Hoboken, NJ Noise from Specific Sources: Car Alarm Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 66-22.1, added 3-1-2000 by Ord. No. R-425
- Shutoff standard
- Reasonable time after activation
- Trigger limit
- Direct physical contact with vehicle required
- First-offense fine
- $75
- Second-offense fine
- $150
- Towing liability
- Owner pays all removal and storage fees
Summary
Hoboken bars a vehicle audible burglar alarm from running longer than a reasonable time after activation and requires direct physical contact before it can trigger, under City Code § 66-22.1. Fines run $75 for a first offense and $150 for a second, with police empowered to disable or tow a vehicle whose alarm keeps sounding.
§ 66-22.1. Vehicular burglar alarm noise restrictions. ... A. General provisions and standards. No owner of a motor vehicle shall have in operation an audible burglar alarm thereon unless such burglar alarm shall be capable of and shall automatically terminate its operation within a reasonable amount of time after having been activated in the case of a motor vehicle. No audible burglar alarm on a motor vehicle shall be capable of being activated unless there is direct physical contact with that motor vehicle. ... ... D. Any person who violates any provision of this section or any rule promulgated hereunder shall be liable to a fine of not less than $75 nor more than $350. For the first offense of this section, a penalty of $75 shall be imposed. For the second offense of this section, a penalty of $150 shall be imposed. ... Each ... day a violation of this section shall continue shall constitute a separate offense.
Full Breakdown
Added March 1, 2000 by Ordinance No. R-425, § 66-22.1 governs vehicular burglar alarm noise in Hoboken, layered on top of the older § 66-22 adopted in 1992, which set a hard five-minute automatic shutoff for vehicle alarms and a $25 to $100 fine. The newer section requires only that a car alarm automatically terminate within a reasonable amount of time after activation, and it bars any alarm from being triggered without direct physical contact with the vehicle, closing off remote or motion-only triggers that fire from a passing car, wind or nearby construction noise.
A Hoboken Police Department officer may disconnect an activated alarm at any time, and under Subsection C an officer may also arrange for the vehicle's removal from a public highway when its alarm goes off in violation of the section, with the owner on the hook for all towing and storage fees that follow. The rule applies to any vehicle parked on a public highway or open parking lot, or at any other time the alarm is capable of being triggered, regardless of when the alarm was installed, so retrofitted alarms are covered the same as factory-installed systems.
Chapter 133, Noise Control, sits alongside this article for general decibel and hours-based noise limits, but the car-alarm-specific cutoff, contact requirement and towing remedy come from Chapter 66, Article III.
Violations & Fines
Anyone who violates § 66-22.1 faces a fine of $75 to $350, with the ordinance fixing $75 for a first offense and $150 for a second; every offense after that is left to the Municipal Judge's discretion, and each day the violation continues counts as a separate offense. A Hoboken police officer may also disconnect the alarm on the spot or have the vehicle towed at the owner's expense.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can a Hoboken car alarm keep sounding before it violates the code?
What is the fine for a car alarm violation in Hoboken?
Can police tow a car over a repeated alarm?
Does this rule apply to alarms installed before 2000?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hoboken
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Car Alarm Limits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle car alarm limits.