Mushroom foraging laws in New Jersey
Compiled from official sources; not legal advice. Rules change. Confirm with the land manager or the agency before you pick.
Summary
State Park Service rules say you need the superintendent's permission to remove any plant or natural resource from State parks and forests; mushrooms are not named. Bill A3425 would allow personal-use foraging there, but it has only been introduced and referred to committee (January 13, 2026), with no later action on the legislature's site. The retail food rule allows wild mushrooms sold in packaged form from a regulated food processing plant.
Public land
N.J.A.C. 7:2-2.10 says a person shall not abuse, mutilate, injure, destroy, move or remove any plant or animal or natural resource on State Park Service land and water without first getting the permission of the Superintendent or designee. Mushrooms are not named, so ask the park or forest. Bill A3425 (2026) would allow personal-use foraging of fruits, fungi, nuts and plants in State parks and forests, but as of 2026-11-11 the legislature shows only introduction and referral to the Assembly Children, Families and Food Security Committee on 1/13/2026. It is not law. Federal lands follow their own rules.
Permits
Permission from the Superintendent or designee is required to remove plants or natural resources under N.J.A.C. 7:2-2.10. No separate mushroom permit is described.
Selling
New Jersey's retail food rule, N.J.A.C. 8:24-3.2(d), permits wild mushrooms in packaged form that are the product of a regulated food processing plant for use or sale in a retail food establishment. It describes no route for selling fresh foraged mushrooms from individual pickers; ask the NJ Department of Health or your local health department. Bill A3425 would exclude selling or bartering foraged items from its personal-use allowance; it is not law.
Sources
- N.J.A.C. 7:2-2.10 - Damage to property/tampering, State Park Service Code (Cornell LII)
- NJ Legislature - Assembly Bill A3425 (2026) text
- NJ Legislature - A3425 bill status
- N.J.A.C. 8:24-3.2 - Retail food sources, specifications (Cornell LII)
Last verified: November 11, 2026