Old Bridge, NJ Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)

Section 300-4F of the Old Bridge Township Noise Code specifically targets vehicular sound systems, covering both personal car stereos and commercial vehicle sound equipment. Neither may be operated so that it is 'plainly audible' at a residential property line between 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m., a standard defined at § 300-1 to include detecting just the rhythmic bass component of the music, without needing to identify the song. That nighttime, property-line-based rule is stricter than the daytime standard in the adjoining § 300-4G, which limits personal vehicular amplification to inaudibility beyond 50 feet from the vehicle between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. rather than an absolute bar at the property line.

Separately, the Code's muffler definition at § 300-1, a properly functioning sound-dissipative device that is part of a vehicle's or equipment's normal configuration, underlies the muffler requirements imposed on motorized equipment elsewhere in § 300-4, reflecting the chapter's broader concern with vehicle-related noise beyond stereos alone. Chapter 300, adopted by Ordinance No. 2010-05, lists motor vehicles among the sound sources it regulates at § 300-2A(10), and the Old Bridge Township Police enforce it under § 300-3A, with power to refer disputes requiring sound-level measurement to the Middlesex County Health Department under § 300-3B(6).

A conviction defaults to the Code's general penalty at § 1-3: a fine up to $1,250, up to 90 days of imprisonment or community service, or a combination, with each night of continued violation chargeable as a separate offense under § 1-4.