[Adopted 6-20-1985 by Ord. No. 8512; amended
in its entirety 9-6-2001 by Ord. No. 2001-5]
Pursuant to Section 11 of the Uniform Fire Safety
Act (P.L. 1983, c. 383),[1] the New Jersey Uniform Fire Code shall be locally enforced
in the municipality of Ventnor City.
[1]
Editor's Note: See N.J.S.A. 52:27D-202.
The local enforcing agency shall be the Bureau
of Fire Prevention in the Ventnor City Fire Department.
The local enforcing agency shall enforce the
Uniform Fire Safety Act and the codes and regulations adopted under
it in all buildings, structures and premises within the established
boundaries of Ventnor City, other than owner-occupied one- and two-family
dwellings, and shall faithfully comply with the requirements of the
Uniform Fire Safety Act and the Uniform Fire Code.
The local enforcing agency established by § 122-8 of this article shall carry out the periodic inspections of life hazard uses required by the Uniform Fire Code on behalf of the Commissioner of Community Affairs.
The local enforcing agency established by § 122-8 of this article shall be a part of the Ventnor City Fire Department and shall be under the direct supervision and control of the Fire Official, who shall report to the Chief of the Fire Department. In the event the Chief is the Fire Official, he shall report to the Commissioner of Public Safety.
A.
The Fire Official shall be appointed by the Board
of Commissioners of the City of Ventnor City. In making this appointment,
the appointing authority shall make the appointment from among a list
of three recommendations provided by the Fire Chief. In the event
the Chief is to be one of the three named, the recommendations shall
be provided by the Commissioner of Public Safety.
B.
The Fire Official shall serve for a term of two years.
A.
Such inspectors and other employees as may be necessary
in the local enforcing agency shall be appointed by the Board of Commissioners
of Ventnor City upon the recommendation of the Chief of the Fire Department.
B.
The Chief of the Fire Department may detail such members
of the Fire Department as inspectors as shall, from time to time,
be necessary. The Fire Official, inspectors and other employees of
the enforcing agency shall be subject to removal by the Chief of the
Fire Department for inefficiency or misconduct. The Fire Official,
inspector or employee to be so removed shall be afforded an opportunity
to be heard by the appointing authority or a designated hearing officer.
In the event the Chief is the Fire Official, he will be subject to
removal by the Commissioner of Public Safety for the above-noted reasons.
A.
When access to or within a structure or an area is
unduly difficult because of secured openings or immediate access is
necessary for life-safety or firefighting purposes, the Chief of the
Fire Department may require a key box to be installed in an accessible
location to the Chief of the Fire Department or the Fire Official.
[Amended 2-26-1998 by Ord. No. 9802]
B.
Installation of the key box shall be the responsibility
of the property owner, which responsibility shall include maintenance
of the box, as well as the preparation of the keys. It shall be the
further responsibility of the owner to notify the Chief of the Fire
Department of any replacement or change of keys or the replacement
or change of location of the key box.
Pursuant to Sections 15 and 17[1] of the Uniform Fire Safety Act, any person aggrieved by
any order of the local enforcing agency shall have the right to appeal
to the Construction Board of Appeals of the City of Ventnor City.
[1]
Editor's Note: See N.J.S.A. 52:27D-206 and
27D-208.
In addition to the registration, inspections
and fees required pursuant to the Act and the regulations of the Department
of Community Affairs, the following additional registrations, inspections
and fees shall be required.
A.
All places of business, to include but not be limited to doctors' offices, dentists' offices, law offices, accounting offices, real estate offices and labor union offices, will be charged a fee in the amount set forth in Chapter 114, Fee Schedule, per year for registration and fire inspection.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
B.
All mercantile establishments, with the exception of those buildings listed as life-hazard uses in the code, will be charged a fee in the amount set forth in Chapter 114, Fee Schedule, per year for registration and fire inspections. All cooking establishments not listed as life-hazard uses that are required to have a suppression system must be issued a Type I Permit at an additional cost, as set forth in Chapter 114, per year.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
C.
All buildings containing three or more units, whether residential, commercial or a combination thereof, except life-hazard uses as established in the code, will be charged a fee for the first three units and an additional fee for each unit per year for registration and fire inspection, as set forth in Chapter 114, Fee Schedule.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
D.
All warehouses, except those defined as life-hazard uses, will be charged a fee of in an amount set forth in Chapter 114, Fee Schedule, per year for registration and fire inspection.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
E.
Buildings with four or more mercantile/business uses
that contain any common area shall be inspected once a year; the owner
of such building shall be responsible for the registration of the
uses within said property. Registration and inspection of the entire
property shall be performed once annually.
