After learning that American Dream is going against Bergen County’s longstanding “blue laws” by allowing retailers to open on Sundays, officials in Paramus are considering legal action.

For at least the past year, stores at the Meadowlands megamall have opened for business Sundays – alongside the six-year-old complex’s array of dining, entertainment and other attractions.

In New Jersey, blue laws have existed since the 1700s. However, following a 1959 change in state law, every county but Bergen County abandoned the Sunday shopping ban on items like clothes, jewelry, furniture and appliances. Attempts to repeal Bergen County’s blue laws in 2010 and 1993 failed amid quality-of-life concerns.

Paramus has long supported the blue laws, saying the measure gives residents a break from traffic that plagues the borough during the rest of the week. Home to four of the area’s five malls and busy retail corridors Routes 4 and 17, Paramus is undoubtedly the shopping capital of Bergen County.

‘A level playing field for decades’

Paramus Mayor Chris DiPiazza told NJBIZ, “The governing body is in conversation with our legal representatives on legal action. Bergen County has Blue Laws, the town of Paramus has Blue Laws. It our job to protect not only the way of life in Paramus, but also supporting our businesses that have had a level playing field for decades in the county.”

Bergen County officials have also vowed to defend the blue laws. After hearing from constituents about American Dream’s Sunday operations, the county reached out last May to the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority. NJSEA owns the land that houses American Dream, MetLife Stadium and other Meadowlands developments.

In response, NJSEA’s attorney wrote back to the county saying that the authority doesn’t have the power to make American Dream follow the blue laws because it is not a policy agency.

According to a Bergen County spokesperson, the county reached out earlier this month to the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office for further clarification on who has the authority to enforce compliance. The state has not commented on the matter.

In response to a request for comment on reports that Paramus may sue American Dream, a mall spokesperson cited legal issues and declined.

However, in a statement last week, Don Ghermezian, CEO of the mall’s parent company, Triple Five, said, “We are ecstatic that our extensive list of offerings operates on Sundays, allowing everyone to enjoy the very best of American Dream whenever they want.”

Besides being the largest mall in New Jersey, the 3 million-square-foot venue is the second-largest mall in the U.S. Triple Five-owned Mall of America in Minnesota is the biggest.