Weird Laws in New Jersey: Which Are Still on the Books?

Most of the New Jersey claims we checked rest on real statutes. We checked four claims from popular lists against the New Jersey Statutes as of October 21, 2026, and three of them are current law, with a few corrections on the details. For other states, see our weird laws by state guide.

Weird laws in New Jersey: the verdicts

Each claim below was checked against the New Jersey code and, where it names a town, the local code. 4 claims checked.

Still on the books

The claim: You may not pump your own gas.

What the law says: New Jersey's Retail Gasoline Dispensing Safety Act (L.1989, c.263) says no person may dispense fuel at a gas station unless that person is a trained attendant, and makes it unlawful for an attendant to let anyone else pump. A violator of any provision of the act faces a civil penalty of $50 to $250 for a first offense and up to $500 for each later offense; it is not a crime.

N.J.S.A. 34:3A-6 and 34:3A-7 (penalties 34:3A-10)

“No person shall dispense fuel at a gasoline station, unless the person is an attendant who has received instructions regarding the dispensing of fuel, had practical experience dispensing fuel under the direct supervision of an experienced operator for a period of not less than one full working day, and, upon examination at the end of that period, demonstrated his understanding of those instructions.”

Penalty: A violator of any provision of this act shall be liable for a penalty of not less than $50.00 and not more than $250.00 for a first offense and not more than $500.00 for each subsequent offense.

No court opinion in our database cites this section.

Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.

Still on the books

The claim: Wearing a bulletproof vest while committing a crime is a separate offense.

What the law says: N.J.S.A. 2C:39-13 makes it a separate crime to use or wear a body vest while committing, attempting, or fleeing after murder, manslaughter, robbery, sexual assault, burglary, kidnapping, criminal escape or aggravated-type assault under 2C:12-1b. Second degree if the underlying crime is first degree, otherwise third degree. It applies only to the listed predicate offenses, not to any crime.

N.J.S.A. 2C:39-13

“A person is guilty of a crime if he uses or wears a body vest while engaged in the commission of, or an attempt to commit, or flight after committing or attempting to commit murder, manslaughter, robbery, sexual assault, burglary, kidnaping, criminal escape or assault under N.J.S.2C:12-1b.”

Penalty: Use or wearing a body vest while engaged in the commission of, or an attempt to commit, or flight after committing or attempting to commit a crime of the first degree is a crime of the second degree. Otherwise it is a crime of the third degree.

Last cited by a court: STATE OF NEW JERSEY VS. TRAVIS BURRIS (06-10-3262, ESSEX COUNTY AND STATEWIDE) (RECORD IMPOUNDED) (2020)

Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.

Real law, twisted claim

The claim: Drivers must honk before passing a car, cyclist or skater.

What the law says: No NJ requirement to honk before passing was found. The horn statute, N.J.S.A. 39:3-69, requires working horns and says the driver 'shall, when reasonably necessary to insure safe operation, give audible warning with his horn but shall not otherwise use such horn', i.e. a conditional use, not a duty to honk before every pass. The overtaking provisions (39:4-85 to 39:4-89) contain no honking requirement. New Jersey's safe-passing law for pedestrians, cyclists and people on devices such as roller skates or skateboards (N.J.S.A. 39:4-92.4) requires a driver to change lanes, leave at least four feet, or slow to 25 mph; it says nothing about a horn.

N.J.S.A. 39:3-69

“The driver of a motor vehicle shall, when reasonably necessary to insure safe operation, give audible warning with his horn but shall not otherwise use such horn when upon a highway.”

Last cited by a court: Hochman v. Karpenski (1999)

Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.

Still on the books

The claim: It is illegal to drive while watching TV in the car.

What the law says: N.J.S.A. 39:3A-1 makes it unlawful to operate a motor vehicle on a public highway that has a television set placed so the screen is visible to the driver while driving. Penalty up to $50 fine and/or up to 10 days' imprisonment (39:3A-2).

N.J.S.A. 39:3A-1 (penalty 39:3A-2)

“It shall be unlawful to operate upon any public highway in this State a motor vehicle which is equipped with or in which is located a television set so placed that the viewing screen thereof is visible to the driver while operating such vehicle.”

Penalty: A person violating the provisions of this act shall, for each violation, be subject to a fine of not more than fifty dollars ($50.00), or imprisonment for a period not exceeding ten days or both.

No court opinion in our database cites this section.

Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.

