Showing ordinances that apply to Ramapo College of New Jersey, NJ
Ramapo College of New Jersey is an unincorporated community (population 2,200) in Bergen County, New Jersey. Because Ramapo College of New Jersey is not an incorporated city, it does not have its own municipal code. Instead, Bergen County ordinances apply directly to properties here. The light trespass rules below are the ones that govern your area.
Bergen County municipalities prohibit light trespass that illuminates neighboring properties through zoning ordinances and general nuisance codes. Typical standards cap illumination at 0.3 to 0.5 foot-candles at residential property lines. Hackensack, Paramus, Teaneck, and Fort Lee all address light trespass through lighting ordinances and common-law private nuisance principles.
Bergen County light trespass enforcement combines municipal zoning code standards with New Jersey common-law private nuisance doctrine. Typical municipal limits: Paramus Code §429-98.C caps illumination at 0.5 foot-candles at residential property lines; Teaneck Code §33-9.8.F uses a 0.3 foot-candle maximum; Fort Lee Code §345-19.15 requires 0.5 fc at residential boundaries; Hackensack Code §175-4.29 applies 0.3 fc at residential lines. Residential security lights must be aimed and shielded to illuminate only the owner's property. Floodlights aimed at neighboring homes violate both municipal code and NJ common-law nuisance (Sans v. Ramsey Golf & Country Club, NJ Supreme Court 1959, addressing light as actionable nuisance). String lights and decorative lighting must not create glare for neighbors or passing traffic under Route 17, Route 4, or Route 46 corridors. Holiday lighting typically has temporary exemptions (30-60 days) but cannot create actionable glare. Commercial properties on Bergen's major retail corridors (Paramus Route 17, Route 4 in Paramus/Fair Lawn, Route 46) face stricter standards with measured lumen limits at property boundaries per each town's commercial lighting schedule. Complaint-driven enforcement via municipal code enforcement officers; chronic issues may require formal nuisance litigation. NJ Right to Farm Act (N.J.S.A. 4:1C) provides limited protection for agricultural lighting in Bergen's small agricultural areas (parts of Mahwah, Upper Saddle River).
Light trespass complaint: warning and 30-day correction period. Non-compliance: fines $100 to $500 per violation (most Bergen towns). Commercial violations on Paramus Route 17 corridor: up to $2,000 per day. Repeat complaints: escalating fines. Civil nuisance suits: injunctive relief plus damages possible under Sans v. Ramsey precedent.
See how Ramapo College of New Jersey's light trespass rules stack up against other locations.
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