Hackensack, NJ Noise from Specific Sources: Low-Frequency Bass Limits (2026)

Chapter 112 defines "plainly audible" in § 112-2 specifically with bass-heavy music in mind: the code says that when the sound source under investigation is a portable or vehicular sound amplification device, the detection of the rhythmic bass component of the music is sufficient to verify plainly audible sound, and the officer need not determine the title, specific words, or the artist performing the song. That standard lets enforcement proceed on car and truck stereo complaints, where the bass carries far beyond a lot line even when the higher frequencies do not, without requiring a sound level meter reading.

Section 112-10 turns that standard into an enforceable rule for vehicles. m. Section 112-10 opens by declaring that violations of each of its subsections shall be considered purposeful and therefore nonminor violations, which matters because nonminor violations skip the warning-notice step available for minor first offenses elsewhere in the chapter and go straight to a civil penalty assessment. A Noise Control Investigator, who does not need a sound level meter to enforce a plainly-audible standard, can write the violation on the spot once the bass is heard at the stated distance, and a Noise Control Officer can escalate with a metered measurement if the vehicle is stationary.