Long Branch, NJ Public Conduct: Public Marijuana Use (2026)
Key Facts
- Banned acts
- Smoking, vaping, or otherwise consuming cannabis
- Covered public places
- Streets, parking lots, parks, beaches, boardwalk
- Also covers
- Any vehicle on those public ways
- Adopted
- 12-8-2021, Ord. No. 22-21
- Default penalty
- Up to $2,000 fine or 90 days jail
Summary
Long Branch bans smoking, vaping or otherwise consuming cannabis anywhere on public streets, sidewalks, parking lots, parks, beaches or the boardwalk, and in any vehicle traveling those same public places. The rule sits inside the city's cannabis licensing chapter.
D. Prohibition of certain activities. It is hereby established that no person shall smoke, vape or otherwise consume any cannabis products on a public street, highway, avenue, alley or road of the City; or upon any public or quasi-public parking lots or garages or any other parking facilities in the City; or on any public grounds, parks, sidewalks, beaches, marine basins, beachfronts or boardwalks, promenade or quasi-public areas; or in any automobile, or other vehicle or in any other means of transportation on the public streets, highways, alleys, avenues, grounds, sidewalks, beaches, parks, marine basins, beachfronts or boardwalks, promenade or quasi-public areas in the City.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4904719; v48 updated 2026-06-10; through 06-10-2026).
Full Breakdown
City of Long Branch Code § 104-1(D) bans consuming cannabis in public across the entire city, going well beyond the beach and boardwalk this seashore resort is known for. The prohibition names streets, highways, avenues, alleys and roads; public and quasi-public parking lots, garages and other parking facilities; public grounds, parks, sidewalks, beaches, marine basins, beachfronts, boardwalks, promenades and quasi-public areas; and any automobile or other vehicle traveling any of those same public places. Smoking, vaping and 'otherwise' consuming are all covered, so the ban reaches edibles and vape pens, not just lit cannabis.
Long Branch adopted the ban December 8, 2021 by Ordinance No. 22-21, as part of the same chapter that caps cannabis business licenses at one per class, § 104-1(A), and buffers Class 5 retailers 1,000 feet from schools, parks and houses of worship, § 104-1(B). Because the ban sits in the licensing chapter rather than the disorderly-conduct or public-nuisance code, it applies to residents and visitors alike, including tourists on the boardwalk and beachfront during the summer season the city's beach patrol works; a violation there is treated the same as one on an inland public street. '
Violations & Fines
Chapter 104 does not set its own fine for public consumption. A violation defaults to Long Branch's general penalty section, City of Long Branch Code § 1-16: a fine of up to $2,000, up to 90 days imprisonment, up to 90 days of community service, or a combination, at the Municipal Court Judge's discretion, with each day of a continuing violation counted separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I smoke marijuana on the Long Branch boardwalk?
Is vaping cannabis in a parked car legal in Long Branch?
What happens if someone is caught consuming cannabis in public in Long Branch?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Long Branch
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