Passaic County, NJ Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)

Section 28 reaches further than an open-container rule: it bars possession, display, bringing, use, and being under the influence of 'intoxicating liquors, barbiturates or narcotics on park premises,' so a closed cooler of beer in a car trunk, an intoxicated visitor with no alcohol on them, and a bottle openly displayed on a picnic table are all covered by the same sentence. The single carve-out is event-specific and County-controlled: alcohol may be 'provided and served' only 'by permit, for events that are hosted or sponsored by the County of Passaic,' and only 'on the park premise where the event is being held', a private party or a vendor cannot obtain that permit on its own, since the event itself has to be one the County hosts or sponsors.

' Violating Section 28 also triggers the ordinance's automatic consequence for permit holders: a conviction 'shall operate as a revocation of any permit granted by the County Parks & Recreation Department without further action,' so a group with an approved picnic reservation loses it immediately if a member is convicted of an alcohol violation during the event. Enforcement runs through the Passaic County Sheriff's Department and other New Jersey peace officers under Article I, Section 1(c), with the case heard in the municipal court for the municipality where the park is located.