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

Heavy Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified August 2026

Key Facts

Cannabis exception
None, anywhere in the park system
Vapes/e-devices
Explicitly covered by the ban
Tobacco carve-out
Preakness Valley Golf Course only
Enforcement venue
Municipal Court for the park's municipality
Max penalty
90 days jail or $200 fine, or both

Summary

Cannabis use, including via vape or other electronic delivery devices, is strictly prohibited anywhere in the Passaic County Park System. The ban sits in an unnumbered provision of Article II, grouped with the county's tobacco and hookah restrictions, with no exception for cannabis anywhere in the park system.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of Passaic County. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

The use of tobacco, cannabis, and hookah products, including same being used by way of electronic delivery devices, is strictly prohibited in the Passaic County Park System, except for the permitted use of tobacco products at the Preakness Valley Golf Course.

Full Breakdown

The Passaic County Park Property Ordinance places an outright ban on cannabis consumption across every county park, golf course, facility, parkway and playground the County owns, leases, maintains or controls. " The carve-out in that sentence applies only to tobacco at the Preakness Valley Golf Course; cannabis has no exception anywhere in the system, meaning the ban reaches vape pens and other electronic delivery devices as well as smoked or combusted forms. This provision sits in Article II of the ordinance between the numbered Section 45 (mobility devices) and Section 46 (electric-vehicle charging) blocks, printed without its own section number in the source document, a formatting gap that runs through several pages of this 2025 revision, but the prohibition text itself is unambiguous and stands on its own as an operative rule of the park system.

Article I, Section 1(c) routes enforcement of any park violation to the Municipal Court having jurisdiction over the municipality where the park sits, and the ordinance's general penalty clause exposes a violator to up to 90 days imprisonment or a $200 fine, or both, with a conviction automatically revoking any permit the person held for park use.

Violations & Fines

Using cannabis anywhere in a Passaic County park, golf course, facility, parkway or playground, smoked, vaped or otherwise consumed, violates this Article II provision; there is no tobacco-style carve-out for cannabis. Cases are heard in the Municipal Court for the town where the park is located, with penalties up to 90 days jail or a $200 fine, or both.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it legal to smoke or vape cannabis in a Passaic County park?
No. The Park Property Ordinance strictly prohibits cannabis use throughout the entire Passaic County Park System, including through electronic delivery devices, with no location exception anywhere for cannabis.
Does the golf course tobacco exception cover cannabis too?
No. The ordinance's only carve-out is for tobacco products at the Preakness Valley Golf Course. Cannabis remains banned there and at every other county park facility.
Who enforces the cannabis ban and what's the penalty?
The Municipal Court for the municipality where the park sits handles violations, and a conviction can bring up to 90 days imprisonment or a $200 fine, or both, under the ordinance's penalty section.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Passaic County

All Passaic County rules

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