Blue laws in New Jersey are Sunday sales restrictions with two main pieces: a statewide ban on selling motor vehicles on Sundays, and a Bergen County ban on Sunday sales of clothing, furniture and home furnishings, household and office appliances, and building and lumber supplies. Bergen is the only county that still enforces the general retail ban. Every other county repealed its version by referendum; Bergen voters chose to keep theirs, most recently rejecting repeal in 1993 by a two-to-one margin.1Township of Wyckoff. Why is Sunday Shopping Prohibited in Wyckoff and Throughout Bergen County?
What Bergen County Bans on Sundays
Under N.J.S.A. 2A:171-5.8, these categories cannot be sold on Sundays anywhere in Bergen County:
- Clothing and wearing apparel
- Furniture, home furnishings, and office furnishings
- Household and office appliances
- Building and lumber supply materials
The rule targets the sale, not the store. A Bergen County retailer that carries both groceries and clothing can open on Sunday, but the clothing sections have to be roped off. Large shopping centers like Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus keep only their restaurants and entertainment tenants running on Sundays.1Township of Wyckoff. Why is Sunday Shopping Prohibited in Wyckoff and Throughout Bergen County?
What You Can Still Buy on Sundays
Most everyday purchases are exempt. The list of items you can still buy on a Sunday in Bergen County includes:
- Food and beverages, including groceries, prepared meals, milk products, candy, and both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks
- Prescription and over-the-counter drugs, first aid products, personal hygiene items, health and beauty aids, and infant care products
- Newspapers, magazines, books, greeting cards, and stationery
- Gasoline, oil, and emergency vehicle repairs
- Tobacco, florist supplies, film and camera supplies, flashlights, and agricultural products
Stores whose main business falls inside those exemptions operate normally on Sundays. Grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations, restaurants, and florists are all open. Real estate agents can also show, list, and sell property on Sundays.1Township of Wyckoff. Why is Sunday Shopping Prohibited in Wyckoff and Throughout Bergen County?
Paramus Goes Further
If you’re shopping in Paramus specifically, the rules are stricter than the rest of Bergen County. A 1968 borough ordinance bans essentially all worldly employment or business on Sundays except works of necessity and charity. That sweeps in far more than the four retail categories the county targets, and effectively closes most commercial activity in the borough on Sundays.2eCode360. Chapter 391 Sunday Activities, Borough of Paramus, NJ Route 17 and Route 4 pack in on Saturdays and go quiet the next day, while restaurants and movie theaters inside those same centers stay open.
Sunday Car Sales Are Banned Statewide
The motor vehicle rule reaches every county, not just Bergen. Under N.J.S.A. 2C:33-26, buying, selling, or exchanging a motor vehicle on a Sunday, or opening a dealership for business that day, is a disorderly persons offense. Penalties climb with repeat violations:
- First offense: fine up to $100, up to 10 days in jail, or both
- Second offense: fine up to $500, up to 30 days in jail, or both
- Third or subsequent offense: fine of $750, up to six months in jail, or both
A licensed dealer caught violating the law also risks suspension or revocation of the dealer’s license. The statute carves out two narrow exceptions. Motorcycle dealers holding a manufacturer franchise can buy, sell, or exchange motorcycles on Sundays, unless they sit in a county where Sunday sales are otherwise prohibited. Dealers can also take deposits to secure the sale of a recreational vehicle at authorized off-site Sunday sales.3Justia Law. New Jersey Code 2C:33-26 – Sale of Motor Vehicles on Sunday; Exemption
Penalties for Retail Violations in Bergen County
Selling a restricted item on a Sunday in Bergen County is also a disorderly persons offense, handled in municipal court. The maximum fine for a disorderly persons offense in New Jersey is $1,000.4Justia Law. New Jersey Code 2C:43-3 – Fines and Restitutions Enforcement is up to local police within the county, and in practice it tends to focus on repeat offenders and larger retailers. Any store selling clothing, furniture, appliances, or building materials on a Sunday is technically exposed.
What About Online Orders and Deliveries
The statute was written long before e-commerce and targets the sale of specific items, not warehouse work or shipping. Ordering clothing or furniture on a Sunday from a national retailer and having it shipped to a Bergen County address does not violate the law. The restriction applies to in-person retail sales within the county.
Same-day delivery from a Bergen County store is a grayer area. If the sale itself is processed on a Sunday at a store located in the county, the prohibition can reach it. In practice, most large retailers close their Bergen County locations for restricted categories on Sundays and fulfill online orders from warehouses outside the county.
Sunday Alcohol Sales Are a Separate Question
Alcohol on Sundays is not controlled by the blue laws. Under N.J.S.A. 33:1-12 and related statutes, each municipality decides whether Sunday alcohol sales are allowed within its borders and can set hours or restrict Sunday morning sales.5NJ.gov. Alcoholic Beverage Control Handbook Because beverages are on Bergen County’s exemption list, a licensed liquor store or bar in a Bergen municipality that permits Sunday sales can operate on Sundays.1Township of Wyckoff. Why is Sunday Shopping Prohibited in Wyckoff and Throughout Bergen County?
Why the Laws Are Still on the Books
State law lets each county repeal Sunday closing restrictions by referendum. Every other New Jersey county eventually did so; Bergen County voters rejected repeal in 1980 and again in 1993 by a two-to-one margin.1Township of Wyckoff. Why is Sunday Shopping Prohibited in Wyckoff and Throughout Bergen County? Bergen sits in one of the busiest retail corridors in the Northeast, and many residents, religious or not, favor keeping the ban because it guarantees one lower-traffic day a week near the malls. Retail employees also get a guaranteed day off. Any repeal would require another county-wide referendum, and none has been put on the ballot in more than three decades.