Newark, NJ Public Conduct: Aggressive Panhandling (2026)

4 makes it unlawful to beg, panhandle or solicit any other person in an aggressive manner, and lets a police officer who observes the conduct order the person to stop, issuing a summons if they refuse. 3 defines 'aggressive manner' with twelve specific triggers, including continuing to solicit after a negative response, blocking or interfering with a pedestrian or vehicle's safe passage, touching another person or their property without consent, using violent or threatening language or gestures, following the person being solicited, soliciting someone who is stationary such as waiting in a ticket line, and soliciting within 25 feet of the entrance or parking area of a bank, ATM, check-cashing business, mass transit facility or stop, public restroom, pay phone, theater or place of public assembly, or of an outdoor seating area of a cafe or restaurant.

It also separately bans soliciting any person in public after dark, defined as from one-half hour before sunset to one-half hour after sunrise. 1, are explicit that the ordinance is meant to be a narrowly tailored time-place-manner regulation that leaves peaceful begging, solicitation and picketing protected as First Amendment activity; it targets only the coercive or intimidating conduct layered on top of a request for money.