Passaic, NJ Noise from Specific Sources: Low-Frequency Bass Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code § 193-13B(1)
- Covers
- Radios, TVs, phonographs, amplifying devices
- Test
- Creates a "noise disturbance" for a nonoperator
- Frequency-specific rule
- None: bass not named separately
- Related rule
- § 193-13B(2) bars PA/loudspeakers 10 p.m.–8 a.m.
- Penalty
- Up to $1,000 per offense
Summary
Passaic's noise ordinance targets amplified sound directly: City Code § 193-13B(1) bars operating or playing any radio, television, phonograph or similar device that reproduces or amplifies sound so as to create a noise disturbance for anyone other than the operator, the provision that governs bass-heavy stereos and speakers audible through walls or across a property line.
§ 193-13B(1) Sound reproduction systems: operating, playing or permitting the operation or playing of any radio, television, phonograph or similar device that reproduces or amplifies sound in such a manner as to create a noise disturbance for any person other than the operator of the device.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4978046; v41 updated 2026-07-01; through 07-01-2026).
Full Breakdown
" The Code doesn't single out bass or low-frequency ranges by name, but this is the operative section: a subwoofer or car stereo whose bass carries through a shared wall or across a residential property line and disturbs a reasonable person is exactly the conduct the section reaches, since "noise disturbance" under § 193-9 is defined broadly as any sound disturbing a reasonable person of normal sensitivities, without regard to frequency. across a residential property line; sound-reproduction devices under B(1) have no fixed curfew and are judged purely on whether they create a disturbance, at any hour.
Table I in § 193-12 supplies numeric sound-level ceilings by zone and time of day (for example 50 decibels at a residential property line overnight) for stationary sources, giving officers an objective backstop even when the disturbance standard is contested. Enforcement and penalties follow the same Chapter 193 framework: a Noise Control Officer measures the complaint and can issue a summons or an abatement order, and fines run up to $1,000 per offense, or $25 to $1,000 for a willful violation, with each day of a continuing violation a separate offense (§ 193-16).
Violations & Fines
A summons or abatement order issues under § 193-16A/B. Fines run up to $1,000 per offense for an ordinary violation, or $25 to $1,000 for a willful or knowing one (§ 193-16C(1)-(2)); a continuing disturbance is a new offense each day (§ 193-16C(3)).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Passaic have a rule about loud bass from car or home stereos?
Is there a time-of-day cutoff for stereo noise?
What decibel level counts as too loud?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Passaic
Compare Passaic to another location·View the New Jersey noise from specific sources overview
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Low-Frequency Bass Limits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Passaic County handle low-frequency bass limits.