Bergen County, NJ Public Conduct: Public Urination (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Art. III § (mm)
- Covers
- open-air relief and non-restroom indoor relief
- Fine range
- $100 to $2,000
- Max jail/community service
- 90 days
- Enforcement
- Sheriff's Office and Parks staff
- Adopted
- March 19, 2025
Summary
Urinating or defecating outside a restroom is banned everywhere in the Bergen County Park System under Article III's rule on Urination or Defecation. The prohibition covers open-air relief anywhere on park grounds and applies equally to every county park facility.
Urination or defecation in the open, or not in available provided facilities, is prohibited.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
" The provision bars the conduct two ways: relieving oneself in the open air anywhere in a county park, and relieving oneself indoors somewhere other than an available restroom the county has provided. Both branches apply system-wide, from Van Saun County Park to Ramapo Valley Reservation, and the rule does not carve out an exception for a restroom being locked, closed, or unavailable at the time. Designated Bergen County Parks Department employees and the Bergen County Sheriff's Office enforce Article III and may eject anyone who violates Section (mm) from the park, an ejection that can be extended into a seasonal or lifetime ban under Article IX.
The Solicitation, Fire, and Urination or Defecation subsections all sit inside the same Prohibited Acts article and share the same enforcement mechanism. Because Section (mm) carries no dedicated fine, a violation defaults to Article IX's catch-all penalty of $100 to $2,000, up to 90 days in the county jail or of community service, or both, with an enhanced fine for a repeat violation inside one year.
Violations & Fines
Urinating or defecating outside an available restroom anywhere in a Bergen County park is punished under Article IX's general penalty: a fine of $100 to $2,000, up to 90 days in the county jail or community service, or both. Parks staff or Sheriff's deputies can eject the violator immediately, and a repeat violation within a year draws an added fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it illegal to urinate outdoors in a Bergen County park?
What's the fine for public urination in a Bergen County park?
Who enforces the public urination ban in county parks?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bergen County
Compare Bergen County to another location·View the New Jersey public conduct overview
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