Is It Legal To Be Naked On Your Own Property In New Jersey?

This may be a sensitive subject for some.  For others, they can't wait to let it all hang out.  What am I talking about?  The right to be naked.  So where are we allowed to be naked in New Jersey anyway? Specifically, is it legal to be naked on your own property in The Garden State?

There are some public places where you are more than welcome to lose the tan lines.  In our state, I've heard of places like Gunnison Beach in Sandy Hook and Gateway National Park which is clothing optional.  This is a place for being free, playing sports, and relaxing with or without your trunks.

Goodland Country Club in Hackettstown/Mr. Olive is another option, it is one of the oldest nudist parks in the country.  They are known for their gigantic swimming pool and lounge area.

Sky Farm in Basking Ridge lets you bask in the buff, they are the largest clothing-optional club in America.

There is also the Rock Lodge Club in Hardyston Township which offers 45 acres of nakedness.

We know you can legally be naked in these places but what about in our own homes and yards in New Jersey?  Is being naked on our own property legal? I turned to NBC News legal analyst, and friend of the show Danny Cevallos to get the answer.

As it turns out, it largely comes down to intentions.  In the case of just being naked inside the reasonable privacy of our own homes, there is a pretty clear rule on this.  In New Jersey, if you display your private parts to another for the purpose of sexual arousal for them or for yourself, then it is a crime. Danny Cevallos gives us this example,

So if you walk by your bedroom window naked on the way to the shower, not a crime.  If you press your naked body up against the living room window when a bus is going by your house, that's probably a crime.

 

So in the end, it is legal to sunbathe naked in your yard however, you are opening yourself up to another person's interpretation of lewdness and they could challenge you (and who needs that?).  Also, take into account, that it is not legal to expose yourself in the presence of anyone 13 or younger intentionally so if you live across from a school, that matters. If you must shed your clothes, it is best to do it in the backyard and very much on the down low.