Borough of Hawthorne, NJ Chapter 298 Laundries

[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Commissioners (now Municipal Council) of the Borough of Hawthorne 9-2-1959 by Ord. No. 1008 (Ch. 125, Art. I, of the 1989 Code). Amendments noted where applicable.]

GENERAL REFERENCES

Board of Health — See Ch. 45, Art. V.

Uniform construction codes — See Ch. 185.

Fees — See Ch. 220.

Noise  — See Ch. 333.

Sewers and sewage disposal — See Ch. 399.

Storm sewers — See Ch. 432.

Water — See Ch. 530.

Zoning — See Ch. 540.

§ 298-1 Definitions and word usage.

A. The following words, when used in this chapter, shall have the following meanings:

BOARD OF HEALTH

The Board of Health of the Borough of Hawthorne.

BOROUGH

The Borough of Hawthorne.

BOROUGH CLERK

The Clerk of the Borough of Hawthorne or the Deputy Clerk of the Borough of Hawthorne.

COIN-OPERATED OR SELF-SERVICE DRY-CLEANING ESTABLISHMENT

No coin-operated or self-service dry-cleaning establishments shall be permitted.

[Added 4-16-2008 by Ord. No. 1936-08[1]]

LAUNDROMAT

An establishment or place of business conducted for the purpose of washing, cleaning, drying or laundering clothes and other materials that may be brought to said establishment or place of business by customers, and wherein the work is done in machines, coin-operated or otherwise, located on the premises, by the customers themselves or by or under the supervision of the owners or operators of said establishment or place of business for said customers, and shall include a "laundromat," "wash-o-mat," and similar names and types under which laundering of the self-service type is carried on.

[Amended 7-20-1960 by Ord. No. 1021; 4-16-2008 by Ord. No. 1936-08]

LAUNDRY

An establishment or place of business conducted for the purpose of washing, cleaning, drying or laundering clothes and other materials that may be brought to said establishment or place of business by customers or collected and brought to said establishment or place of business by or under the supervision of the owners or operators of said establishment or place of business, and wherein all or any part of the work is done on the premises by or under the supervision of the owners or operators of said establishment or place of business, and shall include a dry-cleaning establishment or any similar establishment where clothes or other materials are cleaned or dirt or stains removed or where clothes or other materials are in any way processed.

[Amended 7-20-1960 by Ord. No. 1021]

PERSON

Includes a corporation, association, organization, firm and partnership, as well as an individual.

[1] Editor's Note: This ordinance also deleted the former definition of "Commissioners," which immediately followed this definition.

B. Whenever in this chapter any word importing the singular number or masculine gender is used in describing or referring to any person, party, matter or thing, the same shall include and apply to several persons or parties as well as to one person or party, to females as well as males and to several matters or things as well as one matter or thing.

§ 298-2 License required; application; expiration; fees.

[Amended 7-20-1960 by Ord. No. 1021]

A. It shall be unlawful for any person to operate any laundry or laundromat in the Borough without having first obtained a license therefor.

[Amended 4-16-2008 by Ord. No. 1936-08]

B. Application for such license shall be filed with the Borough Clerk. Said application shall state the name and address of the person who will operate the laundry or laundromat, the exact location of the premises and the size thereof, where said laundry or laundromat will be operated and the maximum daily amount of water which will be used in connection therewith. A separate application and license shall be required for each establishment.

[Amended 4-16-2008 by Ord. No. 1936-08]

C. Each license shall expire on the 31st day of December following the date of issuance. No license shall be issued unless the premises in which the laundry or laundromat is to be operated comply in all respects to the requirements, regulations and provisions of the Fire Department, Board of Health, the Building Code, Plumbing Code and Chapter 540, Zoning, of the Code of the Borough of Hawthorne.[1]

[Amended 4-16-2008 by Ord. No. 1936-08]

[1] Editor's Note: See Ch. 25, Art. III, Fire Department; Ch. 45, Art. V, Board of Health; Ch. 185, Construction Codes, Uniform.

D. The annual license fee, for the full year or any portion thereof, shall be at the rate as provided in Chapter 220, Fees.

[Amended 12-20-1989 by Ord. No. 1510]

§ 298-3 Sanitation.

[Amended 4-16-2008 by Ord. No. 1936-08]

The entire premises devoted to the operation of the laundry or laundromat, and all machines used in connection therewith, shall be kept in a clean and sanitary condition. The floor shall be kept clean and dry. The premises shall be adequately ventilated and provided with sufficient natural or artificial light. The walls of said premises shall be covered with nonabsorbent paint, cement or other impervious material. All plumbing work shall at all times conform to the provisions of the Plumbing Code of the Borough and shall always be kept in a good condition and state of repair. Said laundry or laundromat shall be operated in such manner as to always comply in all respects with the requirements, regulations and provisions of the Fire Department, Board of Health, the Building Code, Plumbing Code[1] and Chapter 540, Zoning, of the Code of the Borough of Hawthorne.

[1] Editor's Note: See Ch. 25, Art. III, Fire Department; Ch. 45, Art. V, Board of Health; Ch. 185, Construction Codes, Uniform.

