A. 
Failure to produce permit or proof of authorization. No person shall fail to produce and exhibit any permit, written authorization, or applicable form of permission to any authorized County personnel upon the request to inspect same for the purpose of enforcing compliance with any rules or regulations promulgated in this chapter.
B. 
Closed areas. No person shall enter any portion of a County park or property in disregard of signs, barricades, posted notices, or any other means of closing off of a County park or property, nor shall any person use or abet the use of any area in violation of posted notices.
C. 
Interference with permittees and other users. No person shall disturb or unreasonably interfere with any person or party occupying any area or participating in any activity under authority of a valid permit or any person making valid use of a County park or property.
D. 
Failure to obey lawful commands,
(1) 
No person shall resist any agent, Essex County Sheriff's officer, or employee of the County in the discharge of his/her duty, or fail or refuse to obey any lawful command of any such agent, officer or employee, or in any way interfere with or hinder or prevent any such agent, officer, or employee from discharging his/her duty, or in any manner assist or give aid to any person in custody to escape or attempt to escape from custody, or rescue or attempt to rescue any person when in such custody.
(2) 
No person shall remain within any County park or property who does not abide by the rules and regulations adopted herein for the preservation of good order and the protection of property; and no person shall remain within any County park or property who does not abide by the instructions and directions of duly authorized agents, Essex County Sheriff's officers, or employees of the County in the lawful performance of their duties. Any person directed by an agent, officer, or employee of the County to leave a County park or property shall do so promptly and peaceably.
(3) 
Ejectment. The Director and any County employees in the lawful performance of their duties, including the Essex County Sheriffs' officers, shall have the authority to eject from the County parks or property any person acting in violation of any ordinance, statute or the rules and regulations set forth in this chapter or by local, state, or federal rule, law or regulation.
(4) 
Seizure of property. The Director and any County employees in the lawful performance of their duties including the Essex County Sheriffs' officers, shall have the authority to seize and confiscate any property, thing or device on or in any County parks or property used in violation of any ordinance, statute or the rules and regulations set forth in this chapter or by local, state, or federal rule, law or regulation.
A. 
Injury and removal. No person shall damage, cut, carve, transplant or remove any tree or plant or injure the bark, or pick the flowers or seeds, of any tree or plant, nor shall any person attach any rope, wire or other contrivance to any tree or plant. No person shall dig in or otherwise disturb grass or other vegetation or in any other way injure or impair the natural beauty or usefulness of any area.
B. 
Disfiguration and removal of property. No person in a County park or property shall willfully mark, deface, disfigure, injure, tamper with, or displace or remove any buildings, bridges, tables, benches, fireplaces, railings, paving or paving material; water lines or other public utilities or parts or appurtenances thereof; signs, notices or placards, whether temporary or permanent; monuments, stakes, posts or other boundary markers; or other structures or equipment, facilities or other County property or appurtenances, whether real or personal.
C. 
Erection of structures. No person shall construct or erect any building or structure of any kind, whether permanent or temporary in character, or run or string any public service utility into, upon or across such lands, except on special written permit issued by the Director.
D. 
Hunting. No person shall hunt, molest, harm, remove, frighten, kill, trap, chase, tease, shoot or throw missiles at any animal, reptile or bird in a County park or property; nor shall any person in a County park or property remove or have in his possession the young of any animal, or the eggs or nest or young of any reptile or bird.
E. 
Fishing. No person shall fish in any water or waterways in or adjacent to any waterways in a County park or property, except at specifically designated waters provided therefor and in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local regulations as are now or as may hereafter be adopted.
F. 
Feeding of animals. No person shall give or offer or attempt to give or offer any food or any other substance to any bird (including all migratory and nonmigratory birds), animal, fish or other wildlife in a County park or property.
G. 
Climbing and misuse of County property. No person shall engage in any form of climbing on natural structures, including but not limited to tree climbing, rock climbing, rappelling, and/or bouldering in any County park or property, nor shall any person climb, repel, or otherwise get upon any statue, fence, gate, or other structure in any County park or property or use any structure in a County park or property in any other way than that for which it was designed.
A. 
Pollution of waters. No person in County parks or property shall throw, discharge or otherwise place or cause to be placed in the waters of any fountain, pond, lake, stream or other body of water in or adjacent to any County park or property or any tributary, stream, storm sewer or drain flowing into such waters any substance, matter or thing, liquid or solid, which will or may result in the pollution of such waters.
B. 
Refuse and trash.
(1) 
No person shall dump, deposit or leave any material or debris, whether organic or inorganic in any County park or property. Refuse or trash shall be placed in the proper receptacles provided therein. If receptacles are not so provided, all refuse and trash shall be removed from the County park or property by the person responsible for its presence and legally disposed of elsewhere.
(2) 
No person shall bring into any County park or property any refuse or trash generated outside the County park or property for the purposes of depositing or dumping any such refuse or trash into County park or property receptacles, whether such trash or refuse is bagged or not.
C. 
Restrooms and washrooms. No person using a restroom or washroom in County parks or County park property shall fail to maintain said facilities in a neat and sanitary condition. No person shall use a restroom or washroom for bathing purposes.
D. 
