500 feet of a residential zone may not conduct business from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. except in an indoor, structurally enclosed area (242-11.1). Licensed entertainment has its own clock: nightclubs 65 dB from noon to 10 p.m. and 50 dB from 10 p.m. to close, restaurants 55 dB and 45 dB, seven days a week (157-3); licensed entertainment may run from noon to 2:00 a.m. Sunday to Thursday and to 3:00 a.m. Friday and Saturday at nightclubs, and to 1:00 a.m. and 2:00 a.m. at restaurants (4:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. on New Year's Eve), and where outdoor entertainment is permitted it must stop at 10:00 p.m. Sunday to Wednesday and 10:30 p.m. Thursday to Saturday (157-4C).

Decibel limits

Yes. § 222-5.2A forbids sound that "equals or exceeds" Tables I, II or III, measured at or within the real property line of the receiving property. Table I (outdoors, A-weighted): residential property or the residential portion of a multi-use property, 65 dB from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and 50 dB from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.; commercial facility, public service facility, nonresidential portion of a multi-use property or community service facility, 65 dB for 24 hours. Table II (indoors, A-weighted): residential 55 dB day and 40 dB night; commercial, nonresidential portion of a multi-use property or community service facility, 55 dB for 24 hours; Table II applies only when source and receptor are separated by a real property line and share a common or abutting wall, floor or ceiling, or are on the same parcel. Table III sets octave-band limits from 31.5 Hz to 8,000 Hz (for example, at 1,000 Hz: residential outdoors 60 dB day and 45 dB night, residential indoors 50 and 35 dB, commercial 60 dB outdoors and 50 dB indoors). Impulsive sound: 80 decibels (222-5.2B). Sound production devices (222-5.3, Table IV): measured inside the complainant's residence with the meter on C weighting, fast response, the device may raise total sound above the neighborhood residual level by no more than 3 dB(C) on week nights from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. and weekend nights from 11 p.m. to 9 a.m., and 6 dB(C) at other times. The real property line includes the vertical and horizontal boundaries of a dwelling unit in a multiple dwelling building and, on a multi-use property, the boundary between its residential and commercial portions (222-2). Measurements by a noise control officer follow N.J.A.C. 7:29-2; indoor readings are taken at least three feet from any wall, floor or ceiling, doors and windows may be closed at the investigator's discretion, all sound sources in the unit are shut off, and hallways, closets and bathrooms are not used (222-5.1). Construction and demolition are exempt from the tables except in their restricted hours (222-4C, 222-5.4C). Audibility standards sit alongside the meter: portable devices on public space or right-of-way and vehicle music systems, plainly audible at 50 feet by day or 25 feet at night (222-5.4G, 222-5.5C and D), where plainly audible means detectable by a noise control officer or investigator with unaided hearing of normal acuity, and for a portable or vehicle sound device the rhythmic bass alone is enough (222-2); animals whose sound across a property line unreasonably disturbs a resident, with five minutes of uninterrupted vocalizing or 20 minutes intermittently as prima facie evidence (222-5.4I); and loud or boisterous language or behavior tending to breach the peace where a reasonable person expects quiet enjoyment (242-11). Entertainment licenses carry separate figures that apply "notwithstanding" Chapter 222: nightclubs 65 dB from noon to 10 p.m. and 50 dB from 10 p.m. to close, restaurants 55 dB and 45 dB, measured inside an aggrieved party's premises (exterior doors and windows closed, other sound sources off) or within its property boundaries (not on City streets or sidewalks), or at any point outside the establishment at the City's discretion; the chapter states no frequency weighting, and no variance may be granted from these decibel levels or hours (157-2, 157-3, 157-10.1).

What the ordinance actually says

§ 222-5.2A: "No person shall cause or permit the operation of any source of sound on any source property listed in 223-A above in such a manner as to create a sound level that equals or exceeds the sound level limits in Tables I, II or III when measured at or within the real property line of any of the receiving properties listed in Tables I, II or III except as specified in 222-6B."

§ 222-5.3: "No person shall cause or permit the operation of any sound production device in such a manner that the sound crosses a property line and raises the total sound levels above the neighborhood residual sound level by more than the permissible sound level limits set forth in Table IV when measured within the residence of a complainant according to the measurement protocol in 222-5.1.B of this article."

§ 222-5.4C: "Excluding emergency work, construction and demolition activity shall not be performed between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. on weekdays, or between the hours 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. on weekends and federal holidays, unless such activities can meet the limits in Tables I, II or III. At all other times the limits in Tables I, II and III do not apply."

