The name "Pequannock", as used in the name of the township and of the Pequannock River, is thought to have been derived from the Lenni Lenape Native American word Paquettahhnuake, meaning "cleared land ready or being readied for cultivation".

[23][24][25][26][27] The name "Pompton" has been cited by some sources to mean "a place where they catch soft fish".

[32] The name for the area goes back at least as far as March 1, 1720, when it was referred to as "Poquanick", a precinct in Hunterdon County.

Formed as "Poquanock Township" on March 25, 1740,[33] as the county's largest township, what is now a 7.1-square-mile (18 km2) bedroom community with Pompton Plains in its northern portion and old Pequannock in its southern was once a vast 176-square-mile (460 km2) region of rural farmland settled by the Dutch after its purchase by Arent Schuyler and associates in 1695 and 1696.

[36][37] During the American Revolutionary War, both Comte de Rochambeau and George Washington's troops camped on what is now the site of the Pequannock Valley Middle School.

The Mandeville Inn, located on the site of where the soldiers had camped during the war, was built in 1788 and was once owned by Garret Hobart, later Vice President of the United States.

The Giles Mandeville House (also built in 1788), a field and quarry-stone structure located at 515 Newark-Pompton Turnpike, which is believed to have served as a waypoint for many runaway slaves, still stands today, and has been in use as the Manse of the adjacent First Reformed Church since 1953.

Pequannock Township is located 20 miles (32 km) west of New York City.

[45] Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Pequannock and Pompton Plains, each of which is served by a separate post office of the United States Postal Service.

[60][61] Since January 1, 1956, the township has operated within the Faulkner Act, formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, under the Council-Manager Plan E form of local government.

[3][67][68][69][70][71] In July 2021, the Township Council appointed John Driesse to fill the seat expiring in December 2022 that had been held by Richard Phelan until he resigned from office the previous month.

[75] For the 119th United States Congress, New Jersey's 11th congressional district is represented by Mikie Sherrill (D, Montclair).

[77] For the 2024-2025 session, the 26th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Joseph Pennacchio (R, Rockaway Township) and in the General Assembly by Brian Bergen (R, Denville Township) and Jay Webber (R, Morris Plains).

[79] Actual day-to-day operation of departments is supervised by County Administrator Deena Leary.

[130] The NJ Transit Mountain View[131] and Lincoln Park[132] train stations are both near Pequannock, offering service on the Montclair-Boonton Line to Hoboken Terminal.

[133] Pequannock Township was formerly served by the Pompton Plains railroad station, which has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.

[135][136][137] In September 2012, as part of budget cuts, NJ Transit suspended service to Newark on the 75 line.

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Pequannock Township include: