How Paramus Handles Property Maintenance: A Practical Guide

Paramus maintains 70 local ordinances across all categories, and 5 of those deal specifically with property maintenance. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Paramus falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Property Blight

Paramus Chapter 339 prohibits exterior conditions that constitute blighting factors and requires owners to repair properties within 45 days of Borough notice.

Key details: Code Chapter: Chapter 339. Cure Period: 45 days from notice. Enforcement: Borough may bill owner. Applies To: Residential and nonresidential.

Failure to abate blight conditions within 45 days of notice exposes owners to municipal repair costs, liens against the property, and ongoing fines.

Garage Sale Rules

Paramus residents must obtain a Borough Clerk license to hold a garage sale, limited to two permits per household per year and three consecutive days each.

Key details: Max Per Year: 2 permits. Duration: 3 consecutive days. Fee: $15. Issuer: Borough Clerk.

Operating an unlicensed garage sale, exceeding the two-per-year limit, or running longer than three days can result in summons, fines, and order to cease.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Paramus gives residents more flexibility on garage sale rules.

Trash Bin Storage

Paramus requires watertight, covered refuse containers under fifty pounds, placed conveniently for pickup and set out no earlier than the evening before collection.

Key details: Max Weight: 50 pounds filled. Set-Out Time: After 6 p.m. prior. Container: Watertight and covered. Code Chapter: Chapter 379.

Overweight bins, uncovered containers, leaking dumpsters, or putting trash out before the evening before pickup can result in summonses and per-day fines.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Paramus gives residents more flexibility on trash bin storage.

Snow & Sidewalk Clearing

Paramus requires owners and tenants of property along public streets to clear snow and ice from abutting sidewalks within 24 hours of snowfall ending.

Key details: Clearing Window: 24 hours after snowfall. Hydrants: Must remain visible. Roadway Dumping: Prohibited. Code: Chapter 387 Art IV.

Late clearing, dumping snow into cleared streets, or burying hydrants can result in summonses, fines, and civil liability for slip-and-fall injuries.

Vacant Lot Maintenance

Paramus requires registration of vacant and foreclosing properties, including a posted twenty-four-hour contact sign and ongoing maintenance to prevent neighborhood decline.

Key details: Sign Size: 18 x 24 inches minimum. Contact: 24-hour phone required. Adopted: Ord. 19-32, amended 2022. Applies To: Vacant and foreclosing.

Failing to register, post the required sign, or maintain a vacant property may result in fines per day, liens, and additional enforcement actions.

The Bottom Line

Compared to many U.S. cities, Paramus gives residents more room on property maintenance. 2 of the 5 rules here are rated permissive. But permissive does not mean unregulated. There are still requirements, and the city does enforce them when violations are reported.

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