Editing Paramus, New Jersey (section)

====Blue laws====
In addition to the state [[blue law]]s that apply to all of Bergen County,<ref>[https://casetext.com/case/mack-paramus-co-v-mayor-and-council ''Mack Paramus Co. v. Mayor and Council''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221130231136/https://casetext.com/case/mack-paramus-co-v-mayor-and-council/ |date=November 30, 2022 }}, Casetext. Accessed November 30, 2022. "The State's statutory Sunday blue law, as incorporated in the Code, restricts the sale on Sunday of only five categories of goods. N.J.S.A. 2A:171-5.18. The provisions of the State law are not operative unless the voters of a county adopt the State law by referendum, upon which the statutory prohibition will be applicable on a county-wide basis. N.J.S.A. 2A:171-5.12. The voters in Bergen County, in which Midland Park and Paramus are located, have adopted the State Sunday blue law."</ref><ref>[https://www.co.bergen.nj.us/DocumentCenter/View/153 The Sunday Closing Law] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180207041338/http://www.co.bergen.nj.us/DocumentCenter/View/153 |date=February 7, 2018 }}, [[Bergen County, New Jersey]]. Accessed January 28, 2018. "Bergen County has by referendum become the last county in New Jersey to retain the Sunday Closing Law, N.J.S.A. 2A:171-5.8 et seq. As a result, the sale of certain items is still prohibited and the law should still be enforced."</ref><ref>Brennan, John. [https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/2017/06/23/11-things-you-might-not-know-bergen-countys-blue-laws/420512001/ "11 things you might not know about Bergen County's blue laws"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171209231749/http://www.northjersey.com/story/news/2017/06/23/11-things-you-might-not-know-bergen-countys-blue-laws/420512001/ |date=December 9, 2017 }}, ''[[The Record (North Jersey)|The Record]]'', June 23, 2017. Accessed January 28, 2018. "A key moment in time was the 1959 vote to allow each of New Jersey's 21 counties to make individual decisions on blue laws. Ten counties preferred the status quo — at first. Hudson County voters decided in 1985 to become the 20th of 21 counties to repeal the state's blue laws."</ref> Paramus has even stricter restrictions, preventing stores selling non-food items from opening at all on Sundays.<ref name=BoroughCode>[https://ecode360.com/8544550 Paramus Borough Code: Chapter 391: Sunday Activities] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425142446/https://ecode360.com/8544550 |date=April 25, 2023 }}, Borough of Paramus. Accessed April 25, 2023. "391-2. Sunday activities restricted. No worldly employment or business, except works of necessity and charity, shall be performed or practiced by any person within the Borough on the first day of the week, commonly called and hereinafter designated as 'Sunday.'"</ref><ref>Brennan, John. [http://www.northjersey.com/story/news/2017/06/23/11-things-you-might-not-know-bergen-countys-blue-laws/420512001/ "11 things you might not know about Bergen County's blue laws"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171209231749/http://www.northjersey.com/story/news/2017/06/23/11-things-you-might-not-know-bergen-countys-blue-laws/420512001/ |date=December 9, 2017 }}, ''[[The Record (North Jersey)|The Record]]'', June 23, 2017. Accessed December 18, 2017. "In Jan. 1986, Gov. Tom Kean signed a bill into law that allowed Bergen municipalities to have their own blue laws, even if the county at some point removed its bans. The state Supreme Court upheld that option six months later. That decision allowed Paramus to maintain even stricter blue laws than in the rest of the county."</ref> These laws were enacted shortly after Garden State Plaza opened, out of fear that the mall would cause high levels of [[Traffic congestion|congestion]] in the borough.<ref>Staff. [https://www.nytimes.com/1957/06/02/archives/sunday-selling-plaguing-jersey-local-businesses-pushing-fight.html "Sunday Selling Plaguing Jersey; Local Businesses Pushing Fight Against Activities of Stores on Highways"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171024100809/http://www.nytimes.com/1957/06/02/archives/sunday-selling-plaguing-jersey-local-businesses-pushing-fight.html |date=October 24, 2017 }}, ''[[The New York Times]]'', June 2, 1957. Accessed January 28, 2018.</ref> It is one of the last places in the United States to have such an extensive blue law. This law was called into question when a [[BJ's Wholesale Club]] opened at the junction between Routes 4/17. BJ's was allowed to open on Sundays, but is only allowed to sell food and basic necessities. The store has been structured to restrict access to items that cannot be purchased on Sunday.

