Noise Ordinances in Lakewood, NJ

If you live in Lakewood or are thinking about moving there, noise ordinances are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Lakewood has 7 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of noise ordinances, and some of them might surprise you.

Vehicle Noise

Lakewood Township's Board of Health noise code, Ocean County, New Jersey, caps street noise at 60 decibels by day and 55 at night, bans exhaust that bypasses a muffler, and separately outlaws driving a vehicle so out of repair it grates, grinds or rattles loudly.

Key details: Governing sections: Township Code §§ BH16-3, BH16-5.5, BH16-5.12. Daytime noise limit: 60 decibels (7 a.m.-11 p.m.). Nighttime noise limit: 55 decibels (11 p.m.-7 a.m.). Penalty range: $10 to $500 per offense. Exempt holidays: 5 dates, e.g. July 4th, Purim.

Board of Health chapter violations are governed by § BH1-2.2: a penalty of not less than $10 and not more than $500 per offense, prosecuted in Lakewood Township Municipal Court, with each day of a continuing violation a separate offense under § BH1-2.3. Enforcement under § BH16-7 covers State, Ocean County and Township police, special officers, code enforcement officers and health inspectors.

Barking Dogs

Lakewood Township bans keeping any dog or animal that disturbs the peace with excessive, loud or continuous barking, crying or similar noise between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. The Animal Control Officer and police enforce Code § 5-8.5, and violators face tiered fines running from $200 for a first offense up to a mandatory $500 plus community service or jail for a third.

Key details: Quiet hours: 8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m.. Enforcing agency: Animal Control Officer, Warden, Police. First offense fine: Up to $200. Third offense: $500 fine plus up to 10 days jail. Governing section: Code § 5-8.5, amended 2022.

A first offense under Chapter 5 draws a fine up to $200; a second offense costs $200 to $300; a third offense carries a mandatory $500 fine plus up to 40 hours of community service, up to 10 days in the Ocean County Jail, or both. The Animal Control Officer, Animal Warden or a Police Officer may issue a summons for barking documented between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m.

Decibel Limits

Lakewood Township caps ambient noise measured from the point of annoyance at 60 decibels between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. and 55 decibels overnight under Board of Health Code § BH16-3. Officers use an A-weighted sound level meter and average at least three readings two minutes apart to confirm a violation.

Key details: Daytime limit: 60 decibels, 7am-11pm. Nighttime limit: 55 decibels, 11pm-7am. Measurement: A-weighted meter, 3+ readings, 2 min apart. Special event cap: 60 dB with Township authorization. Holiday exemption: 5 holidays, 7am-2am suspended.

Chapter BH16 has no standalone fine schedule, so a decibel-limit violation is punished under the Board of Health Code's general penalty in § BH1-2.2: not less than $10 nor more than $500 per offense in Municipal Court, with each day of a continuing violation a separate offense under § BH1-2.3. Section BH16-8 also lets the township pursue a restraining order or injunction against a noise source that endangers residents' health or peace, on top of the fine.

Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound

Lakewood Township bans playing a radio, stereo, phonograph or other sound device loudly enough to disturb neighbors under Board of Health Code § BH16-5.2. Between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., music audible 50 feet from the building or vehicle it's playing in is automatically treated as a violation.

Key details: Nighttime test: Audible 50 feet = violation, 11pm-7am. Devices covered: Radios, stereos, phonographs, CD players. Daytime standard: 60 dB limit, § BH16-3. Penalty: $10-$500 per offense, § BH1-2.2. Enforced by: Police, code enforcement, health inspectors.

A violation of § BH16-5.2 is enforced by state, county or township law enforcement personnel, including police officers, special officers, code enforcement officers and health inspectors, under § BH16-7. Because Chapter BH16 carries no penalty section of its own, a conviction falls under the Board of Health Code's general penalty, § BH1-2.2: not less than $10 nor more than $500 per offense, with each day of a continuing disturbance a separate violation under § BH1-2.3, plus the possibility of injunctive relief under § BH16-8 for a repeat offender.

Quiet Hours

Lakewood Township's Board of Health noise code sets a decibel ceiling that tightens overnight: 60 decibels from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., dropping to 55 decibels from 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., measured from the point of annoyance under Code Section BH16-3. Radios and yelling that are plainly audible during those same overnight hours are separately banned under Sections BH16-5.2 and BH16-5.9.

Key details: Daytime limit: 60 decibels, 7 a.m.-11 p.m.. Nighttime limit: 55 decibels, 11 p.m.-7 a.m.. Overnight curfew: 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.. Penalty: $10 to $500 per offense. Enforced by: Police, Code Enforcement, Health Inspectors.

Violating the noise curfew is enforceable by State Police, Ocean County officers, and Township Police, Special Officers, Code Enforcement Officers and Health Inspectors under Section BH16-7. Under Section BH1-2.2, a conviction carries a penalty of not less than $10 nor more than $500 per offense in Municipal Court, and Section BH1-2.3 makes each day of a continuing violation a separate offense. Section BH16-8 also lets a court issue an injunction or restraining order against a device or activity that endangers residents' repose.

Construction Hours

Lakewood Township bars construction, demolition, alteration or repair noise outside 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. under Code Section BH16-5.7. Work outside that window is allowed only when public health and safety requires it, and only under a permit from the Building Inspector limited to three days at a time, renewable in further three-day increments while the emergency continues.

Key details: Permitted hours: 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.. Off-hours work: Requires Building Inspector permit. Permit length: 3 days, renewable while emergency continues. Governing section: Code Section BH16-5.7. Penalty: $10 to $500 per offense.

Construction outside the 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. window without an emergency permit from the Building Inspector is punishable under Section BH1-2.2 by a fine of $10 to $500 per offense in Municipal Court, with each day of continued off-hours work counted as a separate violation under Section BH1-2.3. A court may also enjoin the work under Section BH16-8 if it repeatedly endangers residents' repose.

Aircraft Noise

Lakewood Township exempts ordinary landing and takeoff at a licensed runway or airport from its noise code, but Code Section BH16-6 caps cruising or hovering aircraft engaged in pilot training or parachute jumping near Lakewood Airport at 70 decibels. Cruising or hovering beyond that figure, or excessive noise from repeated low circling, falls back under the ordinary noise violations.

Key details: Landing/takeoff: Exempt from noise chapter. Training/jump flights: Capped at 70 decibels. Excessive-noise test: 3 measurements in any 12-hour period. Governing section: Code Section BH16-6. Location named: Lakewood Airport.

Aircraft activity that exceeds the 70-decibel cap for training or parachute operations, or repeated cruising and hovering that reads as excessive noise on three measurements in a 12-hour period from one measuring point, loses the Section BH16-6 exemption and is enforceable under the standard Chapter BH16 penalty: $10 to $500 per offense under Section BH1-2.2, with State Police, Ocean County and Township officers empowered to enforce under Section BH16-7.

The Bottom Line

Lakewood'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 Lakewood is broadly strict or permissive.

These rules come from Lakewood's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.