Burlington County, NJ Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)

Burlington County does not have a general loitering statute for its parks, but the Parks System Rules and Regulations give park staff a direct tool for anyone who will not follow posted rules or leave when asked. Rule 36, printed under the DISORDERLY PERSONS heading, says no person shall remain within a Parks System property who does not abide by conditions adopted and posted by the Board of County Commissioners for the preservation of good order and the protection of property. Rule 37 states that anyone who violates the Parks System Rules and Regulations will be considered a disorderly person and escorted from the park.

Rule 38 raises the stakes for anyone who refuses to comply: a visitor who refuses to leave the park upon request or demand will be considered a disorderly person and/or a defiant trespasser and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Read together, these three rules mean simply lingering in a county park is not itself a violation, the trigger is failing to follow a posted condition, such as an hours-of-operation closure, an area restriction, or a staff directive, and then failing to leave when told.

The rules were most recently amended April 23, 2025 by Resolution No. 2025-00249 to add language addressing use of Parks facilities and encampments, which speaks directly to people remaining on park property outside normal use. Enforcement rests with Parks System staff and county or local police, who can escort a noncompliant visitor out and refer a refusal to leave for prosecution under New Jersey's disorderly persons and defiant trespass statutes.