New Jersey school sports heat policy
NJSIAA’s heat policy, written as a requirement, sets its own WBGT limits for outdoor practices and games in all sports. How to read these labels
- Association
- NJSIAA (New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association)
- Document
- NJSIAA Heat Participation Policy
- Label
- WBGT required
- Reading it uses
- WBGT
- Statewide table
- Yes, shown below
- Last checked
- September 4, 2026
What NJSIAA’s document says
The policy cited below is written as a requirement.
NJSIAA’s Heat Participation Policy is written with “must” throughout, and it sets the heat index aside in plain words: “It is not relevant to an athletic practice setting.” The zones here are NJSIAA’s own numbers; its document names the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) rather than a regional model. NJSIAA’s table puts 90.0 °F in its one-hour band and stops outdoor workouts above it. This card starts that top band at 90.0 °F, a tenth of a degree earlier.
- < 80°FNormal activity
Normal activities. Provide 3+ rest breaks per hour (≥3 min each); unlimited water.
- 80 to under 85.1°FUse discretion
Use discretion for intense or prolonged exercise; watch at-risk athletes. 3+ rest breaks/hour (≥4 min each).
- 85.1 to under 88.1°FReduced: cap 2 h
Cap practice at 2 hours. Football: helmet, shoulder pads, and shorts only (pads off for conditioning). 4+ rest breaks/hour (≥4 min).
- 88.1 to under 90°FLimited: cap 1 h
Cap practice at 1 hour. No protective equipment and no conditioning. ~20 min of rest breaks across the hour.
- ≥ 90°FCancel outdoor activity
No outdoor workouts: delay or cancel until the WBGT drops to a cooler level.
This is a plain-language summary to help you plan. It is not legal advice, and it is not the association’s document. Associations revise these policies often. Confirm what currently applies with your school, district or association.
What else to know
- NJSIAA says its policy “must be followed by all sports and has no specific ending date”, so it is not only for preseason football. It also has the game officials (referees and umpires) told the on-site reading at least 30 minutes before a game.
- If the reading reaches the top level during a game, NJSIAA says “the game must be postponed for 30 minutes followed by another WBGT reading (similar to the lightning rule).”
- NJSIAA’s Cold Water Immersion Tub Policy, in the same file, says a cooler with ice and towels or a cooling tarp “must be available at the practice, game and event site” even at the lowest readings. From 80.0 °F WBGT, it calls for a 150-gallon cold-water tub or tarp, with water below 60 °F, within 5 to 10 minutes of the site.
- Readings are recorded, and any practice or game that needed a change goes on NJSIAA’s Heat Participation Policy Record Chart. NJSIAA’s school checks look for a WBGT device, those records and a signed heat policy.
How to read this
Each row is a range of WBGT readings, and every reading falls in exactly one row. A range like “80 to under 85.1°F” includes the first number and stops just below the second. The short activity notes in each row are a general guide, worded the same on every state page. NJSIAA’s document may word its limits differently or add rest breaks, equipment and water rules, so open it for the exact rules.
Before you rely on this
- This page summarizes NJSIAA’s document. It does not replace it. If they differ, go by the document and by the policy your school or league has adopted.
- Confirm what currently applies with your school, district or association. Many schools adopt their own version.
- Any WBGT number WetBulbTracker shows is a modeled estimate for planning, not an official reading. Where a policy calls for an on-site reading, that reading governs.
- This page does not replace an athletic trainer’s judgment.
Live heat readings in New Jersey
Suggest a correction
Associations update these documents, often before the fall season. If something here is wrong or out of date, send us a link to the current document and we will re-check it.
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