Public urination or defecation. No person shall urinate or defecate in/on any County park or property except in designated restrooms, washrooms, bathrooms, or other structures designated for such use and enclosed from public view.
A. 
Alcohol. No person in a County park or property shall bring in, possess, serve, or consume any alcoholic beverages at any time, except that the service and consumption of alcoholic beverages will be permitted (beer and wine only) at duly authorized public events held on County park property, provided that persons desiring to host a special event thereat:
(1) 
Submit to the Director for approval a fully completed alcoholic beverage special event permit application;
(2) 
That said application is approved by the Director in his sole discretion;
(3) 
That persons hosting the special event and all participants therein adhere to the terms and provisions of the alcoholic beverage special event permit rules and regulations; and
(4) 
That a nonrefundable permit-processing fee in the amount of $150 is submitted together with said application (Cedar Grove Park Robert J. O'Toole Community Center is excluded from the permit processing fee).
B. 
Alcohol exceptions. The sale and serving of alcohol (beer and wine only) by the contracted concessionaire shall be permitted at the Savannah Cafe located at the Turtle Back Zoo, the Verona Park Boathouse, and at the County's three golf courses: Hendricks Field Golf Course, Weequahic Golf Course and Francis A. Byrne Golf Course.
[Amended 4-29-2020 by Ord. No. O-2020-00011; 4-17-2024 by Ord. No. O-2024-00008]
C. 
Smoking. See Chapter 123.
A. 
Domestic animals and dogs; exotic animals.
(1) 
No person shall bring a domestic animal into a County park or property unless the animal is restrained by a leash, tether, cage, or other restraint, with the exception of dogs in a designated off-leash area under the control of the owner.
(2) 
Domestic animals are strictly prohibited on playgrounds, athletic courts, and fenced playfield areas at all times.
(3) 
Persons bringing domestic animals into a County park or property are personally responsible for removing and properly disposing of any solid waste deposited by the animal.
(4) 
Any animal deemed by a County employee or authorized representative to be posing a threat or nuisance to other visitors or destroying a County park or property will be required to leave the premises immediately.
(5) 
Dogs and domestic animals are prohibited inside County park or property buildings and/or indoor facilities at all times unless specifically permitted or authorized by the Director. The Director reserves the authority to prohibit domestic animals entirely from any County park or property. Exception is made for service animals.
(6) 
Dogs must be restrained by a maximum leash length of six feet except in designated off-leash areas.
(7) 
Two-dog limit per person.
(8) 
Dogs must have valid license tags and have up-to-date vaccinations pursuant to state and local laws and regulations.
B. 
Exotic animals. No person shall bring an exotic animal into any County park or property for any period of time or for any purpose unless specifically permitted or authorized by the Director.
A. 
Fires. No person in any County park or property shall build or attempt to build a fire except in such areas specifically designated for such use and under such regulations as may be designated by the Director. No person shall drop, throw or otherwise scatter lighted matches, burning cigarettes or cigars, tobacco paper or other flammable material in a County park or property or on any highway, roadways or street abutting or contiguous thereto.
B. 
Possession of weapons or firearms. No person shall carry or have in his possession while on any County park or property any weapon or firearm in which or upon which loaded or blank cartridges may be used except when authorized by law. Violations of this section shall be prosecuted in accordance with Title 2C of the Revised Statutes of New Jersey.
C. 
Discharge of firearms unlawful. It is unlawful for any person to discharge a firearm in any County park or property.
D. 
Paintball guns. In shall be unlawful for any person to bring into or have in his possession while on any County park or property a paintball gun, paintball markers, paintball grenades or any other "firearm type" device/weapon that is capable of releasing a nontraditional bullet such as a paintball, BB, or pellet by any means including gas, air, or spring-loaded.
E. 
Fireworks. No person shall bring into, possess, discharge, cause to be discharged, fire, ignite, or otherwise set into action any fireworks in any County park or property. An organized display of fireworks shall be permitted provided that the sponsor shall first obtain a permit from the Director and provided further that the sponsor shall comply with all the individual requirements set forth in Title 21 of the Revised Statutes of New Jersey.
F. 
Ground-based or handheld sparkling devices and novelties. No person shall bring into, possess, discharge, cause to be discharged, fire, ignite, or otherwise set into action any ground-based or hand-based sparkling devices, snakes, glow worms, smoke devices, trick noisemakers, party poppers, or snappers into or on any County park or property.
A. 
Solicitation and literature distribution. Solicitation for services or donations, distribution or display of handbills, cards or advertisements of any nature is prohibited unless the person or activity is specifically authorized or permitted by the Director and the activity is done in the areas specifically designated by the Director for such use.
B. 
Vending and peddling. No person shall expose or offer for sale any article or thing, nor shall any person station or place any stand, cart or vehicle for the transportation, sale or display of any such article or thing, except under the authority and regulation of the Director.
C. 
Advertising. No person shall announce, advertise or call the public attention in any way to any article or service for sale or hire.
D. 
Signs. No person shall paste, glue, tack or otherwise post any sign, placard, advertisement or inscription, nor shall any person erect or cause to be erected any sign in a County park or property with the exception of temporary directional signs or announcements within County parks or property which are specifically authorized or permitted by the Director in connection with approved events or activities.