Sixteen police officers were injured in the clashes with up to 100 youths, some of whom threw fireworks, large-sized shot and projectiles, say police.
Reports suggest the unrest may have been triggered after police arrested a man for dangerous driving.
President Francois Hollande has vowed to restore order.
"Interior Minister Manuel Valls will go to Amiens immediately... to say there once again that the state will mobilise all its resources to combat this violence," he said.
"Our priority is security which means that the next budget will include additional resources for the gendarmerie and the police," Mr Hollande said.
A leisure centre, school and cars were burned overnight on Monday amid the unrest in the rundown district of Amiens, reports said.
The clashes are believed to have started at about 21:00 (19:00 GMT), ending at about 04:00 once police reinforcements arrived. Up to 150 police are said to have used tear gas and rubber bullets to quell the violence.
Mayor Gilles Demailly said the clashes left behind a "scene of desolation".
"There have been regular incidents here but it has been years since we've known a night as violent as this with so much damage done," Mr Demailly told Agence France-Presse.
Smaller-scale clashes had also erupted the previous night in response to the controversial arrest, reports said.
This district of Amiens had reportedly already been earmarked for extra security spending after it was identified as among the 15 most troubled areas in France by the government earlier this month.
In 2005, the deaths of two teenagers sparked weeks of looting and car-burning in housing estates across France.
It sparked an debate about deprivation and social exclusion, but many analysts say little has changed for France's marginalised youth, many of North African origin.
Source: BBC News
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