§ 222-5.4G: "Self-contained, portable, non-vehicular music or sound production devices shall not be operated on a public space or public right-of-way in such a manner as to be plainly audible at a distance of 50 feet in any direction from the operator between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. Between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m., sound, operated on a public space or public right-of-way, from such equipment shall not be plainly audible at a distance of 25 feet in any direction from the operator."

§ 222-5D: "For purposes of enforcement, code enforcement inspectors and police officers who have completed the noise enforcement certification training from the Rutgers Noise Technical Assistance Center shall have the power and authority to enforce this chapter."

§ 222-5.6B: "Any person who violates any provision of this ordinance shall be subject to a civil penalty for each offense of not more than the maximum penalty pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:49-5, which is $2,000.00. If the violation is of a continuing nature, each day during which it occurs shall constitute an additional, separate, and distinct offense."

§ 157-3A(1)(a): "Notwithstanding noise regulation in Chapter 222 of the Jersey City Code to the contrary, any entertainment under this Nightclub Entertainment License shall be restricted to a decibel level of 65 dB from Noon to 10 P.M., and shall be restricted to 50 dB from 10 P.M. to close of entertainment in accordance with § 157-4C(1), seven days per week"

Quoted verbatim from the official codified text (Code of Jersey City, New Jersey, Chapter 222 "Noise," Article I "Noise Restrictions," §§ 222-1 through 222-5.7 (added 1-25-2017 by Ord. No. 17-007, which repealed the former Article I and adopted revisions to local noise-control regulations recommended by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection; the editor redesignated the ordinance's §§ 222-6 to 222-12 as §§ 222-5.1 to 222-5.7; § 222-5D amended 9-23-2020 by Ord. No. 20-074): 222-1 findings and policy, 222-2 definitions, 222-3 applicability, 222-4 exemptions, 222-5 enforcement officers, 222-5.1 measurement protocols, 222-5.2 maximum permissible sound levels (Tables I to III), 222-5.3 sound production devices (Table IV), 222-5.4 restricted uses and activities, 222-5.5 motor vehicles, 222-5.6 enforcement, 222-5.7 severability; Article II "Sound Trucks," §§ 222-6 to 222-8 (1971 Code, readopted 9-19-1978 by Ord. No. S-128); with §§ 157-2, 157-3, 157-4C and 157-10.1 (entertainment license decibel limits, hours and no variance), § 242-11 (disturbing the peace, Ord. No. 19-047), § 242-11.1 (outdoor industrial work hours, Ord. No. 21-046), §§ 255-3 and 255-6D (short-term rentals), §§ 67-4C(3) and 67-14C(3) (pedestrian malls), § 160-1W (noise fees) and § 1-25 (general penalty). Text read on Municode (the City's code host; "Covering Ordinances through 25-054, adopted May 7, 2025 (Supp. No. 52)") on 2026-10-05.). Verified against the live code on 2026-10-05. Ordinances get amended — before acting on a specific provision, check the linked official code. This page is a plain-language summary, not legal advice.

How to file a noise complaint in Jersey City

The City's Office of Code Compliance page says: "Report complaints to the Resident Response Center 201-547-4900 or SeeClickFix form below." The Resident Response Center page lists phone (201) 547-4900, offices at 280 Grove Street (Basement) and 4 Jackson Square (39 Kearney Ave), hours "Monday-Friday; 9AM-5PM", and encourages residents to use SeeClickFix for quality-of-life reports. For police response, the Division of Police page says "Emergency: Call 911" and "Police Non-emergency: Call 201-547-5477" (contact box: "Non-Emergency: (201) 547-5477"); the City Directory lists the same number with "9am - 5pm Mon - Fri" beside the Police Department entry, while the police page itself gives no hours. Under § 222-5 the chapter is enforced by noise control officers (certified in noise enforcement; any section), noise control investigators (only sections that need no sound level meter, such as plainly audible, time-of-day and distance rules), and code enforcement inspectors and police officers who have completed the Rutgers Noise Technical Assistance Center noise enforcement certification. The Hudson Regional Health Commission, which § 222-5.6D names alongside the City, says it enforces the state noise regulations (N.J.A.C. 7:29) for fixed commercial and industrial sources under delegation from NJDEP and "does not have jurisdiction over construction noise, intra-building noise, or residential noise sources (such as loud neighbors or boom boxes)"; its page lists 201-223-1133. Sources: https://www.jerseycitynj.gov/cityhall/public_safety/prosecutor/officeofcodecompliance, https://www.jerseycitynj.gov/residentresources/rrc, https://www.jerseycitynj.gov/cityhall/public_safety/police, https://www.jerseycitynj.gov/cityhall/citydirectory and https://www.hudsonregional.gov/programs/environmental.

