Source: https://ecode360.com/9385895
Timestamp: 2019-04-26 08:14:09+00:00

Document:
§ 161-1 Authorization to regulate continued; public officer.
§ 161-2 Petition to public officer; complaint; hearing.
§ 161-3 Determination of unfitness; order.
§ 161-4 Action by public officer.
§ 161-5 Costs to become lien.
§ 161-6 Power to declare nuisances.
§ 161-7 Standards for determination of unfitness.
§ 161-8 Service of complaints and orders.
§ 161-9 Powers and duties of public officer.
Public officers — See Ch. 55, Art. III.
Construction codes — See Ch. 114.
The regulation of unfit dwellings, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.3, heretofore provided for by the Township, is continued. The public officer to exercise the powers prescribed herein and in said statute is the Construction Official under the State Uniform Construction Code.
The public officer may make preliminary investigations and issue complaints based thereon, charging dwellings to be unfit for human habitation. Such action may be initiated by petition of a public authority, or at least five residents of the municipality, alleging that any building is unfit for human habitation. The complaint of the public officer shall be served on the owner of the premises in question and shall state the charges and the time and place at which such charges will be heard before the public officer, which time shall not be less than seven nor more than 30 days after service of the complaint.
Requiring the repair, alteration or improvement of the building to be made by the owner within a reasonable time, which time shall be set forth in the order or, at the option of the owner, to vacate or have said building vacated and closed within the time set forth in the order.
If the building is in such a condition as to make it dangerous to the health and safety of persons on or near the premises, and the owner fails to repair, alter or improve said building within the time specified in the order, then the owner shall be required to remove or demolish said building within a reasonable time as specified in said order of removal.
If the owner fails to comply with an order to repair, alter or improve or, at the option of the owner, to vacate or close the building, the public officer may cause such building to be repaired, altered or improved or to be vacated and closed. The public officer may cause to be posted on the main entrance of any building so closed a placard with the following words: "This building is unfit for human habitation or occupancy or use; the use or occupation of this building is prohibited and unlawful."
If the owner fails to comply with an order to remove or demolish the building, the public officer may cause such building to be removed or demolished or may contract for the removal or demolition thereof after advertisement for, and receipt of, bids therefor.
The cost of the filing of legal papers, expert witnesses' fees, search fees and advertising charges, incurred in the course of any proceeding taken under this chapter determined in favor of the municipality, and such cost of such repairs, alterations or improvements, or vacating and closing, or removal or demolition, if any, or the amount of the balance thereof remaining after deduction of the sum, if any, realized from the sale of materials derived from such building or from any contract for removal or demolition thereof, shall be a municipal lien against the real property upon which such cost was incurred. If the building is removed or demolished by the public officer, he shall sell the materials of such building. There shall be credited against the cost of the removal or demolition thereof, including the clearance and, if necessary, leveling of the site, the proceeds of any sale of such materials or any sum derived from any contract for the removal or demolition of the building. If there are no such credits or if the sum total of such costs exceeds the total of such credits, a detailed statement of the aforesaid costs and the amount so due shall be filed with the Municipal Tax Assessor or other custodian of the records of tax liens, and a copy thereof shall be forthwith forwarded to the owner by registered mail. If the total of the credits exceed such costs, the balance remaining shall be deposited in the Superior Court by the public officer, shall be secured in such manner as may be directed by such Court, and shall be disbursed according to the order or judgment of the Court to the persons found to be entitled thereto by final order or judgment of such Court. Any owner or party in interest may, within 30 days from the date of the filing of the lien certificate, proceed in a summary manner in the Superior Court to contest the reasonableness of the amount or the accuracy of the costs set forth in the municipal lien certificate.
Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to impair or limit in any way the power of the municipality to define and declare nuisances and to cause their removal or abatement, by summary proceedings or otherwise, nor is anything in this act intended to limit the authority of the enforcing agency or Construction Official under the State Uniform Construction Code Act (P.L. 1975, c. 217; N.J.S.A. 52:27D-119 et seq.) or any rules or regulations adopted thereunder.
Dilapidation, disrepair or structural defects.
The public officer, in reaching such determination, shall be guided, among other things, by the standards set by the Building Code, the Plumbing Code, any other provisions of law in effect in Ewing Township and the pertinent requirements of Title 26 of the Revised Statutes of New Jersey.
Editor's Note: See Ch. 114, Building Construction.
Complaints or orders issued by the public officer pursuant to this chapter shall be served upon persons either personally or by registered mail. If the whereabouts of such persons is unknown and the same cannot be ascertained by the public officer in the exercise of reasonable diligence, and the public officer shall make an affidavit to that effect, then the serving of such complaint or order upon such persons may be made by publishing the same once in a newspaper printed and published in the municipality or, in the absence of such newspaper, in one printed and published in the county and circulating in the municipality in which the buildings are located, and by posting a copy of the complaint in a conspicuous place upon the premises affected by the complaint or order. A copy of such complaint or order shall be duly recorded or lodged for record with the county recording officer of the county in which the building is located.
Investigate the building conditions in the municipality in order to determine which buildings therein are unfit for human habitation or occupancy or use.
Administer oaths, affirmations, examine witnesses and receive evidence.
Enter upon premises for the purpose of making examinations, provided that such entries shall be made in such manner as to cause the least possible inconvenience to the persons in possession.
Appoint and fix the duties of such officers, agents and employees as are deemed necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter.
Delegate any functions and powers under this chapter to such officers and agents as the public officer may designate.
