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

Chapter 142 of the Stafford Township Code sets decibel limits in Tables I and II, but § 142-6C opens with "Notwithstanding the provisions of Tables I and II," so the music standards apply without a meter reading. Three paragraphs cover amplified music. Under § 142-6C(6), personal or commercial vehicular music amplification or reproduction equipment cannot be plainly audible at a residential property line between 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. Under § 142-6C(7), personal vehicular music amplification equipment cannot be plainly audible at a distance of 50 feet in any direction from the operator between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. Under § 142-6C(8), self-contained, portable, hand-held music or sound equipment on a public space or public right-of-way follows the same 50 foot daytime test, and between 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. its sound cannot be plainly audible by any person other than the operator.

The bass is what makes the standard workable. Section 142-2 defines "plainly audible" as any sound that can be detected by a person using his or her unaided hearing faculties. For a portable or personal vehicular sound device, the definition adds that detecting the rhythmic bass component of the music is sufficient to verify plainly audible sound, and the noise control officer need not determine the title, specific words or the artist performing the song. A subwoofer that thumps at the property line or at 50 feet therefore breaks the rule even when the lyrics cannot be understood.

A noise control officer is a certified Stafford Township police officer or code enforcement officer, or a certified employee of a local, county or regional health agency (§ 142-2, § 142-4A). The chapter also prints Table II, Maximum Permissible Octave Band Sound-Pressure Levels in Decibels, at its end, but the plainly audible tests above do not depend on it.