Piscataway, NJ Public Conduct: Loud Party Ordinance (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger
- 5 qualifying calls in 60 days, 1-4 unit home
- Qualifying category
- disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, excessive noise
- Probation period
- 12 months from date of complaint
- User fee
- $300 per additional qualifying call
- Hearing officer
- Municipal Attorney
- Nonpayment
- becomes a property lien after 60 days
Summary
Piscataway's chronic nuisance property ordinance turns repeated noise and disorderly-conduct calls into a billable offense. Once a one- or two-family home draws five qualifying Police Department calls, including excessive noise or disturbing the peace, in any 60-day span, the property goes on probationary status and the owner owes $300 for every further call.
NUISANCE PROPERTY Properties on which activities occur that result in qualifying Piscataway Township Police Department calls for municipal services during any sixty-day period in excess of the number of calls listed on the schedule in § 3-29.5 are considered nuisance properties and are subject to the penalties and procedures as set forth in this chapter. ... ... b. Disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, littering or excessive noise. ... USER FEE A fee of $300 for each additional qualifying call made to the subject property within the twelve-month period following the date a complaint is issued for excessive consumption of municipal services.
Full Breakdown
Township Code § 3-29 creates a 'nuisance property' designation for addresses that consume excessive Police Department services, and § 3-29.2 names 'disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, littering or excessive noise' as one qualifying call category. The threshold in § 3-29.5 scales by property type: five qualifying calls in 60 days for a one- to four-unit residence, ten for a five- to 40-unit multifamily building or hotel/motel, and up to 40 calls for buildings over 200 units. Once the public officer, the Township Chief of Police or a designee under § 3-29.3, determines a property crossed its threshold, § 3-29.6 requires a complaint and hearing notice naming the twelve-month probationary period and warning that each further qualifying call carries a $300 user fee.
At the § 3-29.7 hearing, the Municipal Attorney sits as hearing officer and can assess the $300-per-call fee plus litigation costs and a $100 administration fee against the property owner; fees involving a specific tenant may be apportioned between owner and tenant. Under § 3-29.8, any unpaid fee 60 days after the order becomes a lien on the property, collectible like a delinquent tax lien, and the Township may also withhold or revoke municipal licenses and permits for nonpayment under N.J.S.A. 40:52-1.2.
Violations & Fines
A qualifying call above the threshold puts the property on twelve months of probationary nuisance status; every additional qualifying call in that period costs $300, plus a $100 hearing administration fee and litigation costs assessed by the Municipal Attorney as hearing officer. Fees unpaid 60 days after the order attach as a lien on the property, enforceable like a delinquent property-tax lien, and the Township may withhold or revoke the owner's municipal licenses or permits until it is paid.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Piscataway charge me for a loud party at my house?
Who decides whether a call counts as a qualifying call?
What happens if I do not pay the nuisance user fee?
Does the ordinance apply to tenants as well as property owners?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Piscataway
Compare Piscataway to another location·View the New Jersey public conduct overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.