Long Branch, NJ Noise from Specific Sources: Generator Noise (2026)

Section 235-2 of the noise chapter enumerates acts the city treats as loud, unnecessary and disturbing under the general ban in § 235-1. Subsection A(15), captioned 'Blowers,' reaches any noise-creating blower or power fan or any internal combustion engine, the operation of which causes noise due to the explosion of operating gases or fluids, and requires that the noise be adequately muffled with the engine equipped with a muffler device sufficient to deaden such noises. The subsection is written broadly enough to cover portable and standby generators, since a generator is a fan-cooled internal combustion engine that produces exhaust noise from repeated ignition.

The provision carries no time-of-day exemption and no carve-out for storm-related power outages, so a homeowner or contractor running an unmuffled generator during a hurricane recovery is still bound by the muffling requirement, even though the chapter separately exempts government agencies acting in connection with any emergency under § 235-7. Enforcement is handled by the Long Branch Police Department under § 235-8, and Construction Code Officials also have authority to enforce the chapter. Officers may issue a summons directly for an identifiable generator and its operator, or, if the source cannot easily be tied to one person, serve a written 24-hour notice ordering the noise abated.

Because a poorly muffled generator often runs for hours or days at a stretch, each day of continued unmuffled operation is charged as a separate offense under § 235-9B.