STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator JAMES BEACH
District 6 (Burlington and Camden)
Senator PAUL D. MORIARTY
District 4 (Atlantic, Camden and Gloucester)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senator McKnight
SYNOPSIS
Creates neutral safe exchange zones at county sheriff offices for certain custody and visitation exchanges of minor children; makes appropriation.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning child custody and visitation exchanges, supplementing Title 9 of the Revised Statutes and Title 40A of the New Jersey Statutes, and making an appropriation.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. At the request of a party who has an order for visitation or custody that provides for the exchange of a minor child, the exchange shall be conducted at a neutral safe exchange zone, established pursuant to section 2 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) or at an exchange site designated by the court.
b. If there has been a history of domestic violence between the parties or if there is a temporary or final restraining order issued pursuant to the “Prevention of Domestic Violence Act of 1991,” P.L.1991, c.261 (C.2C:25-17 et seq.), and at the request of a party to enforce compliance with a visitation or custody order, the court may order an exchange of the minor child at a court approved site.
2. a. Each county sheriff shall designate at least one parking lot at the sheriff’s office, or a substation thereof, as a neutral safe exchange zone at which parents who are required to exchange a minor child pursuant to a parenting time-sharing schedule or child custody or visitation order may meet to exchange the minor child.
b. Each parking lot designated as a neutral safe exchange zone shall:
(1) have a sign on the premises to clearly identify the designated area as a neutral safe exchange zone;
(2) be accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week;
(3) provide adequate lighting; and
(4) maintain an external video surveillance system that records continuously, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
c. The surveillance system, required pursuant to subsection b. of this section, shall have the capability to record the neutral safe exchange zone during both day and night, capture and record images clearly, and accurately display the time and date. The county sheriff shall retain the video surveillance recordings or images for at least 45 days.
d. Nothing contained in this act shall hold a county, sheriff, law enforcement officer, or employee thereof, liable for civil damages for any act or omission relating to an incident arising from a meeting to exchange a minor child at a neutral safe exchange zone.
3. There is appropriated from the General Fund to each county sheriff’s office in this State such funds as shall be necessary for the creation of neutral safe exchange zones in each county in this State.
4. This act shall take effect on the first day of the 13th month following enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires each county sheriff to designate at least one parking lot at the sheriff’s office, or a substation thereof, as a neutral safe exchange zone at which parents may meet to exchange a minor child for the purpose of visitation or custody.
Under the bill, each neutral safe exchange zone is required to:
(1) have a sign on the premises to clearly identify the designated area as a neutral safe exchange zone;
(2) be accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week;
(3) provide adequate lighting; and
(4) maintain an external video surveillance system that records continuously, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The surveillance system is required to have the capability to record the neutral safe exchange zone during both day and night, capture and record images clearly, and accurately display the time and date. The county sheriff is required to retain the video surveillance recordings or images for at least 45 days. However, nothing contained in the bill holds a county, sheriff, law enforcement officer, or employee thereof, liable for civil damages for any act or omission relating to an incident arising from a meeting to exchange a minor child at a neutral safe exchange zone.
Under the bill, the court may order an exchange of the minor child at a court approved site at the request of a party to enforce compliance with a visitation or custody order if there has been a history of domestic violence between the parties or if there is a temporary or final restraining order issued pursuant to the “Prevention of Domestic Violence Act of 1991.”
Finally, the bill makes a General Fund appropriation to each county sheriff’s office in this State to fund the creation of the neutral safe exchange zones.