Bill Text: NJ A5384 | 2026-2027 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires inspection for pest infestation prior to certain demolitions.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced) 2026-09-10 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Community Development and Women's Affairs Committee [A5384 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2026-A5384-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman TENNILLE R. MCCOY
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
SYNOPSIS
Requires inspection for pest infestation prior to certain demolitions.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act requiring pest inspections prior to certain demolitions, and supplementing P.L.1975, c.217 (C.52:27D-119 et seq.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. As used in this section:
"Closely-situated building" means any building that is located:
(1) within 10 feet of the building to be demolished; and
(2) on a different property than the building to be demolished.
"Demolition" means the act of forcing down all of a building pursuant to the standards of the "State Uniform Construction Code Act," P.L.1975, c.217 (C.52:27D-119 et seq.), or forcing down part of a building when inspection and certification is required in accordance with rules and regulations adopted pursuant to subsection c. of this section.
"Infestation" means a significant presence of pests within or on the perimeter of a building, or both.
"Local health agency" shall have the same meaning as set forth in section 3 of P.L.1975, c.329 (C.26:3A2-3).
"Local health officer" means a holder of a license as a health officer issued by the State Department of Health, pursuant to the "Local Health Services Act," P.L.1975, c.329 (C.26:3A2-1 et seq.), to an individual who is a full-time employee of a local health agency or of any unit of government participating in a certified program.
"Pest" means rat, mouse, roach, or any other animal or insect designated by the Commissioner of Environmental Protection as posing a significant risk of infesting adjacent properties following a demolition.
"Severe pest presence" means the existence of pests within or on the perimeter of a building, or both, at levels substantial enough to place any closely-situated building at risk for pest infestation as a result of demolition.
b. In addition to requirements under the "State Uniform Construction Code Act," P.L.1975, c.217 (C.52:27D-119 et seq.), P.L.1942, c.112 (C.40:48-2.3 et seq.), and any other statutory, regulatory, or local requirements, a building shall not be demolished without a certification. The certification shall indicate whether the building contains a pest infestation that places any closely-situated building at risk for infestation. The certification shall be filed with the construction official prior to the issuance of a construction permit, and shall be issued by:
(1) a local health officer or employee of a local health agency; or
(2) a commercial pesticide applicator certified by the Department of Environmental Protection for general and household pest control pursuant to the "Pesticide Control Act of 1971," P.L.1971, c.176 (C.13:1F-1 et seq.).
c. (1) Prior to issuing a certification required pursuant to subsection b. of this section, the local health officer, local health agency employee, or pesticide applicator, shall inspect the building for a pest presence.
(2) If a severe pest presence exists, the local health officer, local health agency employee, or pesticide applicator, shall take the steps necessary to mitigate the pest presence down to acceptable levels.
(3) The inspection required pursuant to this subsection shall be conducted no earlier than 60 days prior to the issuance of a construction permit for demolition.
d. (1) A certification issued by a pesticide applicator shall be filed with the local health officer and the construction official no later than five days prior to the issuance of the construction permit.
(2) At any time prior to the issuance of the construction permit, the local health officer shall have the authority to disapprove of the pesticide applicator's certification, and require a new inspection and new pest mitigation steps to be taken prior to the issuance of the construction permit.
e. The certification and associated inspection, and any required extermination, shall not be required:
(1) for the demolition of a building for which no closely-situated building exists within 10 feet of the building to be demolished; or
(2) if the construction official determines that an immediate danger is posed by the potential collapse of a structurally unsafe building.
f. The construction permit applicant shall be responsible for the cost of any inspection and certification required pursuant to this section, and the cost of any extermination or mitigation measures required pursuant to subsections c. or e. of this section.
g. On or before the first day of the sixth month next following enactment, the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, in accordance with the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), in consultation with the Commissioner of Health, and the Director of the Division of Codes and Standards in the Department of Community Affairs, shall adopt any rules and regulations necessary for the implementation of this section, including, but not limited to, standards for the types of animals to be designated as pests, standards for the level of a pest presence that shall require extermination, acceptable methods of extermination, and the types of partial building demolitions that shall require inspection and certification.
The Commissioner of Health,
and the Director of the Division of Codes and Standards in the Department of
Community Affairs, shall also adopt any necessary rules and regulations to
effectuate the purposes of this section.
2. This act shall take effect immediately, but subsections a. and b. of section 1 shall remain inoperative until the first day of the sixth month next following enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires pest inspections prior to certain building demolitions in order to prevent the infestations from migrating to adjacent buildings.
The bill requires a local health officer or employee of a local health agency, or a commercial pesticide applicator certified by the State Department of Environmental Protection for general and household pest control, to inspect certain buildings for pest infestation before the demolition. The local health officer, local health agency employee, or pesticide applicator is required to issue a certification indicating whether the building contains a pest infestation within or on the perimeter of the building that places any closely-situated building at risk for infestation.
If a severe pest presence exists in the building to be demolished, the local health officer, local health agency employee, or pesticide applicator is required to ensure that extermination takes place prior to issuing the certification.
The bill requires the inspection to be conducted no earlier than 60 days prior to the issuance of the construction permit for demolition. The certification is to be filed with the construction official before a construction permit can be issued. Any certification that is issued by a pesticide applicator is to be filed with the local health officer and the construction official, no later than five days before the construction permit is issued. At any time before construction permit is issued, the local health officer may disapprove of the pesticide applicator's certification, and require a new inspection and new extermination to be conducted before a construction permit is issued.
Under the bill, no certification is required prior to demolition if: (1) no other building exists that is located within 10 feet of the building to be demolished, and is on a different property; or (2) the construction official determines that an immediate danger is posed by a structurally unsafe building.
The construction permit applicant is responsible for the cost of any inspection and certification, and the cost of any extermination or mitigation measures required under the bill.