§ 298-4 Noise and annoyances.

[Amended 4-16-2008 by Ord. No. 1936-08]

No machinery used in the operation of a laundry or laundromat shall be operated in such manner as to cause unnecessary or unreasonable noise or vibration to the annoyance of residents in the surrounding neighborhood, or to the detriment of the well-being of the neighborhood or to the premises in the neighborhood.

§ 298-5 Hours of operation.

[Amended 4-16-2008 by Ord. No. 1936-08; 11-16-2020 by Ord. No. 2260-20]

No laundry or laundromat shall begin operations before 7:00 a.m. or continue to operate after 8:00 p.m., except that machines that have been started before 8:00 p.m. need not be stopped until the operation has been completed, but no machine shall be started for use at or after 8:00 p.m.

§ 298-6 Attendants.

[Amended 4-16-2008 by Ord. No. 1936-08]

No laundry or laundromat shall be operated unless an attendant shall be on the premises at all times during the hours of operation.

§ 298-7 Machines for certain articles.

No diapers or any other articles containing bodily excrement or discharges shall be permitted to remain around the premises but shall as speedily as possible be placed in washing machines especially designated for such purpose, and all such machines so designated shall be appropriately and conspicuously marked and shall not be used for any other purpose.

§ 298-8 Records of users.

[Amended 4-16-2008 by Ord. No. 1936-08]

Every laundry or laundromat shall keep a record of the name and address of every person sending, delivering or bringing items to the laundry or laundromat, which record shall be available at all times during business hours for inspection by the Borough or the Board of Health.

§ 298-9 Rules and regulations.

[Amended 4-16-2008 by Ord. No. 1936-08]

The Municipal Council are hereby authorized to adopt written rules and regulations for the proper enforcement of the provisions of this chapter. Such rules and regulations shall have the same force and effect as the provisions of this chapter, and the penalty for the violation thereof shall be the same as the penalty for the violation of the provisions of this chapter.

§ 298-10 Abatement of violations or nuisances; prohibition of operations.

[Amended 4-16-2008 by Ord. No. 1936-08]

A. Where the Board of Health finds that a laundry or laundromat is being operated or maintained in violation of the provisions of this chapter or any other ordinance of the Borough so as to constitute a nuisance, the Board of Health shall notify the owner of the premises or the operator of the laundry or laundromat, or both, to abate the nuisance at the expense of such owner or operator. Such notice shall be in writing and shall specify a time within which such nuisance shall be abated. If such owner or operator shall not comply with such notice within the time so specified, said Board may proceed to abate the nuisance at the expense of such owner or operator, or both, as provided by law.

B. Where the Board of Health finds that the continued operation of a laundry or laundromat while a violation exists constitutes a distinct and immediate hazard to public health, the Board is hereby authorized to prohibit the owner of the premises or the operator of the laundry or laundromat, or both, from operating or permitting the operation of said laundry or laundromat until such time as the violation is corrected and the nuisance abated.

§ 298-11 Discharges restricted.

[Amended 4-16-2008 by Ord. No. 1936-08]

No water from the operation of the laundry or laundromat shall be discharged into the storm sewer of the Borough but shall only be discharged into the sanitary sewer of the Borough. No detergents, chemicals or substances that may in any way damage, injure or corrode such sanitary sewer or in any way interfere with the operation of such sewer shall be used in the operation of the laundry or laundromat. Any discharge into the sanitary sewer system shall be in accordance with any rules and regulations pertaining to sanitary sewers.[1] Any illegal discharge into either the storm sewer or sanitary sewer system shall be subject to penalties as set forth herein.

[1] Editor's Note: See Ch. 399, Sewers and Sewage Disposal, and Ch. 432, Storm Sewers.

§ 298-12 Supply of water.

[Amended 4-16-2008 by Ord. No. 1936-08]

The Borough, in view of seasonal droughts and the prevailing conditions in the area with respect to the gradual diminution of sources of water supply and for the better preservation of its water supply for the primary uses of its citizens, including but not limited to drinking, sanitation and fire protection, does not represent or agree that it will deliver such amounts of water as any laundry or laundromat may require in its operation, and, particularly, it does not agree to supply, and no laundry or laundromat shall be entitled to be supplied with, a greater amount of water than the maximum amount set forth in the application, and any person to whom a license is issued to operate any laundry or laundromat, by accepting such license, agrees to and accepts the same subject to the foregoing conditions.

§ 298-13 Violations and penalties.

[Amended 12-20-1989 by Ord. No. 1510; 4-16-2008 by Ord. No. 1936-08]

Any person violating or failing to comply with any of the provisions of this chapter or violating or failing to comply with any rules or regulations adopted by the Municipal Council for the proper enforcement of this chapter shall, upon conviction thereof, be subject to the payment of a fine not to exceed $2,000 or imprisonment for a term not to exceed 90 days or a requirement to perform community service for a period not to exceed 90 days, at the discretion of the court imposing the same. Each succeeding violation shall be construed to be a new violation.