10 rules for unincorporated Morris County, New Jersey.
Verified from official government sources
Morris County sets no quiet-hours rule. New Jersey's Noise Control Act caps residential-property-line sound at 65 dBA during the day (7 a.m.-10 p.m.) and 50 dBA at night (10 p.m.-7 a.m.). Your town enforces it.
N.J.A.C. 7:29-1.2(a)
From 10:00 P.M. to 7:00 A.M.: Continuous airborne sound which has a sound level in excess of 50 dBA... From 7:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M.: Continuous airborne sound which has a sound level in excess of 65 dBA (measured at any residential property line of any affected person).
Construction-hour limits are set by your Morris County town, not the county. Local codes typically allow construction and demolition roughly 7 a.m. to evening on weekdays, with tighter weekend and holiday starts. The state 65/50 dBA caps back them up.
Barking-dog complaints are handled by your Morris County municipality, not the county. Local noise ordinances treat prolonged barking as a nuisance; the statewide 65 dBA day / 50 dBA night caps also apply at the residential property line.
Leaf-blower hours are set by your Morris County town, not the county. Local ordinances commonly limit homeowner landscaping equipment to daytime hours and set tighter windows for commercial crews. The state 65/50 dBA property-line caps also apply.
Amplified-music limits come from your Morris County town, not the county. Local ordinances bar sound plainly audible at a residential property line late at night, backed by the statewide 65 dBA day / 50 dBA night caps under N.J.A.C. 7:29.
Aircraft noise is regulated by the FAA under federal law, not by Morris County or New Jersey. The state Noise Control Act expressly excludes aircraft in flight, so local decibel ordinances do not apply to overflights.
Industrial and commercial noise is capped by New Jersey's Noise Control Act, enforced locally, not by Morris County. Sound from a facility may not exceed 65 dBA (day) or 50 dBA (night) at a residential property line.
N.J.A.C. 7:29-1.2(a)
No person shall cause, suffer, allow, or permit sound from any industrial, commercial, or community service facility that, when measured at any residential property line of any affected person, is in excess of... 65 dBA (7:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M.); 50 dBA (10:00 P.M. to 7:00 A.M.).
New Jersey's Noise Control Act sets the decibel limits used across Morris County: continuous sound at a residential property line may not exceed 65 dBA from 7 a.m.-10 p.m. or 50 dBA from 10 p.m.-7 a.m. Towns enforce it.
N.J.A.C. 7:29-1.2(a)
No person shall cause, suffer, allow, or permit sound... that, when measured at any residential property line of any affected person, is in excess of any of the following: 1. From 7:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M.: ...in excess of 65 dBA; 2. From 10:00 P.M. to 7:00 A.M. ...in excess of 50 dBA.
Outdoor-music limits are set by your Morris County town, not the county. Local ordinances cap sound at the property line and often require an event permit; the statewide 65 dBA day / 50 dBA night limits apply.
Vehicle noise is governed by New Jersey state law and your town's ordinance, not by Morris County. State law requires working mufflers and bars excessive exhaust noise; local codes add property-line sound limits under N.J.A.C. 7:29.
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