Source: https://ecode360.com/7634703
Timestamp: 2018-12-17 02:46:38
Document Index: 517418595

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 563', '§ 563', '§ 563', '§ 563', '§ 563', '§ 563', '§ 563']

Township of Burlington, NJ Vehicles, Abandoned
§ 563-1 Definitions.
§ 563-2 Regulations.
§ 563-3 Enforcement procedures.
§ 563-4 Violations and penalties; responsibility for costs.
Chapter 563 Vehicles, Abandoned
[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Council of the Township of Burlington 2-25-1969; amended 2-10-1970; 7-9-1975; 12-23-1986; 9-26-1989 (Sec. 14:8 of the 1975 General Ordinances). Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]
Abandoned personal property — See Ch. 413.
Includes any motor vehicle, omnibus, road tractor, trailer, truck, truck-trailer or other vehicle which:
Has been parked in any public street or on any public land for a period of five days;
Is found to be mechanically inoperative and is allowed to remain inoperative for a period of five days (said period of time may be extended, for good cause, by the Police Department); or
The sequestration of the vehicle or junk automobile body at a place of storage.
Any motor vehicle, omnibus, road tractor, trailer, truck, truck-tractor or other vehicle and shall have the meaning as ascribed to the foregoing words as contained and defined in N.J.S.A. 39:1-1 et seq.
Any individual, firm, partnership or corporation being the owner or having any legal right in or to the motor vehicle or other vehicle as herein defined. The term "person," when applied to lands, housing, residential, commercial or industrial units which are leased rather than owned by the occupants shall be deemed to mean and include the owner of the leased structures.
Lands owned by the Township, generally known as its landfill site, or such other locations as the Mayor shall from time to time provide.
The Police Department of the Township of Burlington.
Abandonment prohibited. It shall be unlawful for any person to abandon or suffer or permit the abandoning of any motor vehicle, junk automobile, or junk automobile body out of doors upon any public or private lands in the Township of Burlington, or on any public street, or between the right-of-way side lines of any public right-of-way therein.
Storage prohibition. No person shall place, keep or store any junk automobile or junk automobile body, as heretofore defined in this chapter, on any public or private property within the Township of Burlington.
Presumption. If any motor vehicle, junk automobile or junk automobile body shall be abandoned on private lands for five working days or more, it shall be presumed that the owner or tenant in possession of said land has abandoned it there or permitted or suffered it to be abandoned there.
[Amended 9-23-2008 by Ord. No. 08-OR-025; 8-25-2009 by Ord. No. 09-OR-018]
Nothing herein contained shall prohibit the placing, keeping or storage of any motor vehicle, junk automobile or junk automobile body in an enclosed garage, barn or other building.
Any motor vehicle or automobile stored in a driveway or outdoors on a property must be covered with a fitted automobile cover.
Only one motor vehicle or automobile is allowed to be stored in a driveway or on the property at any given time.
Impounding vehicles. Whenever any officer of the Burlington Township Police Department finds any motor vehicle, junk automobile or junk automobile body which has been abandoned, kept or stored contrary to the provisions of this chapter, such member of the Burlington Township Police Department shall remove, secure the removal of, and/or impound said motor vehicle, junk automobile or junk automobile body in accordance with the procedures hereinafter set forth:
Public property. Whenever any motor vehicle, junk automobile or junk automobile body is found on any public street, highway or public property, an emergency condition is herewith declared to exist, and any officer of the Burlington Township Police Department is hereby authorized to immediately remove, secure the removal of, and/or impound the motor vehicle, junk automobile or junk automobile body without the necessity of notice prior to said impoundment; after impoundment, the Burlington Township Police Department shall use diligent efforts to identify and locate the owner of the impounded motor vehicle, junk automobile or junk automobile body and notify the owner in accordance with § 563-3A(3).
