Newark, NJ Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)

Section 20:5-1, Refusal to Obey Order of Police Officer, in Chapter 20:5 (Interference With Police) lists acts a person may not do: congregate with others on a street and refuse to move on when ordered by police; idly remain, loiter, or refuse to move near a church or place of worship during services or as the congregation arrives or leaves, after an officer has directed them away; idly remain or loiter near a theater, concert hall, ballroom or other place of public amusement while it is open, or while the public is arriving or leaving, after being told to move by an officer; and idly remain or loiter on sidewalks or public streets generally after being notified by police to move away.

The ordinance is not a blanket loitering ban; it only applies once an officer has given a direct order to move on, and it sits in the same chapter as Section 20:5-2 (impersonating an officer) and Section 20:5-3 (obstructing officers in performance of duty), which the code notes tracks State v. J. Super. 6 (App. Div. A. 2C:29-1. Because Chapter 20:5 does not set its own fine schedule, a violation falls back to the general penalty for Title XX, Offenses Miscellaneous, in Section 20:1-1: a fine of up to $1,000, imprisonment of up to 90 days, community service of up to 90 days, or a combination, with each day of a continuing violation counted as a separate offense.