Pilesgrove Township is a township in Salem County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 4,183,
Pile's Grove was first mentioned in a deed dated April 15, 1701, through the date of the township's original corporation is unknown. Pilesgrove was incorporated as one of New Jersey's original group of 104 townships that were established on February 21, 1798. Portions of the township were taken on December 6, 1769, to form Pittsgrove Township and on July 26, 1882, to create Woodstown. The township was named for Thomas Pyle.
In 1979, Pilesgrove Township enacted the state's first right-to-farm law, protecting farming as a "natural right hereby ordained to exist as a permitted use everywhere in the Township of Pilesgrove."
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 35.17 square miles (91.09 km<sup>2</sup>), including 34.94 square miles (90.48 km<sup>2</sup>) of land and 0.23 square miles (0.61 km<sup>2</sup>) of water (0.67%).
The township borders the Salem County municipalities of Alloway Township, Carneys Point Township, Mannington Township, Oldmans Township and Upper Pittsgrove Township. Pilesgrove Township also borders Gloucester County. The Borough of Woodstown is an independent municipality completely surrounded by Pilesgrove Township, making it part of 21 pairs of "doughnut towns" in the state, where one municipality entirely surrounds another. Woodstown serves as the more densely settled commercial core of the paired communities, while Pilesgrove is more agricultural.
Unincorporated communities in the township include Avis Mills, Courees Landing, East Lake, Eldridges Hill, Fenwick, Friendship, Milltown, Paulding, Point Airy, Richmanville, Sharptown, Union Grove and Yorktown. The census-designated place of Auburn is in the northwest part of the township, extending into Oldmans Township.
The Pilesgrove Solar Farm is one of the largest in the state, covering with 71,000 solar panels that generate 20 megawatts of electricity, enough to provide power for more than 5,000 homes.