Wayne, NJ Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Encampment Sanitation (2026)

This rule is a park-use provision, and it reaches only public parks and recreation areas in Wayne Township. Section 129-20(A)(22) prohibits setting up tents, shacks or any other temporary shelter for the purpose of overnight camping. It also prohibits leaving in a park after closing hours any movable structure or special vehicle that is used or could be used for that purpose, such as a house trailer, camp trailer or camp wagon. The only exception is an area designated by the Department of Parks and Recreation, with a permit issued by that Department.

Closing hours are set and posted park by park under paragraph C(1), and § 129-20(A)(9) bars parking a motor vehicle in the park from 1/2 hour after sunset until sunrise. Paragraph A(13) separately requires a permit from the Director of Parks and Recreation to erect or occupy any tent, shelter or structure on a beach or bathing area. Cleanup and sanitation duties appear in the same list: paragraph A(7) bars leaving bottles, boxes, cans, rubbish, waste, garbage or refuse in a park, and trash must go into receptacles or be carried away by the person responsible.

Paragraph E gives the Department and park attendants authority to eject any person acting in violation and to seize and confiscate any property, thing or device in the park or used in violation, and the Wayne Police Department also enforces the article. Section 129-20 itself prints no notice period before property is seized. Outside the parks, § 123-3(G) declares it a public health nuisance to put sewage, wastewater, garbage, litter, debris or other waste on public or private property in an unsanitary manner. The Health Officer enforces that nuisance rule, and § 123-6 sets a penalty of not less than $5.00 nor more than $500.00 for Public Health Nuisance Code violations. Section 123-4.2 separately bans urinating or defecating in public view, enforced by the Chief of Police.