Perth Amboy, NJ Public Conduct: Aggressive Panhandling (2026)

The rule sits in Chapter 386, Streets and Sidewalks, Article II, § 386-3, which the Perth Amboy City Council has amended repeatedly, with the amendment history listing ordinances adopted in 2024. Subsection C(11) defines the prohibited conduct by behavior rather than by a label: soliciting money on the public sidewalk in an aggressive manner, or with conduct such as repeated begging, insistent panhandling, retaliatory comments, blocking a pedestrian's free passage, touching or yelling at a pedestrian, or confrontation or intimidation likely to cause a reasonable person to fear bodily harm or property loss. The carve-out is for charitable canvassing handled under § 317-22.

Two location rules apply to any solicitation of money on the public sidewalk. Subsection C(12) sets an eight-foot radius around every building entrance and every vending cart, and C(13) sets a 20-foot radius around any bank entrance or automatic teller machine. Subsection C(7) adds that no one can sell goods or services, or solicit funds for any purpose, in or on the public highway, except licensed vendors.

Charitable fundraising has its own track in Chapter 317, Article II. A charitable group must present itself to the Police Department at least 24 hours before canvassing or soliciting, no permit or fee is required, and canvassing stops at 9:00 p.m. (§ 317-22). Section 317-22.1 declares intersection solicitations banned within the city limits and limits coin tosses to Friday, Saturday and Sundays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with each charity capped at four coin tosses per year. On the beach, § 153-1(S) prohibits soliciting, begging or panhandling of any kind, and § 153-5 sets a fine not to exceed $2,000 per offense.

Under § 386-2, the Department of Code Enforcement, the Department of Public Works and all City of Perth Amboy police officers are authorized to issue summons for violations of Chapter 386.