The name is derived from a Native American term, variously said to mean "place of sands",[26][27] "creek between two hills"[28] or "bushy" / "difficult to cross".

These areas include lakes, rivers, and expansive ranges of mountains, covered with trees and wildlife and hiking trails, including Farny State Park,[31] Wildcat Ridge WMA,[32] Mount Hope Historical Park[33] and Splitrock Reservoir.

[41] The Ford-Faesch Manor House, is a 1768 stone mansion that figured prominently during the Revolutionary War and in the 250-year history of Morris County iron industry.

[46][47][48] Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Beach Glen, Deer Pond, Denmark, Bowlbyville, Durham Pond, Foxs Pond, Green Pond (a lake and an accompanying residential community, though it uses a Newfoundland address in West Milford), Hibernia (site of the Hibernia mines), Hickory Hill, Hilltown, Lyonsville, Marcella, Meriden, Middle Forge, Middletown, Mount Hope, Picatinny, Spicertown and Split Rock.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection spent $3 million in 2015 to acquire a 1,500-acre (610 ha) buffer area around the reservoir, as part of an agreement under which Jersey City retains rights to use water from the reservoir and is responsible for maintenance of the dam at the site.

[51][52][53] Despite being the largest municipality in area within Morris County, Rockaway Township does not have a specific zip code.

[68] With 5,000 employees and covering 6,500 acres (2,600 ha), Picatinny Arsenal is the Joint Center of Excellence for Armaments and Munitions for the United States Armed Forces.

[70] Rockaway Township is governed within the Faulkner Act (formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law) under the Mayor-Council system of municipal government (Plan F), implemented based on the recommendations of a Charter Study Commission as of January 1, 1968.

The members of the governing body are elected to staggered four-year terms of office on a partisan basis in odd-numbered years as part of the November general election, with the six ward seats up for vote together and then the three at-large and the mayoral seat up for vote together two years later.

[7][74] As of 2023[update], the Mayor of Rockaway Township is Republican Joseph Jackson, who was elected to serve the balance of a term of office expiring December 31, 2023.

[75][76][77][78][79][80][81] In January 2022, Joseph Jackson was selected as mayor following the resignation of Michael Puzio from the term expiring in December 2023.

In March 2022, Pawel Wojtowicz was appointed to fill Jackson's vacated at-large council seat, also expiring in December 2023.

[79] In July 2019, Republican Mary Noon was appointed to fill the Ward 1 seat expiring in December 2021 that had been held by Victor Palumbo until he resigned from office the previous month in the face of a pending recall effort.

[84] In September 2019, the township council appointed Douglas Brookes to fill the Ward 3 seat expiring in December 2021 that had been held by Phyllis I. Smith until she resigned from office earlier that month; at the same meeting, the council removed Jeremy Jedynak from office due to excessive absence, after he had missed attending a string of meetings over a two-month period.

[87] In October 2018, a Superior Court judge ruled that all of the actions taken at the late-night meeting in September at which Minenna had been appointed were null and void as they violated the terms of the state's Open Public Meetings Act; Adam Salberg was designated by the judge to fill the mayoral vacancy on an interim basis until the November 2018 general election, when voters will select a candidate to serve the balance of Dachisen's term of office.

[90] In November 2012, Dachisen won a special election to serve the balance of Sceusi's term through 2015.

The term expires in 2015 and the remaining two years of the seat were up for vote in the November 2013 general election.

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

[96] For the 2024-2025 session, the 25th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Anthony M. Bucco (R, Boonton Township) and in the General Assembly by Christian Barranco (R, Jefferson Township) and Aura K. Dunn (R, Mendham Borough).

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

[133] The Rockaway Township Public Schools serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade.

[145] As of the 2022–23 school year, Morris Hills High School had an enrollment of 1,187 students and 117.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.1:1,[146] while Morris Knolls had an enrollment of 1,447 students and 130.9 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis) and a student–teacher ratio of 11.1:1.

Each company is all-volunteer and provides emergency medical services in addition to fire protection.