[First Reprint]

SENATE, No. 3277

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

216th LEGISLATURE

INTRODUCED DECEMBER 10, 2015

 


 

Sponsored by:

Senator  NILSA CRUZ-PEREZ

District 5 (Camden and Gloucester)

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Expands municipal authority to license and inspect residential rental property.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As reported by the Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee on December 14, 2015, with amendments.

 


An Act concerning municipal licenses and amending R.S.40:52-1, P.L.1974, c.50, and P.L.1967, c.76.

 

     Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

     1.    R.S.40:52-1 is amended to read as follows:

     40:52-1. The governing body may make, amend, repeal and enforce ordinances to license and regulate:

     a.     All vehicles used for the transportation of passengers, baggage, merchandise, and goods and chattels of every kind, and the owners and drivers of all such vehicles; and the places and premises in which or at which the different kinds of business or occupations mentioned herein are carried on and conducted.  Nothing herein contained shall be construed as modifying or repealing any of the provisions of chapter 4 of Title 48 of the Revised Statutes (R.S.48:4-1 et seq.);

     b.    Autobuses, and the owners and drivers of all such vehicles, and to fix the fees for such licenses, which may be imposed for revenue, and to prohibit the operation of all such vehicles in the public streets or places of such municipality, unless such ordinances are complied with, whether such vehicles are operated over routes wholly or partly within the territorial limits of such municipality; the powers conferred by this section shall not be in substitution of but in addition to whatever other right, power and authority any such municipality may at any time have as to licensing, regulating, or control of the operation of such autobuses, commonly called jitneys, and this section shall not be construed as modifying or repealing any of the provisions of chapter 4 (R.S.48:4-1 et seq.) or article 3 of chapter 16 (R.S.48:16-23 et seq.) of Title 48 of the Revised Statutes;

     c.     Cartmen, expressmen, baggagemen, porters, common criers, hawkers, peddlers, employment agencies, pawnbrokers, junk shop-keepers, junk dealers, motor vehicle junk dealers, street sprinklers, bill posters, bill tackers, sweeps, scavengers, itinerant vendors of merchandise, medicines and remedies; and the places and premises in which or at which the different kinds of business or occupations mentioned herein are conducted and carried on;

     d.    Hotels, boardinghouses, lodging and rooming houses, trailer camps and camp sites, motels, furnished and unfurnished rented housing or living units and all other places and buildings used for sleeping and lodging purposes, and the occupancy thereof, restaurants and all other eating places, and the keepers thereof;

     e.     Automobile garages, dealers in second-hand motor vehicles and parts thereof, bathhouses, swimming pools, and the keepers thereof;

     f.     Theatres, cinema and show houses, opera houses, concert halls, dance halls, pool or billiard parlors, bowling alleys, exhibition grounds, and all other places of public amusement, circuses and traveling or other shows, plays, dances, exhibitions, concerts, theatrical performances, and all street parades in connection therewith;

     g.    Lumber and coal yards, stores for the sale of meats, groceries and provisions, dry goods and merchandise, and goods and chattels of every kind, and all other kinds of business conducted in the municipality other than herein mentioned, and the places and premises in or at which the business is conducted and carried on; street stands for the sale or distribution of newspapers, magazines, periodicals, books, and goods and merchandise or other articles;

     h.    Street signs and other objects projecting beyond the building line, into or over any public street or highway;

     i.     Auctioneers and their business, whether the auctioneers be real estate brokers engaged in selling at auction or real estate auctioneers licensed by the New Jersey Real Estate Commission; fix their fees, and license and regulate public auctions; make such regulations as the governing body of the municipality shall deem necessary, to protect the public against fraud at public auction sales, and for the safety and protection of the property of the municipality and its inhabitants, including the power to require from auctioneers a bond to the municipality, not exceeding the penal sum of $5,000.00, conditioned as the governing body shall require;

     j.     Sales of goods, wares and merchandise to be advertised, held out or represented, or which are advertised, held out or represented, to the public, by any means, directly or by implication, as forced sales at reduced prices or as insurance, bankruptcy, mortgage foreclosure, insolvency, removal, loss or expiration of lease or closing out sales, or as assignees', receivers' or trustees' sales or as sales of goods distrained or as sales of goods damaged by fire, smoke or water, except any sale which is to be held under a judicial order, judgment or decree or a writ issuing out of any court or to enforce any lawful lien or power of sale whether by judicial process or not or by a licensed auctioneer; to make such regulations governing the advertisement, holding out or representing to the public of such sales, and the conduct thereof, as the governing body of the municipality shall deem necessary to protect the public against fraud; to prohibit the advertising, holding out or representing to the public of any sale as being of the character above described which is not of such character and to fix license fees for the conduct of such sales and to impose penalties for the violation of any such ordinance;

     k.    (Deleted by amendment, P.L.1997, c.320.)