The property has been determined to be a nuisance by the public officer in accordance with Section 5 of P.L. 2003, c. 210 (N.J.S.A. 55:19-82).
A property which contains both residential and non-residential space may be considered abandoned pursuant to P.L. 2003, c. 210 (N.J.S.A. 55:19-78 et seq.) so long as two-thirds or more of the total net square footage of the building was previously legally occupied as residential space and none of the residential space has been legally occupied for at least six months at the time of the determination of abandonment by the public officer and the property meets the criteria of either Subsection (1)(a) or Subsection (1)(d) of this Subsection A.
Property determined to be "abandoned property" in accordance with the meaning of such term in the Abandoned Properties Rehabilitation Act, N.J.S.A. 55:19-78 et seq., shall also be deemed to be vacant property for the purposes of this section.
Shall include the title holder, any agent of the title holder having authority to act with respect to a vacant property, any foreclosing entity subject to the provisions of C.46:10B-51 (P.L. 2008, c. 127, § 17), or any other entity determined by the Township of Ewing to have authority to act with respect to the property.
Any building used or to be used as a residence which is not legally occupied or at which substantially all lawful construction operations or residential occupancy has ceased for a period of at least three months, and any commercial property that has not been legally occupied or at which substantially all lawful construction operations have ceased for a period of at least three months, and which exhibits evidence of vacancy such that a reasonable person would believe that the property is vacant. Any property that contains all building systems in working order, is being maintained on a regular basis, has not been cited by the Township for any violation of municipal ordinance within such time and is being actively marketed by its owner for sale or rental shall not be deemed vacant.
Editor's Note: See N.J.S.A. 54:4-1 et seq.
The owner of any vacant property as defined herein shall, within 30 days after the building becomes vacant property or within 30 days after assuming ownership of the vacant property, whichever is later, file a registration statement for each such vacant property with the Ewing Township Office of Code Enforcement on forms provided by the Office of Code Enforcement for such purposes. The registration shall remain valid until the end of the calendar year. The owner shall be required to renew the registration annually, no later than January 31, as long as the building remains vacant property and shall pay a registration or renewal fee in the amount prescribed in Subsection D of this section for each vacant property registered.
Any owner of any building that meets the definition of "vacant property" prior to April 23, 2013, shall file a registration statement for that property on or before June 15, 2013. The registration statement shall include the information required under Subsection C of this section, as well as any additional information that the Office of Code Enforcement may reasonably require.
The owner shall notify the Office of Code Enforcement within 30 days of any change in the registration information by filing an amended registration statement on a form provided by the Office of Code Enforcement for such purpose.
The registration statement shall be deemed prima facie proof of the statement therein contained in any administrative enforcement proceeding or court proceeding instituted by the Township of Ewing against the owner or owners of the building.
Registration statement requirements; property inspection.
After filing a registration statement or a renewal of a registration statement, the owner of any vacant property shall provide access to the Ewing Township Code Enforcement Official if requested, following reasonable notice, during the period covered by the initial registration or any subsequent renewal. If an inspection is required of the interior of the property due to complaints or other cause, the fee for such inspection shall be the same as that for a certificate of occupancy inspection as provided in the applicable provisions of the Code of the Township of Ewing.
The registration statement shall include the name, street address, and telephone number of a natural person 21 years of age or older, designated by the owner or owners as the authorized agent for receiving notices of code violations and for receiving process in any court proceeding or administrative enforcement proceeding, on behalf of such owner or owners in connection with the enforcement of any applicable code. The designated agent must have a contact number that will be available 24 hours per day on an emergency basis. The statement shall also include the name of the person responsible for maintaining and securing the property, if different from the designated agent.
An owner who is a natural person and who meets the requirements of this section as to availability of a contact number on a twenty-four-hour emergency basis may designate himself or herself as agent.
By designating an authorized agent under the provisions of this section, the owner consents to receive any and all notices of code violations concerning the registered vacant property and all process in any court proceeding or administrative enforcement proceeding brought to enforce code provisions concerning the registered building by service of the notice or process on the authorized agent. Any owner who has designated an authorized agent under the provisions of this section shall be deemed to consent to the continuation of the agent's designation for the purpose of this section until the owner notifies the Township of Ewing of a change of the authorized agent or until the owner files a new annual registration statement. The designation of an authorized agent in no way releases the owner from any requirement of this section.
Fee schedule. The initial registration fee for each building shall be $250. The fee for the first renewal is $500. The fee for any subsequent renewal is $1,000. After five years, the registration fee shall be $5,000.
Administration. The Ewing Township Mayor and Council may issue rules and regulations for the administration of the provisions of this section.
Any owner who is not in full compliance with this section or who otherwise violates any provision of this section or of the rules and regulations issued hereunder shall be subject to a fine of not less than $500 and not more than $1,000 for each offense. Every day that a violation continues shall constitute a separate and distinct offense. Fines assessed under this section shall be recoverable from the owner and shall be a lien on the property.
For purposes of this section, failure to file a registration statement in time, failure to provide correct information on the registration statement, failure to comply with the provisions of Subsection E of this section, or such other matters as may be established by the rules and regulations of the Council of the Township of Ewing shall be deemed to be violation of this section.
Compliance with other provisions. Nothing in this section is intended to nor shall be read to conflict or prevent the Township of Ewing from taking action against buildings found to be unfit for human habitation or unsafe structures as provided in applicable provisions of the Code of the Township of Ewing and/or the Uniform Construction Code. Further, any action taken under any such code provision other than the demolition of a structure shall not relieve an owner from its obligations under this section.

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