Local blue laws in Paramus were first proposed in 1957, while the [[Bergen Town Center|Bergen Mall]] and [[Garden State Plaza]] were both under construction. The legislation was motivated by fears that the two new malls would increase the already-severe highway congestion caused by local retail operations along the borough's highways.<ref name=sunday/>

The Paramus Borough Code forbids the performance of any "worldly employment" on Sunday, with exceptions for charity, and the sale of newspapers, medicinal drugs, meals, prepared food and cigarettes, among a limited numbers of exceptions. Even work performed inside one's own home is prohibited on Sundays.<ref name=BoroughCode/> In spite of its six-day shopping week, Paramus consistently has the most retail sales of any ZIP Code in the United States.<ref name=shopping>[http://www.globest.com/retail/advisor/1_54/advisor/16788-1.html Paramus 07652] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517172031/http://www.globest.com/retail/advisor/1_54/advisor/16788-1.html |date=May 17, 2008 }}, GlobeSt. Retail, October 3, 2005.</ref>

More than 63% of Bergen County voters rejected a referendum on the ballot in 1993 that would have repealed the county's blue laws, though the Paramus restrictions would have remained in place.<ref>Staff. [https://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/04/nyregion/1993-elections-ballots-measures-new-brooms-sweep-power-recall-term-limits-well.html "The 1993 Elections: Ballots Measures; New Brooms Sweep In Power of Recall and Term Limits as Well as Candidates"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307074517/http://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/04/nyregion/1993-elections-ballots-measures-new-brooms-sweep-power-recall-term-limits-well.html |date=March 7, 2016 }}, ''[[The New York Times]]'', November 4, 1993. Accessed December 25, 2011. "Residents of Bergen County decided that they wanted to keep the state's only countywide blue laws, which prohibit most shopping on Sunday. Voters rejected the effort to repeal the laws by 63 percent to 37 percent, with 99 percent of the county's precincts reporting."</ref> An unsuccessful 2010 proposal by [[Governor of New Jersey]] [[Chris Christie]] would have ended the state's blue laws, now only enforced in Bergen County, with the governor citing industry estimates that the $1.1 billion in added retail revenue on Sundays would generate an additional $65 million in sales taxes for the state.<ref>Gartland, Michael. [http://www.northjersey.com/news/031710_Christies_blue_law_repeal_proposal_criticized.html&page=all "Christie's blue law repeal proposal criticized"], ''[[The Record (North Jersey)|The Record]]'', March 17, 2010. Accessed June 29, 2011. "Macy's declined to comment, referring questions to the New Jersey Retail Merchants Association, which supports lifting the blue laws. The association said that Sunday hours would generate $1.1 billion a year in extra business for Bergen County retailers, along with $65 million in state sales tax revenues."</ref>

In November 2012, Governor [[Chris Christie]] issued an executive order temporarily suspending the blue laws in both Bergen County and Paramus due to the effects of [[Hurricane Sandy]], a decision that was upheld despite a court challenge by the Borough of Paramus.<ref>Verdon, Joan. [http://www.northjersey.com/news/178121571_Judge_sides_with_govenor__county_over_blue_laws.html "Judge sides with county executive over Bergen blue laws"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004214146/http://www.northjersey.com/news/178121571_Judge_sides_with_govenor__county_over_blue_laws.html |date=October 4, 2013 }}, ''[[The Record (North Jersey)|The Record]]'', November 9, 2012. Accessed November 19, 2012. "Paramus must set aside its blue laws this Sunday due to the unprecedented damage caused by Superstorm Sandy, a Bergen County Superior Court Judge ruled today."</ref> The blue law suspension was in effect on Sunday, November 11, but was back in effect the following Sunday.<ref>Sullivan, S.P. [http://www.nj.com/bergen/index.ssf/2012/11/bergen_county_execs_office_makes_clear_blue_laws_back_this_weekend.html "Bergen County exec makes clear: Blue laws are back this weekend"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121120034052/http://www.nj.com/bergen/index.ssf/2012/11/bergen_county_execs_office_makes_clear_blue_laws_back_this_weekend.html |date=November 20, 2012 }}, ''[[The Star-Ledger]]'', November 16, 2012. Accessed November 19, 2012.</ref>