Clifton, NJ Noise from Specific Sources: Car Alarm Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Continuous-sound alarm shutoff limit
- 5 minutes
- Impulsive-sound alarm shutoff limit
- 15 minutes
- Applies to
- building and motor vehicle alarms
- Decibel table applicability
- does not apply to alarms
- Maximum civil penalty per offense
- $2,000
Summary
Clifton requires every exterior burglar alarm on a building or motor vehicle to shut itself off within five minutes of continuous sound, or fifteen minutes if it produces impulsive bursts. The rule exempts alarms from the chapter's decibel tables entirely, focusing instead on how long the noise is allowed to run.
Notwithstanding the provisions of Tables I and II, the following standards shall apply to the activities or sources of sound set forth below: ... An exterior burglar alarm of a building or motor vehicle must be activated in such a manner that the burglar alarm terminates its operation within five minutes for continuous airborne sound and 15 minutes for impulsive sound after it has been activated. At all times, the limits set forth at Tables I and II do not apply.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4963532; v64 updated 2026-07-21; through 07-21-2026).
Full Breakdown
" Because this subsection is carved out with the words "notwithstanding the provisions of Tables I and II," the chapter's normal sound-level limits in §§ 327-5 and 327-6A do not apply to alarms at all; the five- and fifteen-minute caps are the entire standard. The provision sits inside Chapter 327, Noise, adopted in its entirety by Ord. No. C. 6. A resident whose neighbor's car alarm blares for twenty minutes straight, or whose own vehicle alarm resets itself repeatedly, is squarely inside this five-and-fifteen-minute rule regardless of how loud the alarm actually measures at the property line.
Violations & Fines
An alarm that runs past the five-minute (continuous) or fifteen-minute (impulsive) cutoff is a violation of Clifton Code § 327-6B(5), enforced through an enforcement document issued by the Noise Control Officer. Under § 327-7B, as amended 8-3-2016 by Ord. No. 7310-16, the civil penalty runs up to $2,000 per offense, with each additional day of a continuing violation counted separately, and the recipient may contest the citation at a Municipal Court hearing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can a car alarm legally sound in Clifton?
Does the alarm have to be loud to violate the rule?
What happens if I report a neighbor's car alarm that won't stop?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Clifton
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