Business Licensing & Operations in Passaic, NJ (2026)
6 verified business licensing & operations rules for Passaic, New Jersey, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Passaic Code Chapter 70 tightly controls adult bookstores and adult motion-picture theaters: every regulated use needs Planning Board conditional-use approval and must sit at least 1,000 feet from any other regulated use, church, school, or residentially zoned area. Minors are barred from the premises entirely, and violators face jail and daily fines.
Passaic Adult Entertainment Spacing Rules
Significant RestrictionsCode of the City of Passaic § 70-3, § 70-4
§ 70-3. Restrictions and regulations. The following restrictions and regulations shall apply to all uses regulated herein: A. No regulated use may be located within 1,000 feet of any other regulated use or within 1,000 feet of a church or other religious institution or a public or private school. No regulated use may be located within 1,000 feet of any residentially zoned area. All distances sh...
Massage Establishments
Passaic requires every massage, bodywork and somatic therapy establishment to hold a permit from the City before opening, issued through the Division of Health after a background check, and renewed every year by January 1. Fees run $2,500 to apply and $500 for the license itself.
Passaic Massage Establishment Permit Required
Significant RestrictionsCode of the City of Passaic § 90A-9
§ 90A-9. Permits required. A. Massage, bodywork and somatic therapy establishment permit required. No person, firm or corporation shall operate any establishment or utilize any premises in the City of Passaic as or for a massage, bodywork or somatic therapy establishment unless or until there has first been obtained a permit for such establishment or premises from the City of Passaic in accorda...
Tattoo & Body Modification
Passaic requires a body art establishment license from the Health Division before anyone can advertise or operate a tattoo, body-piercing or permanent-cosmetics business, backed by a mandatory pre-license inspection and a $500 annual fee. The former standalone tattooing chapter was repealed in 2006 and folded into this body-art licensing scheme.
Passaic Body Art Establishment License Required
Significant RestrictionsCode of the City of Passaic § 91-3
§ 91-3. License and certificate of inspection required; fee. A. No person shall display a sign or in any way advertise or purport to be a body art practitioner or be engaged in the business of body art without first applying for and obtaining a body art establishment license for the facility from the Health Division. B. No license to operate a body art establishment shall be issued unless a sat...
Secondhand Dealers
Passaic requires a city license before anyone can operate a junkyard, junk shop, or work as a junk dealer buying and collecting used and discarded materials commercially. Applicants face a notice-and-hearing process, an eight-foot screening fence requirement, a larceny-conviction disqualifier, and $350 in combined fees.
Passaic Junk Dealer and Junkyard Licensing
Significant RestrictionsCode of the City of Passaic § 173-2
JUNK DEALER — A junk shop or junkyard keeper who also uses or intends to use one or more vehicles for the purpose of buying, collecting or otherwise acquiring junk for commercial purposes and placing, collecting or storing the same in his junkyard or junk shops. § 173-2. License required. It shall be unlawful for any person to keep, maintain or operate a junkyard or junk shop or to engage in th...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Passaic keeps vehicle repair garages and auto body work out of residential neighborhoods entirely. Code of the City of Passaic § 317-23F lists repair garages, car washes and used car lots as conditional uses only in the M-1 and M-2 industrial zones, and the § 317-10 home occupation definition doesn't include auto repair among the trades a resident may run from a dwelling.
Passaic Bars Home-Based Auto Repair
Heavy RestrictionsCode of the City of Passaic § 317-23F
Gasoline stations, auto or truck rental establishments, used car lots, vehicle repair garages and car washes. No part of the lot shall be situated within 1,000 feet, measured along the street or highway on which located, of a lot occupied by any of the following uses: A public or private school or school playground... Minimum lot area: 10,000 square feet.
Towing Companies
Passaic Code § 297-5 caps what a private towing operator may charge motorists and property owners, from $155 for a light-duty hookup to itemized storage and recovery rates, and § 297-6 sets strict conditions on trespass towing from private lots, including 36-inch warning signs and a one-mile storage-facility limit.
Passaic Towing Company Fees and Rules
Significant RestrictionsCode of the City of Passaic § 297-5
All property owners or motorists who require the services of a private towing company shall pay not to exceed the following fees: A. Towing. (1) Basic: (a) Light duty - up to 10,000 lbs. hookup: $155. (b) Medium duty - 10,001 lbs. to 16,000 lbs.: $300 per hour. (c) Heavy duty - 16,001 lbs. and above: $500 per hour. (d) Decoupling fee (if tow is not performed): 1/2 of basic rate. ... B. Storage ...
Looking for Passaic County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Passaic city rules.
Business Licensing & Operations in Passaic County →