S 87 New Jersey Senate · 2026-2027 Regular Session

Clarifies that fishing license is not required to fish at private community lake.

This bill clarifies that residents of private communities and their authorized guests do not need a fishing license to fish in their community's private lake. It specifically defines a "private community lake" as a manmade, self-contained body of water owned by the community, under exclusive member control, and maintained at the community's sole expense. The law explicitly adds this exemption to New Jersey's fishing licensure rules, addressing a gap where the Division of Fish and Wildlife was reportedly issuing citations despite existing law treating such lakes as private waters. This change directly affects community residents and guests who fish in designated community lakes without requiring state-issued licenses.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Last action Jan 13, 2026
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Jan 13, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Environment and Energy Committee
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

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Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Jim Holzapfel
Jim Holzapfel
RRepublican
NJ
10