Bergenfield, NJ Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)

Bergenfield's open-container law sits in Chapter 87, Article II, "Consumption in Public," adopted by Ordinance No. 1149 in 1980. Section 87-9 forbids consuming alcohol, or possessing any open container with unconsumed alcohol in it, on public streets, sidewalks, parks, alleyways, recreation areas open to the public (public or private), roadways, pathways, playgrounds, outdoor facilities, or shopping plazas, at any hour of the day or night. Section 87-10 extends the same ban to automobiles, whether parked or in motion, on Borough streets, parking lots open to the public, Board of Education properties, parks, and shopping plazas; a sealed container locked in the trunk or a separate storage area is the only exception.

Neither section applies to alcohol lawfully in transit under federal or state authority, or carried in a closed container not readily accessible for drinking. Section 87-11 lets the Borough Clerk issue a special permit, on the recommendation of the Police Chief, allowing supervised public drinking at designated events; the permit must specify the hours, the exact location, and cleanup and container-disposal terms so minors cannot get at leftover alcohol. Article IV, adopted in 2000, layers a parallel, harsher scheme onto underage drinkers: Section 87-16 bars anyone under 21 from possessing or consuming alcohol in the same public places, in a car, or on private property without the owner's permission, and Section 87-19 sets escalating fines of $250 for a first offense and $350 for repeat offenses, plus a possible six-month license suspension reported to the Division of Motor Vehicles.