Municipal Codes — Essex County

At a Glance

Legal Framework

Essex County and its municipalities are governed by layered law, from most specific to broadest:

• Municipal ordinances — each town, city, or village within Essex County publishes its own code. See the town pages under Essex County for municipality-specific codes.
• County ordinances — published by the Essex County Board of County Commissioners. Contact the County Clerk for the current code.
• State statutes — New Jersey Statutes (New Jersey)
• Federal code — U.S. Code · Code of Federal Regulations

How to Find a Specific Code

To find the code that applies to a specific address or situation, start with the most specific layer and work outward:

1. Check the municipal code for the town, city, or village where the address is located.
2. If the address is in an unincorporated area, the county code (Essex County ordinances) applies directly.
3. State statutes (New Jersey) govern matters not covered by local code.
4. Federal code applies everywhere within the United States.

References

• New Jersey Statutes — https://lis.njleg.state.nj.us/nxt/gateway.dll?f=templates&fn=default.htm&vid=Publish:10.1048/Enu
• U.S. Code — uscode.house.gov
• Code of Federal Regulations — ecfr.gov