Step by step, with what to log and what to expect after you file: how to file a noise complaint in Jersey City. For the general playbook — documenting the problem, talking to a landlord or HOA, when 311 beats 911 — see the noise complaints guide.

Worth knowing

(1) A state model ordinance: Ord. No. 17-007 (1-25-2017) repealed the old Article I and adopted the noise-control revisions recommended by NJDEP; the Municode disposition list records an earlier version, Ord. No. 16-070, as "Denied by NJDEP 06-27-2016." Terms the article does not define take their N.J.A.C. 7:29 meaning (222-2). Internal cross-references keep the ordinance's original numbering ("223-A" for 222-3A, "222-6B" for 222-5.1B, "222-9" and "222-10" for 222-5.4 and 222-5.5), per the editor's note at § 222-5.1. (2) Two meters for music: the dBA tables at the property line, plus a C-weighted test inside the complainant's home that catches bass (Table IV). (3) Warning first for minor violations: a violation that is not purposeful, reckless or criminally negligent, by someone with no enforcement action for the same thing in the past 365 days, gets a notice of violation with up to 90 days to fix it under the state Grace Period Law; a non-minor violation brings a notice of penalty assessment of up to $2,000 if not corrected immediately, and a repeat within 365 days brings one regardless; vehicle tampering, unlabeled motorcycle mufflers and car stereo violations (222-5.5A to D) are always treated as purposeful; extensions of up to 180 days are possible; penalties are contested in municipal court and each day of a continuing violation is a separate offense (222-5.6). The general penalty in § 1-25 caps fines at $2,000 and jail or community service at 90 days. (4) Construction: exempt from the decibel tables during allowed hours, but at night and early on weekends it must meet them (222-4C, 222-5.4C); weekend alterations and repairs of existing homes, community service facilities and schools are allowed from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. subject to the tables (222-5.4D); all motorized construction equipment needs a muffler or sound reduction device. (5) Animals: five minutes of vocalizing without interruption (an average of four or more per minute) or 20 minutes intermittently (an average of two or more per minute) is prima facie evidence, and intentional provocation is an affirmative defense (222-5.4I). (6) Burglar alarms must shut off within five minutes for continuous sound and 15 minutes for intermittent sound (222-5.4F); stationary emergency signal tests must stay under 10 seconds (222-3C). (7) Ice cream and other food vending trucks may not play jingles while stationary in residential neighborhoods, only while moving (222-5.5D). (8) Sound trucks need a registration (noncommercial) or a $100-a-year license (commercial), may play only music or speech, must move at 10 mph or more, must not be audible beyond 100 feet, must stay 100 yards from hospitals, schools, churches and courthouses in use, and are banned on listed stretches of Journal Square, Bergen Avenue, Kennedy Boulevard, Newark Avenue, Grove Street, Central Avenue and other streets (222-7, 222-8, 160-1W). (9) Short-term rentals: an existing short-term rental cannot get a permit if it has had a noise ordinance violation documented by the Municipal Court within the last two years (255-3), and guests who break the noise ordinances expose the guests, the owner, the responsible party and the rental agent to fines and penalties and the permit to suspension or revocation (255-6D). (10) Disturbing the peace: loud, boisterous, threatening, abusive, insulting or indecent language or behavior tending to breach the public peace, at a time or place where a reasonable person has a reasonable expectation of quiet enjoyment, is unlawful; the factors include, among others, proximity to places normally used for sleeping or as a school, church, hospital or public library, the time of day or night, and whether the conduct is recurrent, intermittent or constant (242-11). (11) As printed on Municode, the 31.5 Hz cell of Table III for outdoor residential receivers at night reads 26 dB, while the indoor residential figures for the same band read 86 dB by day and 76 dB at night; check the adopted ordinance before relying on that cell. (12) Pedestrian malls: in the Newark Avenue pedestrian mall, amplified music or other amplified sound is not allowed within 50 feet of Newark Avenue between Jersey Avenue and Grove Street or of Bay Street from Erie Street to Newark Avenue (67-4C(3)); in the Exchange Place mall it is allowed with the applicable permits (67-14C(3)); other noise limits continue to apply in both.

Document it before you report it

Jersey City's limits are measured numbers, so a reading is direct evidence of how loud it really is. Take a quick reading with the free online decibel meter — it runs in your browser and records nothing — and check how loud your block is on the Jersey City noise map. For time-stamped measurement history you can show a landlord or code officer, the app keeps a log.