Hackensack, NJ Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)

on weekends and federal holidays, unless the activity can meet the sound level limits in Tables I, II or III. That last clause matters: a contractor cannot simply argue the work is quiet enough to run during the barred hours unless it actually tests within the general Table I-III limits that otherwise apply citywide; in practice, most construction and demolition equipment cannot meet those limits, which is why the curfew functions as close to an absolute bar during the restricted hours. Outside the restricted hours, meaning weekday daytime and the shorter weekend/holiday cutoff, § 112-4C separately exempts construction and demolition activity from the Tables I, II and III sound level limits entirely, so daytime construction noise is not decibel-capped, only time-capped.

Section 112-9C does still require all motorized equipment used in construction and demolition to be operated with a muffler and/or sound reduction device, regardless of the hour. Emergency work is carved out entirely from the curfew. The chapter defines emergency work as action necessary at the site of an emergency to restore or deliver essential services, such as repairing water, gas, electric, telephone or sewer service, removing fallen trees from a right-of-way, or abating a life-threatening condition or declared state of emergency, and that work can proceed at any hour.