TRENTON, N.J.
— While New Jersey enforces hundreds of conventional laws, the Garden State also holds a surprising number of peculiar and often overlooked regulations that remain active today.
In the town of Blairstown, there’s a specific ordinance requiring that shade trees planted along streets, highways, or alleys must be positioned in a way that doesn’t obstruct air or light.
If you’re in Trenton on a Sunday, think twice before eating a pickle—doing so violates the city’s quirky “Trenton Pickle Ordinance.” The law also forbids residents from discarding bad pickles into the street.
The state’s gas stations remain off-limits to do-it-yourself fuelers. It is still illegal for anyone who isn’t a licensed attendant to pump gas into a vehicle or container. Violators face fines starting at $50 for a first offense.
Over in Haddon Township, anyone who approaches a stranger of the opposite sex in public for non-business reasons could be violating a local law that bans offending or annoying conduct, particularly if the interaction is deemed unwelcome or indecent.
It’s illegal to wear a bulletproof vest while committing certain violent crimes in New Jersey. This includes robbery, sexual assault, manslaughter, and other felonies—wearing protective gear during the commission of any of these offenses adds a separate criminal charge. In Blairstown’s neighboring towns, that might sound odd, but not as unusual as Trenton’s Sunday pickle rule.
Newark, the state’s largest city, requires that any business selling ice cream and offering outdoor seating for 20 or more customers after 4 p.m. must have a security guard present. This city regulation aims to maintain public safety but is rarely enforced in most other jurisdictions.
Selling cars on Sundays is still against the law in New Jersey. While it’s one of several states that restrict Sunday vehicle sales under so-called “blue laws,” the regulation only applies to automobiles—not motorcycles, unless local rules specify otherwise.
In a more sobering rule, anyone attempting to relocate a poor individual into New Jersey or even from one county to another without the consent of local authorities could be charged with a misdemeanor.
Under state law, it is a disorderly persons offense to sell handcuffs to minors. Police are authorized to confiscate the item if found in the possession of anyone under 18.
If you’ve had a DUI conviction in the past 10 years, you won’t be eligible for personalized license plates. The restriction also applies to drivers with any license suspension in the two years before their application.
These active laws, ranging from the bizarre to the baffling, highlight how New Jersey’s legal code still contains echoes of earlier times.
