[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee of the Township
of Plainsboro 12-29-1992 by Ord. No. 0-92-23; amended in its entirety 7-9-2008 by Ord. No.
0-08-11. Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]
[Amended 4-13-2022 by Ord. No. 22-03]
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
Those buildings or structures which meet the definition of
a multiple dwelling as set forth in N.J.S.A. 55:13A-3(k).
Any individual, including subcontractors, retained by an
owner and given unsupervised access to individual apartments or to
keys thereto.
Any individual apartment unit that is currently leased or
rented to a tenant.
Any owner, landlord, employer, operating agent, managing
agent or other entity owning, managing or controlling any apartment
complex as defined herein.
An act concerning the regulation of security guards, N.J.S.A.
45:19A-1 et seq.
The owners of all apartment complexes as defined above shall
comply with the following security requirements:
A.
Lock
security.
[Amended 4-13-2022 by Ord. No. 22-03]
(1)
All exterior door locks must be changed or rekeyed upon reoccupancy.
Locks shall comply with N.J.A.C. 5:10-19.2(a).
(2)
Prior to the issuance of the housing certificate of occupancy, the
landlord shall sign a form, to be provided by the Township Code Enforcement
Department, certifying the requirements of this section have been
met.
(3)
All keys shall be coded.
(4)
Each site manager shall maintain a bound key logbook or an electronic
key tracking system, approved by the Township, in which the keys must
be logged in and out. The number of keys retained by management shall
be identified for each unit. All keys must be returned at the end
of each day.
(5)
All key boxes shall be maintained in a secure area not accessible
to the public.
(6)
Access to keys shall be limited to site managers and their designees who have complied with the requirement set forth in § 50-2C.
(7)
Circulation of master keys is to be strictly controlled by limiting
their issuance to site managers and employees responsible for responding
to emergencies after hours. The number of master keys in existence
and their issuance shall be documented in the key log or tracking
system. Master keys are to be utilized for emergency situations only.
(8)
Plainsboro Township may periodically inspect the logs required by
this section.
(9)
If either an occupant or the Plainsboro Township Police request and
receive a restraining order and the restraining order is served on
the landlord/property manager, the landlord/property manager shall
have 24 hours to install a changed lock.
(10)
Noncompliance with this section shall impose a penalty of up to $1,000
for the first offense; up to $1,500 for the second offense; and up
to $2,000 for the third offense. Furthermore, fines may continue to
accrue on a daily basis for each day the offense continues.
B.
Lighting.
(1)
Every owner shall conduct an inspection at least once every two weeks
of all exterior lights, including breezeway lights. All burned-out
bulbs must be replaced within 48 hours of discovery. Any broken lamps
or fixtures must be repaired within 10 days of discovery.
(2)
Upon receipt of a complaint from a tenant, a burned-out bulb must
be replaced by the close of the next business day. All broken lamps
or fixtures must be repaired within 10 days of receipt of a tenant
complaint.
(3)
Detailed bound logs or an electronic tracking system must be kept,
showing all required inspections, and must include, at a minimum,
the following information:
C.
Employee
criminal history record.
(1)
The following application procedure shall be used prior to the employment
of any person as a site manager or any other position, including subcontractors,
allowing access to individual apartment keys, master keys or unsupervised
access to any occupied apartment.
(a)
Each prospective employee shall complete an application form provided
by the owner which includes:
[1]
A notice, in bold print, advising the prospective employee that
he will not be hired if he has been convicted of any of the following
crimes (All citations are to N.J.S.A.):
|
N.J.S.A. Citation
|
Crime
|
|---|---|
|
2C:11-3
|
Murder
|
|
2C:11-4
|
Manslaughter
|
|
2C:12-1b
|
Aggravated assault
|
|
2C:13-1
|
Kidnapping
|
|
2C:14-2
|
Sexual assault
|
|
2C:14-3
|
Criminal sexual conduct
|
|
2C:14-4
|
Lewdness
|
|
2C:17-1a.
|
Aggravated arson
|
|
2C:17-1b.
|
Arson
|
|
2C:17-2a.
|
Purposely or knowingly causing or risking widespread injury
or damage
|
|
2C:18-2
|
Burglary
|
|
2C:18-3a.
|
Unlicensed entry of structures
|
|
2C:20-3
|
Theft by unlawful taking or disposition (excluding crimes of
fourth degree and disorderly persons offenses)
|
|
2C:20-4
|
Theft by deception (excluding crimes of fourth degree and disorderly
persons offenses)
|
|
2C:20-5
|
Theft by extortion (excluding crimes of fourth degree and disorderly
persons offenses)
|
|
2C:21-17
|
Impersonation; theft of identity; crime
|
|
2C:24-4
|
Endangering welfare of children
|
|
2C:35-3
|
Leader of narcotics trafficking network
|
|
2C:35-4
|
Maintaining or operating a controlled dangerous substance production
facility
|
|
2C:35-5
|
Manufacturing, distributing or dispensing controlled dangerous
substances (excluding crimes of fourth degree and disorderly persons
offenses)
|
|
2C:35-6
|
Employing a juvenile in a drug distribution scheme
|
|
2C:35-10
|
Possession, use or being under the influence, or failure to
make lawful disposition, of controlled dangerous substances (excluding
crimes of fourth degree and disorderly persons offenses)
|
[2]
A certification signed by the prospective employee certifying
that all information contained in the application with regard to criminal
history is complete and accurate.
