Bill Text: NJ S580 | 2022-2023 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires Commissioner of Community Affairs to establish building safety inspection program for older buildings.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-11 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee [S580 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2022-S580-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
220th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2022 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator SAMUEL D. THOMPSON
District 12 (Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Requires Commissioner of Community Affairs to establish building safety inspection program for older buildings.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act establishing building safety inspection program for older buildings 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. The Commissioner of Community Affairs shall establish a building safety inspection program for buildings and structures that have been in existence for more than 40 years. The commissioner shall establish minimum requirements, guidelines, and criteria for the building safety inspection program. Inspections conducted under the program shall be for the purpose of: confirming the structural soundness of the load bearing components of a building or structure, and determining the general structural condition of a building or structure and of any part, material, or assembly of a building or structure which affects the safety of the building or structure. The commissioner shall exempt single-family homes and federal government-owned buildings from the requirements of the program established pursuant to this subsection, and may also exempt certain other classes of buildings and structures from the program.
b. The Department of Community Affairs shall enforce the building safety inspection program. The department shall schedule initial inspections under the building safety inspection program over a period of no more than five years, and may prioritize the scheduling of initial inspections of buildings and structures under the program established pursuant to subsection a. of this section based upon relevant criteria identified by the commissioner, which may include, but shall not be limited to, the age and size of a building or structure, the type and number of violations previously issued for a building or structure, and the receipt of complaints about a building or structure. The department shall schedule subsequent inspections at five-year intervals, and may conduct inspections in conjunction with or independently from other inspections, including but not limited to inspections otherwise required by the "Hotel and Multiple Dwelling Law," P.L.1967, c.76 (C.55:13A-1 et seq.).
c. If an inspection identifies any required repairs or modifications, the owner shall have a total of 150 days from the date of the notice of required repairs or modifications to complete the identified repairs or modifications, which shall be executed in conformance with the requirements of the "State Uniform Construction Code Act," P.L.1975, c. 217 (C. 52:27D-119 et seq.).
d. The Commissioner of Community Affairs shall promulgate rules and regulations pursuant to its rule-making authority under the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.) in order to effectuate the purposes of this section.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill would require the Commissioner of Community Affairs to establish a building safety inspection program for buildings and structures that have been in existence for more than 40 years. The commissioner would establish minimum requirements, guidelines, and criteria for the building safety inspection program for the purpose of: confirming the structural soundness of the load bearing components of a building or structure, and determining the general structural condition of a building or structure and of any part, material, or assembly of a building or structure which affects the safety of the building or structure. The bill would exempt single-family homes and federal government-owned buildings from this program, and authorize the commissioner to exempt certain classes of buildings and structures from this program.
The Department of Community Affairs (DCA) would be responsible for enforcing the building safety inspection program. The bill would require DCA to schedule initial inspections under the building safety inspection program over a period of no more than five years. The bill allows DCA to prioritize the scheduling of initial inspections of buildings and structures under this program based upon relevant criteria identified by the commissioner, which may include, but shall not be limited to, the age and size of a building or structure, the type and number of violations previously issued for a building or structure, and the receipt of complaints about a building or structure. The bill provides that subsequent inspections under this program would be conducted at five-year intervals.
If an inspection under this program identifies any required repairs or modifications, the bill would require an owner to complete any necessary repairs or modifications identified by a program inspection within 150 days of the date of the notice of required repairs or modifications.
