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

Chapter 122, Article II of the Bloomfield Township Code, titled Public Places, governs drinking outdoors. Section 122-16 makes it unlawful to drink, imbibe or consume any alcoholic beverage on any portion of lawn or other public grounds in the Township. The list it prints is broad: public places, playgrounds, the municipal grounds surrounding municipal buildings, grounds under the control of the Board of Education, grounds under the control of the Board of Recreation Commissioners, streets and sidewalks, and any grounds, parks and recreation areas. The section is written around consumption, so the conduct it reaches is the act of drinking in those places.

Section 122-17, added 5-19-2025 by Ord. No. 25-17, creates the main exception. The Mayor and Council of the Township of Bloomfield can adopt a resolution permitting possession and consumption in a designated public place called an "Open Container Area" at designated times, in connection with a special event, series of events or observance that the Mayor and Council authorized beforehand. That drinking must still comply with all applicable laws, ordinances and regulations. The same section states that under no circumstances does the article allow a liquor license granted by the New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control or the Township to be issued an extension onto a public street.

Section 122-18 adds a second, narrower route. At certain specific designated recreational areas, the Board of Recreation Commissioners and the Board of Education can issue a special permit for consumption at a picnic or other activity sponsored by a nonprofit corporation or organization. Anyone planning an outdoor event with alcohol in Bloomfield Township should look first to a Township Council resolution or one of those two permits. The code's former public intoxication section was repealed 7-18-2022 by Ord. No. 22-48, so the public-grounds drinking ban in § 122-16 is the operative rule in Article II.