New Jersey Administrative Law: NJ Administrative Code

The New Jersey Administrative Code (NJAC) is the topical publication of the state’s current administrative rules.  The NJAC is divided into 19 titles.  Titles 1-16 are for individual state departments; 17 and 18 are for the state’s Department of Taxation and 19 is for miscellaneous agencies.   Code titles are generally divided into chapters, subchapters and then code sections.  Each chapter has a note stating the legislative authority for the regulation;  a citation to the chapter’s original publication in the New Jersey Register and its effective date;  the chapter’s expiration date(under New Jersey law, rules generally expire seven years after their effective date); and a historical notation describing prior changes to the chapter.  Occasionally, notes for subchapters will contain additional information on that subchapter.

The NJAC is published in print and electronic formats.  Regrettably, the LRC does not subscribe to the print version. 

The state has a free electronic version of the NJAC available online through Lexis.  This is updated on a quarterly basis and is not official.  The NJAC is also available in subscription legal information databases, including Lexis Advance, WestlawNext and Bloomberg.

All of the electronic versions of the NJAC provide various search options, such as keyword searching and browsing.   They also include helpful finding aids such as tables to help you track which law spawned which rule and vice versa; executive orders of the current and prior administrations and a definitions table with citations to sections where those terms are mentioned.  Unfortunately, none of the electronic versions includes an index.