Legal Blog
Penalties For Wearing Saggy Pants On The Boardwalk In Wildwood, NJ
Author Clark & Noonan, LLC
Posted June 15, 2017
Category Criminal Defense
Wall New Jersey Criminal Defense Attorneys serving Monmouth County, Ocean County, Middlesex County and all surrounding NJ areas.
Posted: July 10, 2013
On July 4, 2013, the town of Wildwood, New Jersey made it against the law to wear saggy pants on the boardwalk. The ordinance requires that the waistband of pants, bathing suits, skirts, and shorts to be no lower than three inches below the waist.
“I don’t need to know if a guy wears Fruit of the Looms or boxers or briefs,” Wildwood Mayor Ernie Troiano Jr. told 1010 WINS’ Steve Sandberg. “Pull your pants up, we’re not here to look at your rear end.”
Shirts are required to be worn between the hours of 8 PM and 5 AM.
Penalties For Wearing Saggy Pants Or Other Violations Of The New Ordinance
Violators will be subject to removal from the Boardwalk, a citation, and fines from $25 to $100 for the first offense, and up to $200 for subsequent offenses. The court may also order offenders to complete up to 40 hours of community service.
In a July 9, 2013 press release, Wildwood Mayor Ernie Troiano Jr. addressed comments that the ordinance inhibits freedom of expression.
“A dress code is reasonable and appropriate for a family-friendly resort,” said the mayor. “Other U.S. cities have taken action against the saggy-pants fashion, including New York City, New Orleans, Chicago, Atlanta and Detroit. During the 2008 presidential campaign, even President Barack Obama called on young people to pull up their pants and ‘have some sense and respect for other people. To call this a violation of our First Amendment rights diminishes the very idea of civil rights and of the freedoms we celebrate every day as Americans,” Troiano said. “All we want you to do is pull up your pants in public.”