     l.     (Deleted by amendment, P.L.1984, c.205.)

     m.   The rental of real property for commercial purposes wherein the lease is for a term less than 175 consecutive days.  No ordinance adopted pursuant to this subsection shall apply to any lease or occupancy which results from a tenant holding over at the expiration or early termination of a lease with an original term in excess of 175 consecutive days, regardless of whether the holdover is month-to-month or for some other term of less than 175 consecutive days; and

     n.    The rental of real property [for a term less than 175 consecutive days] for residential purposes [by a person having a permanent place of residence elsewhere] and to fix the fees for such licenses.  1[Fees] Notwithstanding the provisions of R.S.40:52-2 to the contrary, fees1 established pursuant to this subsection shall be dedicated to meeting the costs of implementing and enforcing this subsection and shall not be used for any other purpose.  A municipality that licenses the rental of residential real property pursuant to this subsection shall require the landlord of each licensed property to file with the clerk of the municipality, or with such other municipal official as is designated by the clerk, a certificate of registration in accordance with section 2 of P.L.1974, c.50 (C.46:8-28) 1; provided, however, that no additional registration shall be required for a licensed property for which a registration certificate with current ownership information has been filed with either the clerk of the municipality, or with such other municipal official as is designated by the clerk, or, in the case of a multiple dwelling, with the Bureau of Housing Inspection in the Department of Community Affairs, in accordance with section 2 of P.L.1974, c.50 (C.46:8-28).  The power of a municipality to license and regulate residential rental property under this subsection shall include the power to inspect said property as a condition of licensure; provided, however, that a municipality shall not inspect residential rental property more than once per calendar year, except when prompted by complaints, evidence of code violations, or patently unsound conditions on the property1.

     Nothing in this chapter contained shall be construed to authorize or empower the governing body of any municipality to license or regulate any person holding a license or certificate issued by any department, board, commission, or other agency of the State; provided, however, that the governing body of a municipality may make, amend, repeal and enforce ordinances to license and regulate real estate auctioneers or real estate brokers engaged in selling at auction and their business as provided in this section despite the fact that such real estate auctioneers or brokers may be licensed by the New Jersey Real Estate Commission and notwithstanding the provisions of this act or any other act.

(cf: P.L.1997, c.320, s.1)

     1[2.  Section 2 of P.L.1974, c.50 (C.46:8-28) is amended to read as follows:

     2.    [Every]  a.  Except as provided in subsection b. of this section, every landlord shall, within 30 days following the effective date of this act, or at the time of the creation of the first tenancy in any newly constructed or reconstructed building, file with the clerk of the municipality, or with such other municipal official as is designated by the clerk, in which the residential property is situated, in the case of a one-dwelling unit rental or a two-dwelling unit non-owner occupied premises, or with the Bureau of Housing Inspection in the Department of Community Affairs in the case  of a multiple dwelling as defined in section 3 of the  "Hotel and Multiple  Dwelling Law"  (C.55:13A-3), a certificate of registration on forms prescribed  by the Commissioner of Community Affairs, which shall contain the following  information:

     [a.]  (1)  The name and address of the record owner or owners of the premises and the record owner or owners of the rental business if not the same persons.  In the case of a partnership the names of all general partners shall be provided;

     [b.] (2)  If the record owner is a corporation, the name and address of the registered agent and corporate officers of said corporation;

     [c.] (3)  If the address of any record owner is not located in the county in which  the premises are located, the name and address of a person who resides in the  county in which the premises are located and is authorized to accept notices  from a tenant and to issue receipts therefor and to accept service of process  on behalf of the record owner;

     [d.] (4)  The name and address of the managing agent of the premises, if any;

     [e.] (5)  The name and address, including the dwelling unit, apartment or room number of the superintendent, janitor, custodian or other individual employed by the record owner or managing agent to provide regular maintenance service, if any;

