Monroe Township (Middlesex County), NJ Noise Ordinances: Aircraft Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Aircraft flight operations
- Exempt from the § 108-5.21 noise standards
- Continuous sound limit
- 50 decibels, measured outside the lot
- Impulsive sound limit
- 80 decibels
- Chapter 69, Article I
- Covers stationary sources only
- Enforced by
- Construction Official or Zoning Officer
- Penalty for covered sources
- Up to $1,000 fine or 90 days
Summary
In Monroe Township, Middlesex County, the land development noise standards of § 108-5.21 cap sound at 50 decibels measured outside the lot, but the same section exempts the noise of aircraft flight operations. The Township Code text read for this page prints no separate aircraft noise limit.
(b) No person shall cause, suffer, allow or permit nor shall any application for development be approved which produces sound in excess of the standards listed below when measured at any location outside of the lot on which the use or source of sound is located. [1] A continuous airborne sound which has a sound level in excess of 50 decibels. ... (c) The provisions of this section shall not apply to: [1] Agriculture. ... [7] Noise of aircraft flight operations. [8] Public celebrations. [9] Public roadways.
Full Breakdown
The only local text on aircraft noise is an exemption inside the performance standards of Chapter 108. Section 108-5.21(D)(1) incorporates the definitions in the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Noise Control Regulations (N.J.A.C. 7:29-1.1 et seq.) by reference. It then bars any person from causing, suffering, allowing or permitting, and bars approval of any application for development that produces, sound in excess of the listed standards when measured at any location outside the lot on which the source is located. The standards are a continuous airborne sound level in excess of 50 decibels, octave band sound pressure levels from 86 decibels at 31.5 Hz down to 38 decibels at 8,000 Hz, and an impulsive sound level in excess of 80 decibels.
Subsection (D)(1)(c) then lists what the section does not apply to. Item 7 is the noise of aircraft flight operations. The same list covers agriculture, bells, chimes or carillons used in conjunction with religious services, emergency energy release devices, public celebrations, public roadways, surface carriers engaged in commerce by railroad, rail operations, the unamplified human voice and use of explosive devices. So a plane or helicopter overhead is not measured against the 50 decibel line at the property boundary.
The Township's separate Noise Control Ordinance in Chapter 69, Article I, applies to the control of sound originating from stationary sources within the Township under § 69-2(B), and the Health Department administers it under § 69-4(A). An aircraft in flight is not a stationary source, and the chapter text carries no aircraft provision. Enforcement of the § 108-5.21 standards for the sources it does cover falls to the Construction Official or the Zoning Officer, who can hire a qualified technician to measure sound at the violator's cost if a violation is found.
Violations & Fines
The exemption means the Township does not apply the § 108-5.21 noise standards to aircraft flight operations. For non-exempt sources, § 108-5.21(C)(3) requires every violation to be terminated within 30 days of notice or it counts as a separate violation for each following day, and § 108-14.4 allows a fine of not more than $1,000 or imprisonment not exceeding 90 days, or both.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Monroe Township, Middlesex County, limit aircraft noise?
What noise limit applies to other sources under § 108-5.21?
What else is exempt from the same noise standards?
Who enforces the noise performance standards?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Monroe Township (Middlesex County)
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