Bill
Bill > S2499
summary
Introduced
01/13/2026
01/13/2026
In Committee
01/13/2026
01/13/2026
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
Introduced Session
2026-2027 Regular Session
Bill Summary
This bill would require the Division of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs, in consultation with the Administrative Office of the Courts and the Office of Information Technology, to design, develop, and maintain a database that contains and displays information about the monetary penalties imposed and collected by municipalities for the violation of municipal ordinances. The "Municipal Penalty Database" would be publicly available and accessible from the Division of Local Government Services Internet website. The "Municipal Penalty Database," would display a quarterly report for each municipality setting forth: · each type of violation prescribed by ordinance, · the monetary penalty amount, amounts, or range prescribed by ordinance,· the number of occurrences of each type of violation during the prior three-month period, and · the total amount collected by the municipality for each type of violation during the prior three-month period. The database would also retain and display each prior quarterly report. The bill requires the Division of Local Government Services to adopt rules to effectuate the purposes of the bill. The bill requires each municipality to submit information to the Division of Local Government Services on a quarterly or more frequent basis, in the manner the division may require, information about the monetary penalties the municipality has imposed and collected for the violation of each type of ordinance. If a municipality does not comply with this requirement, the Division of Local Government Services would prohibit the municipality from imposing and collecting a fine in excess of $25 as a penalty for the violation of any of its ordinances until the division determines that the municipality has satisfactorily complied with the requirement. Additionally, a person cited for violating an ordinance during a period of time that the municipality is not in compliance with this requirement may affirmatively assert the provisions of the bill as a defense against the ability of the municipality to impose and collect a fine in excess of $25 as a penalty for violation of the ordinance.
AI Summary
This bill mandates the creation and maintenance of a publicly accessible online database, called the "Municipal Penalty Database," by the Division of Local Government Services within the Department of Community Affairs, in collaboration with the Administrative Office of the Courts and the Office of Information Technology. This database will display quarterly reports for each municipality detailing the types of ordinance violations, the associated monetary penalties or ranges, the number of times each violation occurred in the preceding three months, and the total fines collected for each violation type during that period, with past reports also being retained. Municipalities are required to submit this information quarterly, and failure to comply will result in the Division of Local Government Services prohibiting them from collecting fines exceeding $25 for any ordinance violation until they are in compliance; individuals cited for violations during a non-compliant period can use this bill as a defense against fines over $25. The Division of Local Government Services will also establish rules to implement these requirements, and the database will be searchable by municipality name and updated at least every three months.
Committee Categories
Housing and Urban Affairs
Sponsors (1)
Last Action
Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee (on 01/13/2026)
Official Document
bill text
bill summary
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bill summary
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bill summary
| Document Type | Source Location |
|---|---|
| State Bill Page | https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2026/S2499 |
| BillText | https://pub.njleg.gov/Bills/2026/S2500/2499_I1.HTM |
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