Howell, NJ Environmental Rules: Vehicle Idling Restrictions (2026)

Chapter 295 of the Howell Township Code regulates taxicabs in three articles, and the idling limit is in Article III, Taxicab Regulations, at § 295-26, Operational regulations. Subsection D says no taxicab shall remain "idling" with the engine running for more than three consecutive minutes. The Township Council wrote the rule to reach every location: any public roadway, any other public property, and any private property within the Township. A cab waiting in a store lot is covered the same way as one at the curb, and subsection D prints no exemption of its own.

The chapter defines a taxicab as a motor vehicle used to transport passengers for hire or compensation which does not operate over a fixed route and is not hired by the day or hour. That definition marks the reach of the rule: the idling limit is written for taxicabs, not for other vehicles.

Two neighboring subsections deal with waiting time rather than engine time. Subsection B bars a taxicab from stopping, standing or remaining idle on a public roadway or other public property for more than 15 consecutive minutes without the prior approval of the Township, unless the location is a designated taxi stand under Schedule XI of § 7-8. Out-of-service cabs showing an appropriate sign, and cabs parked by the owner or driver at his or her place of residence, are exempt from that regulation. Subsection C prohibits a taxicab from standing idle on commercial property as a taxi stand without the express written consent of the property owner and a proper designation by the Township. Subsection E prohibits cruising, and subsection A requires every taxicab owner and driver to be licensed under the chapter. Subsection K adds a no-smoking rule inside a taxicab while a hired trip is in progress.