[Adopted 9-10-2012 by Ord. No. 2208]
This article shall be known as the "Residential Real Estate Inspection Ordinance."
No person shall convey or transfer title or ownership to any residential real property within the Borough of Ridgefield, nor shall any person accept conveyance or transfer of title to residential real property, unless and until a certificate of inspection is issued in accordance with this article.
The certificate of inspection shall be issued by the Construction Official or such person designated by the Construction Official to issue the certificate of inspection. The certificate shall be issued or denied within 10 days of the date of application to the Building Department.
The certificate of inspection shall certify that the residential real estate, and its intended use, complies with the provisions of applicable building, health, safety and fire codes, regulations, ordinances and statutes of the Borough of Ridgefield and State of New Jersey, to the extent revealed by the inspection.
The fee for the certificate of inspection as provided for herein shall be $75 per unit and shall be paid at the time of and together with the filing of the written application by the owner or his authorized representative. Said fee shall reflect, in part, the cost for the initial inspection required by this article. In the event that subsequent inspection(s) are required due to violations, there shall be due from the owner or his authorized representative an additional fee of $10 for each such reinspection.
The Construction Official shall promulgate an application for the certificate of inspection. That form shall include at least the following information: name and address of owner or landlord; address of rental space to be inspected; description of rental premises, including number and description of rooms; names and ages of intended tenants or occupants.
Within five days after receiving an application for a certificate of inspection for residential real estate pursuant to this chapter, the Construction Official or his designee shall inspect or cause to be inspected said premises. The Construction Official may request assistance from other Borough officials, including employees of the Building Department, employees of the Health Department and/or the Borough Attorney. The purpose of said inspections shall be to ascertain whether or not the residential real estate meets the standards of the applicable building, zoning, health, safety and fire codes, regulations, ordinances and statutes of the Borough of Ridgefield in the State of New Jersey and that the premises are safe and habitable for their intended use, including, but not limited to, the installation of smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, fire extinguishers and the lack of improper discharges into the sanitary sewer system.
In the event that the premises to be inspected meet the standards of the applicable building, health, safety and fire codes, regulations, ordinances and statutes of the Borough of Ridgefield and the State of New Jersey, the Construction Official or his designee shall issue a certificate of inspection. In the event that the premises do not meet the standards outlined herein, the Construction Official shall give notice in writing of repairs and/or corrections to be made. In such event, the Construction Official or his designee shall make a reinspection within 14 days, or sooner if the Construction Official has been notified that the improper conditions have been corrected and, if the premises meet the appropriate standards of the applicable building, health, safety and fire codes, regulations, ordinances and statutes of the Borough of Ridgefield and the State of New Jersey, the Construction Official or his designee shall issue a certificate of inspection.
The applicant shall correct all violations as set forth by the inspector within 14 days from the denial of the certificate of inspection and notice of repairs and/or corrections to be made.
Following the effective date of this Part 15, no title to residential real estate shall be transferred or conveyed unless and until a temporary certificate of inspection has been received.
The Construction Official may issue a temporary certificate of inspection if the repairs and/or corrections are not deemed by him to be injurious to the safety or the habitability of the premises. Said temporary certificate shall automatically expire 60 days after its issuance. If the owner has not made all of the repairs and/or the corrections within that time period, same shall constitute a violation of this Part 15. If the repairs and/or corrections have been made, the Construction Official or his designee shall issue a certificate of inspection.
A. 
Any person found guilty of violating this article of the Code of the Borough of Ridgefield shall be subject to a penalty consisting of a fine or imprisonment, or both, subject to the discretion of the Judge, the maximum of which shall be the maximum fine or term of imprisonment permitted to be imposed by the court having jurisdiction over the violation of this article of the Code of the Borough of Ridgefield; provided, however, that the fine shall not be less than $100 nor more than $2,000 per offense and the prison term shall not exceed 90 days in accordance with N.J.S.A. 40:49-5.
B. 
In the event of a continuing violation, each day shall constitute a separate offense.