Little Falls is a township in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township was named after a waterfall on the Passaic River at a dam near Beattie Mill. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 13,360,
History
Little Falls traces its first European settlement to 1711, when seven Bergen Dutch settlers banded together to begin farming. The Speer Homestead dates from (and may have originally been built in 1680).
The Morris Canal, once an important artery of trade and transportation until 1925 between the Delaware and Hudson rivers, wound its way through the township, and vestiges of it still remain today, some parts of which form a greenway.
Little Falls was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 2, 1868, from portions of Acquackanonk Township. On March 25, 1914, portions of the township were taken to form the borough of West Paterson (now Woodland Park).
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 2.87 square miles (7.43 km<sup>2</sup>), including 2.80 square miles (7.24 km<sup>2</sup>) of land and 0.07 square miles (0.19 km<sup>2</sup>) of water (2.54%).
The township has three main sub-divisions. Great Notch is the easternmost part of Little Falls. The downtown area is frequently referred to as "The Center of Town", mainly by longtime residents, and is usually referred to as simply Little Falls. Singac is in the westernmost portion of the township. Much of Singac borders the Passaic River.
Little Falls is bordered by the municipalities of Clifton, Totowa, Wayne, and Woodland Park in Passaic County, and Cedar Grove, Fairfield, Montclair, and North Caldwell in Essex County. It is located about west of New York City.
As of 2026, the township is a member of Local Leaders for Responsible Planning in order to address the township's Mount Laurel doctrine-based housing obligations.