Checked October 21, 2026. This is legal history and information, not legal advice. Laws change; the linked official text is the authority.

Attendants at the pump

The gas claim is true. New Jersey's Retail Gasoline Dispensing Safety Act (L.1989, c.263) says no one may dispense fuel at a gasoline station unless that person is a trained attendant. N.J.S.A. 34:3A-7 sets out what trained means:

No person shall dispense fuel at a gasoline station, unless the person is an attendant who has received instructions regarding the dispensing of fuel, had practical experience dispensing fuel under the direct supervision of an experienced operator for a period of not less than one full working day, and, upon examination at the end of that period, demonstrated his understanding of those instructions.

The act also makes it unlawful for an attendant to let anyone else pump. The penalty is civil. Under N.J.S.A. 34:3A-10, a violator of any provision of the act is liable for a civil penalty of $50 to $250 for a first offense and up to $500 for each later offense; it is not a crime.

Body armor as its own crime

The body vest claim is also real, but narrower than the lists suggest. N.J.S.A. 2C:39-13 reads:

A person is guilty of a crime if he uses or wears a body vest while engaged in the commission of, or an attempt to commit, or flight after committing or attempting to commit murder, manslaughter, robbery, sexual assault, burglary, kidnaping, criminal escape or assault under N.J.S.2C:12-1b.

The offense attaches only to those listed crimes, not to any crime at all. It is a crime of the second degree when the underlying offense is of the first degree, and a crime of the third degree otherwise.

A television the driver can see

The television claim holds up, though the statute is about where the screen is placed, not whether the driver watches it. N.J.S.A. 39:3A-1 makes it unlawful to operate a motor vehicle on any public highway in the state that is "equipped with or in which is located a television set so placed that the viewing screen thereof is visible to the driver while operating such vehicle."

The rule turns on whether the screen is placed so the driver can see it. The penalty, under 39:3A-2, is a fine of up to $50, up to 10 days in jail, or both, for each violation.

Honking before passing

This claim turns a conditional horn rule into a fixed one. No New Jersey requirement to honk before passing a car, cyclist or skater was found. The horn statute, N.J.S.A. 39:3-69, requires working horns and says:

The driver of a motor vehicle shall, when reasonably necessary to insure safe operation, give audible warning with his horn but shall not otherwise use such horn when upon a highway.

That is a conditional duty, not a rule to sound the horn before every pass. The overtaking provisions, 39:4-85 to 39:4-89, contain no honking requirement. New Jersey's safe-passing law for pedestrians, cyclists and people on devices such as roller skates or skateboards, N.J.S.A. 39:4-92.4, requires a driver to change lanes, leave at least four feet, or slow to 25 mph, and it says nothing about a horn.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it illegal to pump your own gas in New Jersey?

Under the Retail Gasoline Dispensing Safety Act (N.J.S.A. 34:3A-6 and 34:3A-7), no one may dispense fuel at a gas station unless that person is a trained attendant, and an attendant may not let anyone else pump. A violation carries a civil penalty of $50 to $250 for a first offense and up to $500 for each later offense (34:3A-10); it is not a crime.

Is wearing a bulletproof vest during a crime a separate offense in New Jersey?

N.J.S.A. 2C:39-13 makes it a separate crime to use or wear a body vest while committing, attempting or fleeing after murder, manslaughter, robbery, sexual assault, burglary, kidnapping, criminal escape or assault under 2C:12-1b. It is a second-degree crime if the underlying offense is first degree, otherwise third degree.

Is it illegal to have a TV visible to the driver in New Jersey?

N.J.S.A. 39:3A-1 makes it unlawful to operate a motor vehicle on a public highway with a television set placed so the screen is visible to the driver while driving. The penalty under 39:3A-2 is a fine of up to $50, up to 10 days in jail, or both.

Do you have to honk before passing in New Jersey?

No New Jersey requirement to honk before passing was found. N.J.S.A. 39:3-69 calls for horn use when reasonably necessary for safe operation and otherwise forbids it on a highway, and the safe-passing law, 39:4-92.4, requires changing lanes, leaving at least four feet or slowing to 25 mph, with no mention of a horn.

What are some weird laws in New Jersey?

Three of the claims are current law: the attendant-only rule at gas stations, the separate crime of wearing a body vest during listed offenses, and the ban on a television screen visible to the driver. The honk-before-passing claim retells the horn statute, which calls for horn use only when reasonably necessary for safe operation.