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.