Monroe Township (Gloucester County), NJ Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)

The loitering language in the Monroe Township Code sits in Chapter 118, Article II, Juveniles and Parental Responsibility, added 12-10-2025 by Ord. No. O:32-2025. Section 118-3 is titled Enumeration of offenses and lists offenses against the public peace, safety, and morals, "whether during or outside curfew hours." That wording means a listed offense is not tied to the curfew window.

Three entries bear on loitering and obstruction. Item (21) names loitering in groups of three or more on any public streets, highways, or alleys. Item (22) names loitering or destruction or defacing of public property owned by the governments of the Township, county, or state. Item (11) names idly roaming the streets at night. Related entries in the same list cover destruction of playground equipment and public parks, consumption of alcoholic beverages on a public street, drunkenness and begging.

The list is written about a minor's conduct, using "his or her" and "said child," and Section 118-2 defines a minor as an individual under the age of 18 years. Public place is defined broadly to include a public street, road, thoroughfare, sidewalk, bridge, plaza, park, recreation or shopping area, public transportation facility, parking lot, or other public building, structure, or area. The Township Council did not adopt a separate adult loitering section in the chapter printed in the Code.

Parents carry exposure too. Section 118-5 makes it unlawful for a parent, legal guardian, or other person with care or custody of a minor to encourage, contribute to, or by failure to exercise supervision cause or allow a minor to violate the article, and lack of supervision is prima facie evidence of a violation. Under Section 118-6, a parent can be summoned before the Judge of the Municipal Court of the Township of Monroe and ordered to provide supervision after the Gloucester County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court finds the child guilty of an offense within the article. A second failure exposes the parent to the penalties in the article.