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Borough of Ridgefield, NJ
Bergen County
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Code
New Laws (3) Index Notes (4)
[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Ridgefield 11-6-1974 by Ord. No. 992 as Ch. 71 of the 1967 Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
DISORDERLY ASSEMBLAGE
Any two or more persons gathered together and acting in a boisterous, offensive or threatening manner towards each other or others or committing an act or acts which are a breach of the peace or which tend to create a breach of the peace.
DISORDERLY HOUSE
Any house, store or building or any part thereof which is used for gambling or is frequented by gamblers, prostitutes, vagrants or disorderly persons.
HOUSE OF ILL FAME
Any house or building or any part thereof in which prostitution, lewdness or other immoral or unlawful sexual acts are permitted.
MAGISTRATE
Any Justice of the Peace, Recorder or other officer invested with jurisdiction to hear complaints of violations of the criminal laws of the state or of ordinances of the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Ridgefield and to either hold the person so charged for action of the Grand Jury or to hear and determine the complaint and to impose penalties for the violation of any of the ordinances of the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Ridgefield.
MAGISTRATE'S COURT
Any proceeding before a Magistrate as defined in the foregoing section.
PERSON
A corporation, firm or individual, unless another meaning is herein clearly expressed. The singular number when used herein includes the plural, unless otherwise expressed. Masculine gender when used herein includes feminine gender.
VAGRANT
A person without visible means of support who is idle and, though able to work for his or her maintenance, refuses to do so, but lives without labor or on the charity of others.
A. 
Enumeration.
(1) 
No person shall maintain or aid, assist or abet the maintenance of a disorderly house.
(2) 
No person shall maintain or aid, assist or abet the maintenance of a house of ill fame.
(3) 
No person shall commit any lewd or immoral act in any house, building, public or private place.
(4) 
No person shall utter any profane, indecent, lewd, abusive or offensive language in any school, library, office building, store, railroad depot, factory, dance hall, poolroom, lunchroom or restaurant or in any building used for semipublic purposes or in any public place.
(5) 
No person shall loiter, lounge or sleep in or upon any street, park or public place or in any public building or obstruct the access to any public building or any part thereof or obstruct passage through or upon any public street, park or public place.
(6) 
No person shall utter any threatening, offensive, profane, indecent or obscene language or commit any act which tends to endanger the public peace.
(7) 
No person shall interfere with the proceedings of any Magistrate's Court or use any offensive or abusive language to any Magistrate while holding any Magistrate's Court.
(8) 
No person shall interrupt or disturb any meeting, congregation or assembly or any religious services.
(9) 
No person shall engage in a fight or personal encounter or use or attempt to use physical violence toward another.
(10) 
No person shall take part in, or aid, abet or assist in, a disorderly assemblage.
(11) 
No person shall solicit from house to house or in any public street, park or public place the gift of money, clothing or other thing for his own use.
(12) 
No person shall conduct, take part in or aid or abet in a cockfight, dogfight or any unlawful prizefight or boxing contest.
(13) 
No person shall appear in any street or public place in a place in a state of nudity or in a dress not belonging to his or her sex or in an indecent or lewd dress.
(14) 
No person shall exhibit, sell or offer to sell or dispose of any indecent or lewd books, pictures or thing.
(15) 
No person shall interfere with, deface or mutilate any fire-alarm box or fire-alarm system or any part thereof or any apparatus connected therewith.
(16) 
No person shall knowingly give, send or cause to be given or sent a false fire alarm.
(17) 
No person shall expectorate upon any sidewalk or upon the sides, wall, floors or platforms of any building, car, cab, bus or other public vehicle.
(18) 
No person shall play any hand organ, street organ, hurdy-gurdy or other musical instrument in any of the streets or public places after the hour of 9:00 p.m. of any day, except that the consent of the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Ridgefield shall first have been had and obtained.
(19) 
No person shall forcibly interfere with any member of the Police Department or the Fire Department or any officer of the municipality in the performance of his duties or prevent or attempt to prevent any member of the Police Department or the Fire Department or any officer of the municipality from performing his duty.
(20) 
No person shall tie or hitch a horse or other animal to any tree or shrub standing in a public street or public place.
(21) 
No person, other than a public official in the performance of his duties, shall post, paint or fasten any notice or advertisement upon any private wall, building, gate, fence or signboard or upon any rocks or structures without the consent of the owner thereof.
(22) 
No person shall post, paint or fasten any notice or advertisement upon any curbstone, sidewalk, retaining wall, pole, tree or elsewhere in a public street or public place unless permission therefor shall have been obtained from the Mayor and Council.
(23) 
No person shall place or maintain any obstruction to navigable waters within the Borough.
(24) 
No person shall break, injure or destroy any of the streetlamps, bulbs or lights or the brackets or poles to which the same are attached.
(25) 
No person shall throw, drop or deposit or cause to be thrown, dropped or deposited any ashes, garbage, rubbish, dirt, wastepaper or refuse of any kind in any public street or place.
(26) 
No person shall permit any horse, cow, sheep, goat or other animal or chickens, geese, ducks or other fowl to run at large in a public street or public place.
(27) 
No person other than a public official or a member of the Fire Department in the performance of his duties shall open any fire hydrant in any of the public streets or public places of the Borough.
(28) 
No person shall use or pretend to use or have any skill in physiognomy, palmistry or like crafty science or pretend to tell destinies or fortunes.
[Added 11-17-1980 by Ord. No. 1165]
[Amended 3-25-1985 by Ord. No. 1281; 6-28-2010 by Ord. No. 2133]
A. 
If this chapter of the Code of the Borough of Ridgefield provides for the licensing or permitting of the violator, the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Ridgefield reserve the right to revoke such permit or license.
B. 
Any person found guilty of violating this chapter of the Code of the Borough of Ridgefield shall be subject to a penalty consisting of a fine or imprisonment, or both, subject to the discretion of the Judge, the maximum of which shall be the maximum fine or term of imprisonment permitted to be imposed by the court having jurisdiction over the violation of this chapter of the Code of the Borough of Ridgefield; provided, however, that the fine shall not be less than $100 nor more than $2,000 per offense and the prison term shall not exceed 90 days in accordance with N.J.S.A. 40:49-5.
C. 
In the event of a continuing violation, each day shall constitute a separate offense.