Bill

Bill > A1120


NJ A1120

NJ A1120
Prohibits owner or operator of parking facility from preventing customer from leaving due to malfunction of parking facility payment process.


summary

Introduced
01/13/2026
In Committee
01/13/2026
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead

Introduced Session

2026-2027 Regular Session

Bill Summary

This bill prohibits the owner or operator of a parking facility from preventing a customer from leaving the premises if the parking facility cannot process and accept payment. Under the bill, an owner or operator of a parking facility that charges a fee for use is not to prevent a customer from leaving or removing the customer's motor or other vehicle from the premises due to a mechanical, technical, or other type of malfunction that causes the parking facility's regular method of processing and accepting payment to fail. If a malfunction occurs, the owner or operator of the parking facility may delay a customer for not more than 10 minutes to repair or otherwise correct the malfunction in order to collect payment by the regular method. The bill provides that if the malfunction cannot be repaired or corrected within that period of time, the owner or operator of the parking facility is required to accept payment from the customer in cash or by credit or debit card. If the customer is unable to pay in cash or the owner or operator of the parking facility cannot process a credit or debit card payment, the owner or operator is to bill the customer for an amount not to exceed the actual amount charged for the customer's use of the parking facility. If, due to the malfunction, the owner or operator of a parking facility is unable to determine the amount owed for use of the parking facility, the owner or operator is to charge the customer not more than the amount regularly charged for only one hour of use. The bill defines a "parking facility" to mean any area or place, garage, building, or other improvement or structure operated for the parking or storage of motor or other vehicles. A violation of the bill's provisions is an unlawful practice under the consumer fraud act, punishable by a monetary penalty of not more than $10,000 for a first offense and not more than $20,000 for any subsequent offense. In addition, violations can result in cease and desist orders issued by the Attorney General, the assessment of punitive damages and the awarding of treble damages and costs to the injured party.

AI Summary

This bill prohibits the owner or operator of a parking facility, defined as any area or structure used for parking vehicles, from preventing a customer from leaving if the facility's payment system malfunctions. If a problem occurs with the regular payment process, the facility has up to 10 minutes to fix it; otherwise, they must accept cash or credit/debit card payments. If payment by these methods is impossible, the facility can bill the customer for the actual amount owed, or if the amount is unknown due to the malfunction, they can charge no more than the regular one-hour parking fee. Violating these rules is considered an unlawful practice under the consumer fraud act, potentially leading to significant fines, cease and desist orders, and damages for the customer.

Committee Categories

Business and Industry

Sponsors (1)

Last Action

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Consumer Affairs Committee (on 01/13/2026)

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