Quiet hours in Ocean County, NJ — also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time — define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Ocean County does not have a countywide residential noise ordinance. Noise quiet-hours are set by each of the county's 33 municipalities under their own local codes. The NJ DEP Noise Control Act (N.J.A.C. 7:29) provides the statewide framework with baseline limits of 65 dBA daytime and 50 dBA nighttime for commercial/industrial sources measured at residential property lines.
In New Jersey, municipal noise ordinances must be approved by the NJ DEP to ensure consistency with N.J.A.C. 7:29. Each Ocean County municipality — including Toms River, Lakewood, Brick, Jackson, and 29 others — enacts its own noise ordinance with locally defined quiet hours. State noise regulations do not address noise between two residential properties; municipalities fill that gap with local ordinances. Typical quiet hours across Ocean County municipalities range from 10 PM to 7 AM or 11 PM to 8 AM. Municipal noise control officers must be DEP-certified to issue summonses.
First offense warning or citation. Municipal fines typically $100 to $500. NJ disorderly conduct (N.J.S.A. 2C:33-2): up to $500 fine.
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See how Ocean County's quiet hours rules stack up against other locations.
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