Piscataway, NJ Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Residential outdoor daytime limit
- 65 dB, 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
- Residential outdoor nighttime limit
- 50 dB, 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Commercial/public-service outdoor limit
- 65 dB, all 24 hours
- Indoor residential nighttime limit
- 40 dB, 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Maximum civil penalty
- $3,000 per offense, per day
- Enforcement agency
- Piscataway Township Police Department
- Governing ordinance
- Ord. No. 2025-28, effective Dec. 16, 2025
Summary
Piscataway Township caps outdoor sound at a residential property line to 65 decibels from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and 50 decibels from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Commercial and public-service properties face a 65-decibel outdoor ceiling around the clock under Township Code § 3-2.6. Police measure noise under N.J.A.C. 7:29-2 protocols, and a violation carries a civil penalty of up to $3,000 for each day it continues.
§ 3-2.6. Maximum Permissible Sound Levels. ... a. No person shall cause, suffer, or permit the operation of any source of sound on any source property in such a manner as to create a sound level that equals or exceeds the sound level limits set forth in Tables I, II, or III when measured at or within the real property line of any of the receiving properties listed in Tables I, II, or III. ... Table I: ... Maximum Permissible A-Weighted Sound Levels when Measured Outdoors Receiving Property Category Residential property, or residential portion of a multi-use property Commercial facility, public service facility, non-residential portion of a multi-use property, or community service facility Time 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. 24 hours Maximum A-Weighted sound level standard, dB 65 50 65
Full Breakdown
Piscataway's noise chapter, § 3-2, was rewritten by Ordinance No. 2025-28 (December 16, 2025) to replace the old subjective test with numeric decibel ceilings. Section 3-2.6 sets three tables. Table I governs outdoor sound at a receiving property line: a residential property is capped at 65 dB from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and 50 dB from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., while a commercial, public-service or community-service property is capped at 65 dB for all 24 hours. Table II applies the same time windows indoors, at 55 dB, 40 dB and 55 dB respectively.
Table III adds octave-band sound pressure limits from 31.5 Hz up through the higher bands, for both outdoor and indoor receivers, tightening as frequency rises. Impulsive sound, under § 3-2.6.b, cannot equal or exceed 80 dB between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., and the same 80 dB cap applies overnight unless the impulse repeats four or more times in an hour, at which point it is measured as continuous sound against Tables I and II. Section 3-2.5 requires Police Officers to measure sound under the protocols in N.J.A.C.
7:29-2, including taking indoor readings at least three feet from any wall, floor or ceiling. Section 3-2.4 assigns enforcement to Police Officers within their jurisdiction. This numeric standard sits alongside the older § 3-2.2 list of enumerated unlawful noises, which still applies where no decibel reading is taken.
Violations & Fines
Under § 3-2.7, exceeding the Table I, II or III limits draws a civil penalty of up to $3,000 per offense, and a continuing violation becomes a new, separate offense every day it persists. Before that penalty is sought, the responding Police Officer must issue an enforcement document identifying the condition or activity violated and stating whether the violator has time to correct it, per § 3-2.7.a and § 3-2.7.b.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Piscataway
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