Source: https://ecode360.com/34744120
Timestamp: 2020-07-08 14:11:10
Document Index: 687667767

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 19', '§ 19', '§ 19', '§ 19', '§ 19', '§ 19', '§ 19', '§ 19', '§ 19', '§ 19', '§ 19', '§ 19', '§ 19', '§ 19']

Borough of Little Ferry, NJ Abandoned Properties
Ch 19 Div I Vacant Residential and Nonresidential Premises
§ 19-2 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS.
§ 19-3 REGISTRATION STATEMENT REQUIREMENTS; PROPERTY INSPECTION.
§ 19-4 FEE SCHEDULE.
§ 19-5 REQUIREMENTS FOR OWNERS AND OTHER PERSONS AS TO VACANT AND ABANDONED PROPERTY.
§ 19-6 ADMINISTRATION; ENFORCEMENT.
§ 19-7 VIOLATIONS; PENALTIES.
§ 19-8 COMPLIANCE WITH OTHER PROVISIONS.
Ch 19 Div II Buildings Pending Foreclosure
§ 19-9 PURPOSE.
§ 19-10 SERVICE OF NOTICE, CONTENTS.
§ 19-11 CREDITOR RESPONSIBILITY.
§ 19-12 VIOLATION OF STATE OR LOCAL LAW AT PROPERTY ON LIST; RESPONSIBILITY OF CREDITOR.
§ 19-13 NOTIFICATION OF VIOLATION.
§ 19-14 REPAIR BY BOROUGH.
§ 19-15 VIOLATIONS AND PENALTIES.
Chapter 19 Abandoned Properties
[Ord. No. 1447-55-15]
As defined in accordance with the Abandoned Properties Rehabilitation Act, N.J.S.A. 55:19-78, et seq., shall mean the following:
Except as provided in section 6 of P.L.2003, c. 210 (N.J.S.A. 55:19-83), any property that has not been legally occupied for a period of six (6) months and which meets any one of the following additional criteria may be deemed to be abandoned property upon a determination by the Zoning Officer that:
Construction was initiated on the property and was discontinued prior to completion, leaving the building unsuitable for occupancy, and no construction has taken place for at least six (6) months as of the date of a determination by the Zoning Officer pursuant to this section;
The property has been determined to be a nuisance by the Zoning 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 al.) so long as two-thirds (2/3) 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 (6) months at the time of the determination of abandonment by the Zoning Officer and the property meets the criteria of either paragraph a1 or paragraph a4 of this section.
Shall mean any condition that on its own, or combined with other conditions present would lead a reasonable person to believe that the property is or has been vacant for three (3) or more months. Such evidence would include but is not limited to, evidence of the existence of two (2) or more of the following conditions at a property: overgrown or dead vegetation; accumulation of newspapers, circulars, flyers or mail; past due utility notices or disconnected utilities; accumulation of trash, junk or debris; the absence of window coverings such as curtains, blinds or shutters; the absence of furnishings or personal items consistent with residential habitation; statements by neighbors, delivery agents, or government employees that the property is vacant or abandoned; infestation by insects, vermin, rats or other pests; windows or entrances that are boarded up or closed off; multiple window panes that are damaged, broken or unrepaired; doors that are smashed, broken, unhinged or continuously unlocked; a risk to the health, safety or welfare of the public, or any adjoining or adjacent property owners, exists due to acts of vandalism, loitering, criminal conduct, or the physical destruction or deterioration of the property; or any uncorrected violation of a municipal building, housing or similar code during the preceding year. 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 chapter.
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, Sec. 17), or any other entity determined by the Borough of Little Ferry to have authority to act with respect to the property.
Shall mean 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 (3) 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 (3) 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 Borough 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.
The owner of any vacant property, as defined herein, shall within thirty (30) days after the building becomes vacant property or within thirty (30) days after assuming ownership of the vacant property, whichever is later, file a registration statement for each such vacant property with the Borough of Little Ferry Clerk on forms provided by the Clerk for such purposes, as well as any additional information that the Clerk may reasonably request. 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 of one hundred ($100.00) dollars for each vacant property registered.
Any owner of any building that meets the definition of vacant property prior to the date of adoption of this chapter shall file a registration statement for that property on or before September 30, 2015. The registration statement shall include the information required under Section 19-3 of this article, as well as any additional information that the Borough may reasonably require.[1]
Editor's Note: Chapter 19 was adopted 10-13-15 by Ord. No. 1447-55-15.
The owner shall notify the Clerk within thirty (30) days of any change in the registration information by filing an amended registration statement on a form provided by the Clerk for such purpose.
The registration statement shall be deemed prima facie proof of the information therein contained in any administrative enforcement proceeding or court proceeding instituted by the Borough of Little Ferry against the owner or owners of the property.
After filing a registration statement or a renewal of a registration statement, the owner of any vacant property shall provide the Borough of Little Ferry Zoning Officer with access to the property, 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 Habitability inspection
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 twenty-four (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 chapter as to availability of a contact number on a 24-hour emergency basis may designate him 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 Borough of Little Ferry 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 chapter.
The registration fee for each building that has become vacant or abandoned property shall be one hundred ($100.00) dollars.