[3]
A written consent and waiver signed by the prospective employee
authorizing the Plainsboro Police Department to release the results
of the criminal history record information background check to the
owner/prospective employer and releasing the Township of Plainsboro,
its agents, servants and employees from any liability in connection
therewith.
[4]
A notice advising the prospective employee that there will be
a period of time to allow for completion of the criminal history record
information background check required by Subsection C(1)(a)[4][a]
below, during which time the employee cannot work unsupervised.
[a]
The landlord shall submit the prospective employee's name and
social security number to the Chief of Police, who shall request a
criminal history record information background check from the New
Jersey State Police, State Bureau of Identification, in accordance
with applicable law, including N.J.S.A. 53:1-20.6, and applicable
regulations, including N.J.A.C. 13:59-1.1 et seq. No criminal history
records shall be requested without the written consent of the prospective
employee to such request.
[b]
A nonrefundable fee, established by the New Jersey State Police,
State Bureau of Identification, shall be collected from the landlord
for each prospective or current employee for whom a criminal history
record information background check is requested.
[c]
Upon receipt of the criminal history record information, the Chief of Police shall notify the prospective employee and the owner/employer in writing that there is no criminal history or, in the alternative, that the criminal history record information background check reveals that the prospective employee has been convicted of one or more of the offenses enumerated in Subsection C(1)(a)[1] above.
[d]
The landlord shall be notified of a disqualification but shall
not receive a copy of the criminal history record. No one but sworn
members of the Plainsboro Township Police Department shall have access
to the criminal history record information background check.
[e]
The prospective employee shall have 30 days from the date of
the written notice of a disqualifying criminal record to petition
the Chief of Police for a hearing on the accuracy of the criminal
history record information.
(b)
SORA certification would satisfy the requirements of Subsection C(1)(a)[1] above.
(c)
Copies of all identification badges, including SORA certification,
shall be maintained on file at the complex.
(2)
Each owner may, in his/her sole discretion, conduct additional background
checks and establish other criteria for employment in compliance with
state and federal law.
(3)
Upon request, a landlord shall provide the Township Police Department
with the names and titles of all current employees so that the police
can monitor compliance with this section.
D.
Employee
identification badge.
(1)
All employees or approved vendors, while on duty, shall wear plainly
visible identification badges on the upper left corners of their torsos.
(2)
The identification badges shall be approximately two inches by four
inches and shall be made in such a way and of such material that any
attempt to alter said badge will result in its being immediately,
permanently and obviously ruined. The card shall be in the following
form:
|
Color photograph of employee's face in a size adequate to permit
recognition
|
Employee's name
|
|
Date of issuance
| |
|
Employee's signature
| |
|
Validation date
|
Community name
|
(3)
Conditions requiring new badges.
(a)
A new identification badge shall be made and issued by the landlord
from time to time to reflect any substantial changes in the employee's
appearance, but, in any case, a new badge shall be issued at least
once every two years. Each new identification badge shall contain
a new color photograph of the employee's face, and said photograph
shall be taken not more than two weeks before the date upon which
the new identification badge is issued.
(b)
A new identification badge shall also be issued to an employee
whenever the facial appearance of said employee undergoes a noticeable
alteration. For the purposes of this chapter, "noticeable alteration"
means a change in the facial appearance such as, but not limited to,
a change in hair color, style, shape or length, the growth, alteration
or removal of beards, goatees, mustaches or sideburns, the wearing
of spectacles, or contact lenses in lieu of spectacles previously
worn, or a major change caused by an accident or surgery.
(4)
No employee of a landlord, who is in possession of any identification
badge as provided for by this chapter, shall loan, allow or permit
any other person to use or display such identification badge; in case
of the loss of any such identification badge, the employee shall forthwith
notify the landlord of such loss and the circumstances surrounding
the same. Any person violating the provisions of this section or any
person who shall display or use the identification badge of another
for the purpose of deceiving any person as to his identity shall be
guilty of a misdemeanor.
(5)
Any landlord who fails to issue an identification badge to each on-site
employee shall be guilty of a violation of this chapter.
(6)
Any employee of a landlord, who has been issued an identification
badge by said landlord and who fails to wear said identification badge
while working on the apartment complex site, shall be in violation
of this chapter.
E.
Miscellaneous.
(1)
The owner or site manager at each apartment complex must prepare
a written policy, setting forth detailed security procedures for that
apartment complex, to show compliance with this ordinance. Copies
of these policies shall be maintained in the on-site management office
and shall be available for inspection by any tenant or appropriate
Township official. Copies of the written policy shall be filed with
the Chief of Police.
(2)
The site manager shall maintain all logs required above.
(3)
Any time a maintenance worker, repairman or any other representative
of the owner or the apartment manager enters an individual apartment
for purposes of making repairs pursuant to the terms of the lease
or law, such person shall leave a notice to the tenant informing the
tenant that entry was made, stating the date, time and duration of
entry, giving the name and title of the person making entry and the
reason for such entry.
[Amended 4-13-2022 by Ord. No. 22-03]
This chapter shall be enforced by the Plainsboro Township Police
Department and/or the Plainsboro Code Enforcement Department.
Any person violating this chapter shall be subject to the general penalties set forth in § 1-15 of the Township Code.
