Bergen County’s Blue Laws: A 1950s Relic Still Controlling Sundays in 2025 🛑🛍️
Bergen County’s Garden State Plaza closed on Sundays under Blue Laws vs. Boca Town Center in Florida open and thriving
If you’ve ever driven through Paramus on a Sunday, you know the drill: malls closed, department stores shuttered, and shopping centers looking like a zombie movie set 🧟. While the rest of America enjoys weekend retail therapy, Bergen County clings to its antiquated Blue Laws. These rules date back to colonial times and ban retail sales on Sundays.
And now, the fight is back in the headlines 📢.
Paramus vs. American Dream: The Lawsuit Making Waves ⚖️
Paramus, home to three of the busiest malls in the country (Garden State Plaza, Paramus Park, and Bergen Town Center), has filed a four-count lawsuit against the developers of American Dream Mall in East Rutherford.
The accusation: American Dream has been operating stores on Sundays in violation of Bergen County’s long-standing Blue Laws 🚫🛒.
Who’s Paramus suing? Pretty much everyone in sight:
American Dream’s developer, Ameream
Bergen County itself
East Rutherford (where the mall sits)
The NJ Sports and Exposition Authority, which owns the Meadowlands property
Paramus argues that American Dream is ignoring rules every other Bergen County business has followed for decades ⏳. American Dream, on the other hand, has pushed back. The mall’s lawyers claim that because it sits on state-owned land at the Meadowlands, it should not have to follow Bergen County’s Blue Laws in the first place 🏟️📜.
This clash has set up one of the most unique legal battles in New Jersey: local tradition versus state authority.
A Quick History of Bergen County Blue Laws 📜
Blue Laws originally started as religious statutes that enforced a “day of rest” on Sundays 🙏. Over time, almost every state repealed them. Bergen County, however, kept them in place.
In the 1950s, voters chose to preserve the laws, largely to cut down on traffic congestion 🚗🚦 and to preserve “family time” 👨👩👧👦. To this day, you cannot buy clothes, furniture, electronics, or most consumer goods in Bergen County on Sundays. Grocery stores, restaurants, and gas stations are exceptions, but malls remain closed.
For Paramus, the law became part of its identity. In fact, many residents defend the rule as a way to keep at least one day calm amid insane traffic from shoppers flooding Route 17 and Route 4 🛣️.
But Times Have Changed ⏰💼
Here is the problem: Bergen County may still be living in the 1950s, but the rest of us are living in 2025. People are working longer hours, juggling side hustles, and dealing with the crushing effects of inflation 📈. For many households, the only real day off to run errands and shop is Sunday.
So when Bergen County shuts down shopping on Sundays, it is not just quirky tradition—it is a direct inconvenience to hardworking families trying to keep up in today’s economy 💵🛒.
Does Anywhere Else Still Have Laws Like This? 🌎
Almost nowhere. Bergen County is a national outlier 🚨.
Texas had partial Blue Laws until 1985 when they were repealed 🤠.
North Dakota finally repealed its last Blue Law in 2019 ❄️.
Some counties in Minnesota and Colorado still limit alcohol sales on Sundays 🍺, but not retail shopping.
That means Bergen County is essentially one of the last places in the country where you cannot buy a pair of shoes or a couch on a Sunday 👟🛋️.
Why This Matters in 2025 🔑
American Dream’s decision to defy the rules highlights the tension between old-school tradition and modern consumer expectations 🛒 vs 📱. On one hand, Paramus enjoys lighter traffic and one day of peace. On the other, residents can just cross the county line to shop in Rockland, Hudson, or Passaic.
For businesses, it is lost revenue 💸. For consumers, it is an annoyance 😒. And for people considering whether to stay in New Jersey at all, it is another reminder that the state sometimes feels stuck in the past: charging 2025 taxes while enforcing 1950s rules 💰➡️📼.
Why People Are Asking: Is It Time to Go? 🏃♂️💨
Blue Laws might seem like a quirky local custom, but they symbolize something bigger: New Jersey’s resistance to change.
Outdated laws that do not reflect modern life 🕰️
Courts clogged with lawsuits about something most Americans would laugh at 🤦
Residents paying some of the highest property taxes in the nation, while still being told what they can and cannot buy on a Sunday 💵🚫🛍️
Working families struggling to make ends meet, left without their only shopping day 🛒😤
State vs. local power struggles that add another layer of legal confusion ⚖️
For some, that is the final straw. It is not just about shopping, it is about quality of life, convenience, and whether the state is evolving or falling behind 📉.
Escape From New Jersey Takeaway ✈️🌴
While Bergen County argues over whether you can buy socks on a Sunday 🧦, the rest of the country is moving forward. States like Florida, the Carolinas, and Texas not only welcome shoppers seven days a week, they do it with lower taxes, warmer weather, and fewer rules breathing down your neck 🌞.
If you are tired of outdated laws, endless traffic debates, and lawsuits over shopping hours, maybe it is time to explore your options 🏡.
EscapeFromNewJersey.com can connect you with trusted real estate agents in Florida, the Carolinas, Pennsylvania, or wherever your next chapter begins.
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