Noise Ordinances in Cherry Hill, NJ

If you live in Cherry Hill or are thinking about moving there, noise ordinances are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Cherry Hill has 6 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of noise ordinances, and some of them might surprise you.

Barking Dogs

Cherry Hill Township Code § 8-2.12 makes it unlawful to own, keep or harbor a dog whose barking creates a noise disturbance across a residential property line, defining a violation as continual barking for ten minutes or intermittent barking for thirty minutes unless the dog was provoked.

Key details: Bright-line test: 10 min continual or 30 min intermittent. Defense: Provoked barking is exempt. Maximum penalty: $100 fine, up to 90 days. Enforcing officer: Township Animal Control Officer. Governing section: § 8-2.12, Chapter 8.

Section 8-2.22d groups §§ 8-2.11 through 8-2.17 under one penalty clause: a violation carries a fine of up to $100.00, imprisonment for up to ninety days, or both, at the Municipal Court's discretion. There is no separate bureau schedule specific to barking, so the case is heard in Municipal Court.

Quiet Hours

Cherry Hill Township's Noise Control ordinance bars exterior radios, TVs, musical instruments and similar sound devices outside the hours of 8:00 a.m. to dusk or 8:00 p.m., whichever comes first, under Section 5-1.6.b. The same curfew window governs loading, construction, model vehicles and power equipment elsewhere in Section 5-1.6.

Key details: Quiet hours: 8:00 p.m./dusk to 8:00 a.m.. Governing section: § 5-1.6.b, Noise Control. Trash pickup floor: Not before 7:00 a.m.. Variation fee: $50, capped at 10 days. Enforcement: Police or Community Development.

A curfew violation is enforced under Section 5-1.9: police, Community Development, or the Building Code Department can issue a summons carrying the Section 1-5 General Penalty of up to a $2,000 fine, 90 days' imprisonment, or 90 days' community service, and a repeat violation within one year draws an added fine. Officials may substitute an abatement order for a summons unless the violation was willful or knowing.

Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound

Cherry Hill Township bans outdoor loudspeakers and PA systems whose sound is plainly audible at the property line or on a public way unless the operator holds a permit. Section 5-1.6.c gives the Planning Board and Zoning Board authority to restrict and grant those permits under the Township's Noise Control ordinance.

Key details: Permit authority: Planning Board and/or Zoning Board. Trigger: Sound audible at property line. Variation fee: $50, max 10 days. Enforcement: Police or Camden Co. Health Dept.. Max penalty: $2,000 fine or 90 days.

Running exterior loudspeakers or amplified sound without Planning Board or Zoning Board approval is a summonsable offense under Section 5-1.9, issued by police, Community Development, or the Building Code Department, punishable under the Township's Section 1-5 General Penalty: up to a $2,000 fine, 90 days' imprisonment, or 90 days' community service. Officials may also order the equipment shut down or issue an abatement order in lieu of a summons, except where the violation is willful.

Compared to other cities, Cherry Hill takes a harder line on amplified music & outdoor sound. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Vehicle Noise

Cherry Hill Township requires every gas-powered vehicle to run with a working muffler and bans revving engines, under Section 5-1.6.l of its Noise Control ordinance. The ordinance also separately bars motor vehicle racing outside an approved track and restricts vehicle-mounted loudspeakers.

Key details: Muffler required: On every gas-powered vehicle. Revving: Explicitly banned. Governing section: § 5-1.6.l, Noise Control. Racing: Barred off an authorized track (§5-1.6.i). Max penalty: $2,000 fine or 90 days.

Operating a gas-powered vehicle without a working muffler, or revving its engine, is a summonsable offense under Section 5-1.9, issued by Cherry Hill Police as Noise Control Officers, and punishable under Section 1-5's General Penalty: up to a $2,000 fine, 90 days' imprisonment, or 90 days' community service, with an added fine for a repeat violation within one year.

Construction Hours

Cherry Hill Township limits construction, repair, excavation and demolition noise to weekdays 7:00 a.m. to dusk or 8:00 p.m., and weekends 8:00 a.m. to dusk or 8:00 p.m., under Section 5-1.6.g of its Noise Control ordinance. Work outside those hours requires a permit.

Key details: Weekday hours: 7:00 a.m. to dusk/8:00 p.m.. Weekend hours: 8:00 a.m. to dusk/8:00 p.m.. Governing section: § 5-1.6.g, Noise Control. After-hours option: Permit of variation, $50 fee. Max penalty: $2,000 fine or 90 days.

Construction noise outside the permitted hours is enforceable by summons under Section 5-1.9, issued by police, Community Development, or the Building Code Department, and punishable under Section 1-5's General Penalty: up to a $2,000 fine, 90 days' imprisonment, or 90 days' community service. Officials can order the work stopped through a cease-and-desist or abatement order instead of, or in addition to, a summons.

Leaf Blower Rules

Cherry Hill Township confines outdoor power tools, including leaf blowers, saws, and other garden equipment, to 8:00 a.m. through dusk or 8:00 p.m. in residential zones, under Section 5-1.6.k of its Noise Control ordinance. There is no separate gas-versus-electric distinction; the time window covers all of it.

Key details: Allowed hours: 8:00 a.m. to dusk/8:00 p.m.. Applies in: Residential zones. Governing section: § 5-1.6.k, Noise Control. Gas vs. electric: No distinction in the code. Max penalty: $2,000 fine or 90 days.

Running a leaf blower or other yard power tool outside the 8:00 a.m. to dusk/8:00 p.m. window in a residential zone is enforceable by summons under Section 5-1.9, issued by police, Community Development, or the Building Code Department, and punishable under Section 1-5's General Penalty of up to a $2,000 fine, 90 days' imprisonment, or 90 days' community service.

The Bottom Line

Cherry Hill's noise ordinances rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Cherry Hill is broadly strict or permissive.

Keep in mind that Cherry Hill can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.