The owner of any building that has become vacant or abandoned property, and any person maintaining, operating or collecting rent for any such building that has become vacant, shall immediately post a sign affixed to the inside of the building indicating the name, address and telephone number of the owner, the owner's authorized agent for the purpose of service of process (if designated pursuant to Section 19-3), and the person responsible for the day-to-day supervision and management of the building, if such person is different from the owner holding title or authorized agent. The sign shall be of a size and placed in such a location so as to be legible, to the extent possible, from the nearest public street or sidewalk, whichever is nearer, but shall be no smaller than 15" x 17".
Plumbing. All plumbing fixtures shall be properly installed and be in sound condition and good repair. The property shall be winterized, by the cessation of water service to the property, and the draining of water lines.
Every foundation, exterior wall or exterior roof shall be weathertight, watertight and rodent-proof, shall be kept in sound condition and good repair and shall be safe to use and capable of supporting the load which normal use may cause to be placed thereon.
Every floor, interior wall and ceiling shall be substantially rodent-proof, shall be kept in sound condition and good repair and shall be safe to use and capable of supporting the load which normal use may cause to be placed thereon.
Every window, exterior door and basement or cellar door and hatchway shall be weathertight, watertight, rodent-proof and locked and shall be kept in sound condition and good repair.
Grass and weeds shall not be permitted to grow or remain on the side, front and/or rear yards of any unoccupied or vacant building so as to exceed a height of ten (10) inches.
The Borough of Little Ferry Mayor and Council may issue rules and regulations for the administration of the provisions of this article.
Any owner who is not in full compliance with this article or who otherwise violates any provision of this chapter or of the rules and regulations issued hereunder shall be subject to a fine of not less than one hundred ($100.00) dollars and not more than two thousand ($2,000.00) dollars for each offense. Every day that a violation continues shall constitute a separate and distinct offense. Fines assessed under this chapter shall be recoverable from the owner and shall be a lien on the property.
For purposes of this chapter, failure to file a registration statement in time, failure to provide correct information on the registration statement, failure to comply with the provisions of Section 19-3, or such other matters as may be established by the rules and regulations of the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Little Ferry shall be deemed to be a violation of this chapter.
Nothing in this chapter is intended to nor shall be read to conflict or prevent the Borough of Little Ferry from taking action against buildings found to be unfit for human habitation or unsafe structures as provided in applicable provisions of the Borough Code 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 article.
A creditor serving a summons and complaint in an action to foreclose on a mortgage on property located with the Borough of Little Ferry shall serve the Borough Clerk with a notice indicating that a summons and complaint in an action to foreclose on a mortgage has been filed against the subject property. The notice may contain information about more than one property and shall be provided by mail or electronic communication at the discretion of the Borough Clerk.
The notice shall be served within ten (10) days of service of a summons and complaint in an action to foreclose on a mortgage against the subject property.
By November 30, 2015, any creditor that has initiated a foreclosure proceeding on any residential property which is pending in Superior Court shall provide the Borough Clerk with a notice as described below for all residential properties in the Borough for which the creditor has pending foreclosure actions.
Whether the property being foreclosed on is an affordable unit pursuant to the "Fair Housing Act";
Pursuant to the provisions of N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.12s and N.J.S.A. 46:10B-51, a creditor filing a summons and complaint to foreclose a lien on a residential property that is vacant and abandoned, whether the filing of the summons and complaint is made before or after the determination that the property is vacant and abandoned, shall be responsible for the care, maintenance, security, and upkeep of the exterior of the residential property. This obligation applies whether the determination that the property is vacant and abandoned is made by a zoning officer pursuant to the provisions of this chapter or other applicable law.
If the property is found to be nuisance or in violation of any applicable State or local code.
In the event of a violation of State law or a local ordinance, the Borough shall serve the creditor with a notice that shall include a description of the condition(s) that gave rise to the violation and the State law or local ordinance that has been violated, and shall provide a period of not less than thirty (30) days from the creditor's receipt of the notice for the creditor to remedy the violation, provided that in the event that the violation presents an imminent threat to public health and safety, the notice may, in the discretion of the Borough, provide that the violation shall be remedied within ten (10) days of the creditor's receipt of the notice.
If the Borough expends public funds in order to abate a nuisance or correct a violation at a property in which the creditor was given notice pursuant to the provisions of Section 19-13, but failed to abate the nuisance or correct the violation as directed, the Borough shall have the same recourse against the creditor as it would have had against the title owner of the property, including but not limited to the recourse provided at N.J.S.A. 55:19-100.
An out-of-State creditor subject to this article found by the Municipal Court, or by any other court of competent jurisdiction, to be in violation of the requirement to appoint an in-State representative or agent pursuant to this article shall be subject to a fine of two thousand five hundred ($2,500.00) dollars for each day of the violation. Any fines imposed on a creditor for the failure to appoint an in-State representative or agent shall commence on the day after the 10-day period set forth in paragraph (1) of subsection a of Section 17 of P.L.2008, c.127 (N.J.S.A. 46:10B-51) and Section 19-11 of this chapter for providing notice to the Borough Clerk that a summons and complaint in an action to foreclose on a mortgage has been served.
A creditor subject to this article found by the Municipal Court, or by any other court of competent jurisdiction, to be in violation of the requirement to correct a care, maintenance, security, or upkeep violation cited in a notice issued pursuant to this article shall be subject to a fine of one thousand five hundred ($1,500.00) dollars for each day of the violation. Any fines imposed pursuant to this paragraph shall commence thirty-one (31) days following receipt of the notice, except if the violation presents an imminent risk to public health and safety, in which case any fines shall commence eleven (11) days following receipt of the notice.