[Added 12-7-2016 by Ord.
No. 2016-22]
A.
Effective upon the adoption of this article, the owner of any vacant/abandoned
property, as defined herein, shall, within 30 calendar days after
the building/structure/dwelling becomes vacant or within 30 calendar
days after assuming ownership of the vacant/abandoned property, or
within 10 calendar days of receipt of notice from the Township of
West Deptford, must file a registration form for such property with
the Code Enforcement Office of West Deptford Township. Failure to
provide this form in said time shall constitute grounds for failing
to register the property.
B.
Each property having a separate block and lot number as designated
in the official records of the municipality shall be registered separately.
C.
The registration statement shall include the name, street address,
telephone number, and email address of a 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; and the name, street address, telephone number and
email address for the firm and the actual name(s) of the firm's individual
principal(s) responsible for maintaining the property. (The representative
of the firm shall provide a twenty-four-hour, seven-day-a-week telephone
number and shall be able to respond to the property within one hour
of being contacted.)
D.
The registration shall remain valid for one year from the date of the registration, except for the initial registration, which shall be pro-rated through December 31. The owner shall be required to renew the registration annually, as long as the building remains a vacant/abandoned property and shall pay a registration in the amount prescribed in Chapter 11 of the West Deptford Code for each property registered.
E.
The annual renewal shall be completed by January 1 each year. The
initial registration fee shall be prorated for registration forms
received less than six months prior to that date.
F.
The owner shall notify the Code Enforcing Officer within 30 calendar
days of any changes in the registration information by filing an amending
registration form.
G.
The registration form shall be deemed prima facie proof of the statement
therein contained in any administrative enforcement proceeding or
court proceeding instituted by the Township of West Deptford against
the owner or owners of the building.
A.
Any owner notifying the Tax Office, Clerk's Office, or Construction
Office that the building/structure/dwelling has been vacated will
be given a registration form and required to complete it within the
required time frame.
C.
The Code Enforcement Officer shall maintain the inventory list and
enforce any penalties granted under this article.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
The fee schedule for registering a vacant/abandoned property is set forth in Chapter 11, Fees.
The owner of any vacant property registered under this article
shall provide access to the Code Enforcement Officer to conduct exterior
and interior inspections of the structure to determine compliance
with all codes, upon reasonable notice to the property owner or the
designated agent. Such inspection shall be carried out during normal
business hours of the Code Enforcement Officer or such time as may
be mutually agreed upon between the owner and the Township.
A.
Within 15 days of the property becoming vacant, the owner/agent shall
secure all structures on the property against any unauthorized entry.
B.
Owner/agent shall post a sign affixed to the building indicating
the name, address and telephone number of the owner or the owner's
authorized agent and the person responsible for the day to day supervision
and management of the property/structure. The sign, no smaller than
eight inches by 10 inches, shall be placed in a location as to be
legible from the nearest public street or sidewalk. The sign shall
be resistant to weather.
C.
Owner/agent shall ensure that the exterior grounds around the structure,
including the yard, fences, sidewalk, rights-of-way, alleys, retaining
walls, accessory structures, driveways, and parking lots are well
maintained and free from debris, loose litter, weed growth, abandon
vehicles, abandon pets, and grasses exceeding six inches in height.
Sidewalks along roadways shall be kept free of snow and ice.
D.
Owner/agent shall remove liquid from any object that will hold the
liquid on the exterior of the property. This includes pools, hot tubs,
fish ponds, buckets, drums, oil tanks, etc. Owner/agent shall provide
a measure to prevent these objects from refilling. The guards that
have been put in place to prevent access to some of these objects
must be maintained and secured at all times.
E.
If public utilities are not maintained, then such utilities shall
be properly secured by the appropriate utility company and the water
secured at the street by the Township Water Department.
F.
Owner/agent shall schedule an appointment with the Code Enforcement
Officer for a property Inspection within 30 days of registering, to
ensure that all the aforementioned requirements have been met.
G.
Owner/agent shall act on any violation issued by the Code Enforcement
Officer or the Township in the allotted time frame.
H.
Owner/agent shall continue to maintain the property until the property
is sold or reoccupied, at which time the tenant assumes responsibility.
A.
All properties that are sold or released currently have to register for a certificate of occupancy under West Deptford Code, Chapter 115. After an inspection has been conducted and a certificate is issued, then the property may be removed from the inventory list.
B.
Any structure to be demolished must file for a demolition permit
under the New Jersey Uniform Construction Code. When the demolition
project is completed and approval granted by the inspectors, the property
shall be removed from the inventory list.
C.
A property may be removed from the inventory list as outlined in other areas of West Deptford Code, Chapter 70.
D.
Once a property is removed from the inventory list, the owner/agent
shall adhere to the property maintenance code that has been adopted
by the Township.
A.
Any person who violates any provision of this chapter shall, upon conviction thereof, be subject to the penalties in § 1-15, Violations and penalties, of the Code of the Township of West Deptford. Each day of violation of any provision of this chapter shall constitute a separate offense.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
B.
Penalties assessed under this chapter shall be recoverable from the
owner and shall be a lien on the property.
