Newark, NJ Parking Rules: Curb Color Rules (2026)

Section 29:4-9 of Newark's Revised General Ordinances makes it unlawful for any person to gouge, paint, stencil, color, mark or deface the pavement, sidewalk or curb of any public street or any pavement in the City, a rule that reaches everything from graffiti to unauthorized curb markings. The section carves out one exception: painting curb and sidewalk at driveways, but only when done in a manner the Director approves, covering the common practice of painting driveway aprons or curb cuts to keep them clear. Anyone convicted under § 29:4-9 is punished as provided in the City's general penalty section, § 1:1-9: a fine of up to $1,250, imprisonment for up to 90 days, or a term of community service up to 90 days, and each day a marked or defaced surface remains counts as a separate violation.

On top of that penalty, § 29:4-9(b) requires the violator to pay the expense of restoring the pavement, sidewalk or curb to its proper condition, a cost recovery that runs alongside the fine rather than replacing it. The related section immediately following, § 29:4-10, separately bars breaking up, displacing or removing any pavement, crosswalk, curb, sidewalk, basin head, inlet or manhole head without authorization, carrying the same § 1:1-9 penalty plus restoration costs, so a curb that is painted over and physically damaged can trigger liability under both sections at once.