Belmar council directs staff to draft ordinance limiting construction hours on holidays and weekends

Council members discussed a resident‑led proposal to limit construction activity on federal holidays and designated weekend periods, focusing on how the borough’s different ordinances (noise, street/excavation) overlap and where consolidated rules should live.

Council members noted inconsistent existing start times—one ordinance permits work starting at 7 a.m., another starts at 9 a.m.—and debated whether to treat the issue as a noise regulation or a construction‑specific rule. A council member said the simplest approach would be federal holidays at a minimum, and the borough attorney’s memo was cited as prompting the discussion. The police sergeant said enforcement would respond to complaints: “If we get a call for noise or construction during hours that we’re not supposed to be doing it, we’ll go and check it out.”

Members directed staff to draft a consolidated ordinance that would set days, times and types of work with exemptions for homeowner projects and to repeal or amend inconsistent provisions. The clerk will post the draft for council review and the ordinance will return to workshop for further direction.