Regulations. Whenever a motor vehicle, junk automobile or junk automobile body is found on any private land in violation of this chapter, then any officer of the Burlington Township Police Department in furtherance of enforcement of this chapter shall affix to the vehicle in question a sticker bearing the information more particularly set forth on Exhibit 1 attached to this chapter and made a part hereof by reference.[1] Said sticker shall, in addition to such additional information as is provided, indicate that, unless the violation is corrected within five working days so noted, the violation is continuing and any member of the Burlington Township Police Department is authorized to proceed in accordance with the law to impound the motor vehicle, junk automobile or junk automobile body and to remove said motor vehicle, junk automobile or junk automobile body to a place of storage. Notice of said impoundment shall be given to the owner of the motor vehicle, junk automobile or junk automobile body, or the owner or tenant of the private land on which the violation is occurring in the manner hereinafter established.
Editor's Note: Said Exhibit 1 is on file in the Township offices.
Exclusion. Nothing heretofore mentioned shall be deemed to prevent any of the following activities from being conducted on private lands under the conditions or by the people referred to:
One motor vehicle within the definition set forth above which does not possess the current year's registration may be maintained on a single parcel of land having on it a single-family residential dwelling as long as the motor vehicle is in a complete and operable condition.
Owners of a motor vehicle which would otherwise come under the provisions of this chapter who are in the military service stationed outside the State of New Jersey shall be exempt from the provisions of this chapter in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in Subsection A(2)(b)[1] above.
Exempt certificates. Any person who possesses, owns or maintains a motor vehicle covered under any one of the exclusions referred to above shall obtain from the Director of Public Safety an exempt certificate which shall indicate that the motor vehicle in question comes under one of the exclusions referred to in Subsection A(2)(b) above. Said exempt certificate shall be valid for one year from the date of issuance. All owners of exempt certificates shall display the exempt certificate on the windshield or other prominent place on the motor vehicle in question so that it is readily observable by the enforcement officials under this chapter. No fees shall be charged for the issuance of an exempt certificate.
[Amended 10-27-2009 by Ord. No. 09-OR-024]
Notice of the impoundment of any motor vehicle, junk automobile or junk automobile body shall be given to the owner of said motor vehicle, junk automobile or junk automobile body or to the owner or tenant of lands upon which a violation is occurring pursuant to § 563-2C above, in writing, by registered mail, at the last known address of the party to be served and shall contain the following:
Notice to Director. Upon the impoundment of any vehicle pursuant to this chapter, the member of the Burlington Township Police Department so impounding the vehicle shall give immediate notice to the Director of Motor Vehicles on forms prescribed by him for verification of ownership.
Sale of impounded vehicles. Whenever any motor vehicle, junk automobile or junk automobile body impounded by the Police Department shall remain unclaimed for a period of 30 days, the motor vehicle, junk automobile or junk automobile body shall be sold under the direction of the Prosecutor of Burlington Township or his designate at public auction to the highest bidder. Such auction held shall take place after notice of such sale has been given at least seven days prior thereto by one publication in the newspaper circulated in the Township and upon the mailing of a copy of said notice to the owner of the motor vehicle, junk automobile or junk automobile body and/or to the owner or tenant of the lands upon which a violation is occurring and the holder of any security interest filed with the Director of the Division of Motor Vehicles by certified mail at least seven days prior to the sale. All revenues collected from the sale of the motor vehicle, junk automobile or junk automobile body shall be retained by the Township of Burlington as a cost of administration.
Costs of removal, impoundment and sale. Any person who violates the provisions of this chapter shall pay all costs of removal, impoundment and sale. Cost of removal and sale shall be those fees charged to the Township by those performing services incident to such removal and sale, including but not limited to newspaper advertisements, costs, attorneys' fees and tow truck operator's fees. Impoundment costs shall be charged at the rate of $9 per day, per vehicle. In the event that the violator is a property owner as specified in § 563-2C above, said costs and such other fines and penalties as may be levied in accordance with this chapter shall become a lien upon his property in accordance with law and be collected in the manner prescribed and established for the collection of liens.
[Amended 4-10-2007 by Ord. No. 07-OR-009]
General penalty. Any person who violates any provision of this chapter shall upon conviction be punished by a fine or imprisonment in accordance to the general provisions contained in Chapter 1, Article II, Definitions; General Penalty.
Continuance. A continuance of a violation or a noncompliance with the provisions of this chapter shall be deemed a nuisance, and the Township Council shall have the right to apply to the courts of this state for injunctive relief or other relief in addition to the penalties provided for herein.