Bill Text: NJ A5058 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires use of clear polycarbonate boarding for securing vacant and abandoned property.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-02-14 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee [A5058 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2018-A5058-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman ANTHONY S. VERRELLI
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
SYNOPSIS
Requires use of clear polycarbonate boarding for securing vacant and abandoned property.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning vacant and abandoned property and supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The owner of a property that becomes vacant and abandoned pursuant to section 36 of P.L.1996, c.62 (C.55:19-55) subsequent to the effective date of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the legislature as this bill), shall use clear polycarbonate boarding panels to secure all windows and doors if necessary.
b. The Department of Community Affairs shall have the authority to issue rules and regulations to determine the circumstances that require vacant and abandoned properties to be secured with clear polycarbonate boarding.
c. An owner of a vacant and abandoned property shall not be deemed compliant with P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the legislature as this bill) if materials other than clear polycarbonate boarding panels are used to secure the property.
d. A municipality may, by ordinance, impose a fine not to exceed $500 per month for an owner that does not comply with the requirements of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the legislature as this bill).
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill would require the use of clear polycarbonate boarding panels for securing vacant and abandoned property. Abandoned properties create a wide range of problems for the communities in which they are located by fostering criminal activity, creating public health problems, and otherwise diminishing the quality of life for residents and business operators in those areas. An owner that does not use clear polycarbonate boarding materials where necessary shall not be deemed complaint with this act.
Abandoned houses often secured with plywood on the windows have become synonymous with blight, diminish the property values of neighboring properties, and have a negative effect on the quality of life of adjacent property owners. Clear polycarbonate boarding panels provide an aesthetically superior method for securing such properties. The use of clear boarding panels will provide an unobstructed view into abandoned and vacant properties which will serve as a deterrent by allowing neighboring owners to report criminal activity.
