Elizabeth, NJ Noise from Specific Sources: Bar & Nightclub Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing clause
- Places of Public Entertainment
- Standard used
- Excessive/unusually loud noise
- Loudspeaker curfew
- 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. weekdays
- Enforcing agency
- Bureau of health; police
- Maximum fine
- $2,000 per violation
Summary
Elizabeth's noise control ordinance singles out places of public entertainment, including bars and nightclubs, for a ban on amplified sound: operating a radio, sound amplifier or similar device inside or outside the venue at a level that creates excessive or unusually loud noise violates the code, separate from the general nuisance-noise prohibition that covers every property in the city.
19.Places of Public Entertainment. Operating, playing or permitting the operation or playing of any radio, television, phonograph, drum, musical instrument, sound amplifier or similar device which reproduces or amplifies sound in any place of public entertainment at a sound level that creates excessive or unusually loud noise within or without such place of public entertainment; and
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 31).
Full Breakdown
020(B)(19) of the noise control ordinance addresses places of public entertainment directly, prohibiting the operation or playing of any radio, television, phonograph, drum, musical instrument, sound amplifier or similar device that reproduces or amplifies sound inside or outside such a venue at a level creating excessive or unusually loud noise. before a Sunday or legal holiday, when the device is fixed or movable inside or outside any building. A bar or nightclub operating a sound system loud enough to be plainly audible outside the premises during those late-night hours, or loud enough at any hour to be excessive or unusually loud under (B)(19), is in violation. 030 layers an added restriction where a venue sits near a school, hospital, nursing home or church holding services. 060.
Violations & Fines
The general municipal penalty, § 1.12.010, applies: a fine of $100 to $2,000, up to 90 days in the county jail, community service, or any combination, imposed by the municipal court. Each day the sound violation continues is charged as a separate offense, and a repeat offense of the same ordinance within one year draws an added fine on top of the base amount.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Elizabeth cap nightclub noise by decibel level?
What hours does the loudspeaker curfew cover for a bar?
Who do I call about a loud bar in Elizabeth?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Elizabeth
Compare Elizabeth to another location·View the New Jersey noise from specific sources overview
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