To establish a local ordinance (NJAC 40:41A-101), a municipality must 1) publicly introduce and pass it as a first reading (which may be by title only), publish it at least once along with notification of its introduction and the time and place for final consideration and 2) hold a public hearing at the second reading where all persons interested can be heard. Prior to the second reading, a copy of the ordinance shall be publicly posted, and copies made available upon request. The majority of the board must then either pass (with or without amendments) or reject the ordinance.
Sample Municipal Ordinances on Key Environmental Issues are provided below as examples to ECs who are trying to draft new or amended ordinances. Contact us at info@anjec.org for more information on additional ordinance resources.
| Ordinance | Example 1 | Example 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Backyard Chickens | Milburn | Haddonfield |
| Balloons | Sea Isle | Red Bank |
| Environmental Controls | Hopewell (Mercer Co) | |
| Flood Damage Protection | Seacaucus | Cranford |
| Green Development | Livingston | Westfield |
| Invasive Plant Control | Point Pleasant Beach | Howell |
| Leaf Blower | Maplewood | South Orange |
| Light Pollution | East Amwell | Hopewell (Mercer Co) |
| Native Plant | Chatham | Eatontown |
| Noise Pollution | Berkley Heights | |
| Pesticide | Chatham | |
| Riparian/Stream Buffer | Upper Deerfield | Lakewood |
| Septic | Jefferson | Hopewell (Mercer Co) |
| Skip the Stuff | Maplewood | Hoboken |
| Steep Slope | West Orange | Randolf |
| Stormwater Management | Evesham | Jersey City |
| Tree Protection | Princeton | West Orange |
| Tree Protection cont | Montgomery | Mount Holly |
| Warehouses | Franklin (Somerset Co) | Mansfield |
| Water Conservation | Glen Rock | Lower Township |