Piscataway, NJ Building Safety: Door Locking Hardware (2026)

Section 17-2.13, originating at 1972 Code § 12-7.13, sets a specific hardware standard rather than a general lock requirement: each multi-family dwelling in the Township must be equipped "with a dead lock with interlocking vertical bolt and striker, or a minimum 1/2 inch throw dead bolt, or a minimum 1/2 inch throw self-locking dead latch" on every exterior door or doorway that leads to garage areas, public hallways, terraces, balconies, or any other area "affording easy access to the premises" (subsection a). The rule is aimed squarely at the access points most exposed to outside entry rather than interior unit doors.

Subsection b puts enforcement in Piscataway Municipal Court against the building's owner, and gives standing to bring the case not just to the Township's Construction Code Official or a designee, but to any tenant of the multi-family dwelling who alleges noncompliance, a private right of action that lets a resident push the issue without waiting on the Township. Each violation is punishable by a fine not to exceed $500, and critically the code counts violations per opening: "Each door or doorway failing to be brought into compliance with this subsection shall constitute a separate violation," so a building with several noncompliant exterior doors accumulates a separate $500 exposure for every one of them until they are fixed.