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Is it legal to record a call in New Jersey?

New Jersey is a one-party consent state for recording conversations. In a one-party consent state, a party to the conversation may record it.

The statute

Any person acting at the direction of an investigative or law enforcement officer to intercept a wire, electronic or oral communication, where such person is a party to the communication or one of the parties to the communication has given prior consent to such interception; provided, however, that no such interception shall be made without the prior approval of the Attorney General or his designee or a county prosecutor or his designee; d.

N.J. Stat. 2A:156A-4. Last verified 2026-07-03.source

Civil liability in New Jersey

On civil exposure, the archived statute text provides:

Any person who unlawfully intercepts or uses such communication as provided in this paragraph shall be subject to the civil liability established in section 24 of P.L.1968, c.409 (C.2A:156A-24), in addition to any other criminal or civil liability imposed by law

N.J. Stat. 2A:156A-4.source

Frequently asked questions

Can I record a phone call I am on in New Jersey?

New Jersey is a one-party consent state for recording conversations. In a one-party consent state, a party to the conversation may record it. See the statute quoted above and confirm at the official source linked below. This is general information, not legal advice.

Can someone sue over an unlawful recording in New Jersey?

The archived statute text provides: "Any person who unlawfully intercepts or uses such communication as provided in this paragraph shall be subject to the civil liability established in section 24 of P.L.1968, c.409 (C.2A:156A-24), in addition to any other criminal or civil liability imposed by law" See the quoted provision above and the official source for full context. This is general information, not legal advice.

Sources

Important

This page is general information, not legal advice. Recording laws have edge cases that this summary does not cover, including in-person versus phone recording, calls that cross state lines, and law-enforcement exceptions. Laws change. Confirm the current statute at the official source linked below, and consult your own counsel before relying on it.