     [f.] (6)  The name, address and telephone number of an individual representative of the record owner or managing agent who may be reached or contacted at any time in the event of an emergency affecting the premises or any unit of dwelling space therein, including such emergencies as the failure of any essential service or system, and who has the authority to make emergency decisions concerning the building and any repair thereto or expenditure in connection therewith and shall, at all times, have access to a current list of building tenants that shall be made available to emergency personnel as required in the event of an emergency;

     [g.] (7)  The name and address of every holder of a recorded mortgage on the premises;

     [h.] (8)  If fuel oil is used to heat the building and the landlord furnishes the  heat in the building, the name and address of the fuel oil dealer servicing the  building and the grade of fuel oil used.

     b.  A landlord of property licensed by a municipality pursuant to subsection n. of R.S.40:52-1 shall be exempt from the 30-day registration requirement set forth in subsection a. of this section.

(cf: P.L.2003, c.56, s.2)]1

 

     1[3.  Section 12 of P.L.1967, c.76 (C.55:13A-12) is amended to read as follows:

     12.  (a)  The owner of each hotel, or of each multiple dwelling occupied or intended to be occupied by three or more persons living independently of each other, shall file with the commissioner, upon forms provided by the commissioner, a certificate of registration.  Each such certificate of registration shall be accompanied by a fee of $10.00 and shall include such information as the commissioner shall prescribe to enforce the provisions of this law;  provided, however, that in the case of a multiple dwelling, the information required shall be at least that required pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1974, c.50 (C. 46:8-28).  A multiple dwelling licensed by a municipality pursuant to subsection n. of R.S.40:52-1 shall be exempt from the registration requirements set forth in this section.  Upon the receipt of said certificate of registration and fee, the commissioner shall forthwith validate and issue to the owner of such hotel or multiple dwelling a validated copy of the certificate of registration, which validated copy shall be kept posted by the owner of such hotel or multiple dwelling at all times in the lobby or other conspicuous place on the premises.  The posted certificate shall be reasonably protected from removal, alteration, defacement or damage by the elements in such manner as the commissioner may prescribe.

     (b)  The owner of each hotel, or of each multiple dwelling occupied or intended to be occupied by three or more persons living independently of each other shall appoint an agent for the purpose of receiving service of process and such orders or notices as may be issued by the commissioner pursuant to this act.  Each such agent so appointed shall be a resident of the county in which the hotel or multiple dwelling is located or shall have an office in the county.  If the agent is a corporation, it shall be licensed to do business in this State.

     (c)  In the case of any transfer of the ownership in any hotel, or of any multiple dwelling occupied or intended to be occupied by three or more persons living independently of each other, whether by sale, assignment, gift, intestate succession, testate devolution, reorganization, receivership, foreclosure or execution process, it shall be the duty of the new owner thereof  to file with the commissioner, within 20 days of said transfer, a certificate  of registration pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, and to appoint an  agent for the service of process pursuant to subsection (b) of this section.

     (d)  In any case whether the owner of a hotel or multiple dwelling subject to the provisions of this act has not fulfilled the requirements of this section, he commissioner shall notify the owner of the violation of this section and order that registration be accomplished within 30 days.  The notice and order shall include an accurate restatement of the subsection with which the owner has not complied.  If the owner has not complied with the order of the commissioner within 30 days, he shall be liable for a penalty of $200.00 for each registration which the commissioner shall have ordered.  The commissioner may issue a certificate to the clerk of the superior court that an owner is indebted for the payment of such penalty and thereupon the clerk shall immediately enter upon his record of docketed judgments the name of such owner, and of the State, a designation of the statute under which the penalty is imposed, the amount of the penalty so certified and the date such certification was made.  The making of the entry shall have the same force and effect as the entry of the docketed judgment in the office of such clerk, and the commissioner shall have all of the remedies and maintain all of the proceedings  for the collection thereof which may be had or taken upon the recovery of a  judgment in a civil action, but without prejudice to the owner's right of  appeal.

(cf: P.L.1981, c.442, s.6)]1

 

     1[4. ] 2.1  This act shall take effect immediately and shall be retroactive to August 6, 2015; provided, however, that a municipality shall not collect fees authorized by section 1 of this act or refund fees collected by the municipality for property licensed prior to the effective date of this act.