Bill > S2222

Introduced Session

This bill would allow municipalities to impose fines of up to $4,000 upon continuing, flagrant violators of housing or zoning codes. While laws governing municipal fines were amended at the end of the 2005 Legislative Session to increase the maximum amounts that can be imposed from $1,250 to $2,000, a provision of that law set forth procedures that must be followed before fines above $1,250 can be imposed for violations of housing or zoning codes. Specifically, current law provides that prior to imposing a fine in an amount greater than $1,250 upon an owner for violations of housing or zoning codes, a municipality must provide the owner a 30-day period to cure or abate the condition and provide an opportunity for a judicial hearing for an independent determination concerning the violation. Once the 30-day period has run, a municipality may impose a fine greater than $1,250 if the abatement has not been substantially completed unless a court has determined otherwise. While allowing the provisions of current law to remain in place, this bill would clarify that continuing, flagrant violators of housing or zoning codes could be subjected to penalties of as much as $4,000, after having been afforded opportunities to cure and a hearing. The bill also provides that a person who holds title to property and who fails to respond to more than three notices of housing or zoning code violations concerning issues of habitability within a 30 day period may be charged with a disorderly persons offense. The bill also specifies that, as permitted under N.J.S.2C:2-7, a corporate agent acting within the scope of his employment and on behalf of the corporation who knowingly fails to respond to such notices may be charged individually as a disorderly person.

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Shirley Turner (D)*, 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee (on 03/08/2018)