[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee of the Township
of Middletown 8-4-1997 by Ord.
No. 97-2479 (Ch. 86 of the 1996 Township Code).
Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Certificate of occupancy — See Ch.
180.
Uniform construction codes — See Ch.
198.
Fire prevention — See Ch.
254.
The Construction Official is hereby designated as the "public
officer," who shall exercise the powers set forth in this chapter.
Whenever a petition is filed with the public officer by a public
authority or by at least five residents of the Township of Middletown
charging that any building is unfit for human habitation or occupancy
or use or whenever it appears to the public officer (on his own motion)
that any building is unfit for human habitation or occupancy or use,
the public officer shall, if his preliminary investigation discloses
a basis for such charges, issue and cause to be served upon the owner
of and parties in interest in such building a complaint stating the
charges in that respect and containing a notice that a hearing will
be held before the public officer (or his designated agent) at a place
therein fixed not less than seven days nor more than 30 days after
the service of said complaint; that the owner and parties in interest
shall be given the right to file an answer to the complaint and to
appear in person, or otherwise, and give testimony at the place and
time fixed in the complaint, and that the rules of evidence prevailing
in the courts shall not be controlling in hearings before the public
officer.
If, after such notice and hearing, the public officer determines
that the building under consideration is unfit for human habitation
or occupancy or use, he shall state, in writing, his findings of fact
in support of such determination and shall issue and cause to be served
upon the owner thereof and parties in interest an order:
A. Requiring the repair, alteration or improvement of said building
to be made by the owner, within a reasonable time, which time shall
be set forth in the order or at the option of the owner to vacate
or have said building vacated and closed within the time set forth
in the order; and
B. If the building is in such a condition as to make it dangerous to
the health and safety of persons on or near the premises and the owner
fails to repair, alter or improve said building within the time specified
in the order, then the owner shall be required to remove or demolish
said building within a reasonable time as specified in said order
of removal.
A. If the owner fails to comply with an order to repair, alter or improve
or, at the option of the owner, to vacate and close the building,
the public officer may cause such building to be repaired, altered
or improved or to be vacated and closed; and the public officer may
cause to be posted on the main entrance of any building so closed
a placard with the following words: "This building is unfit for human
habitation or occupancy or use; the use or occupation of this building
is prohibited and unlawful."
B. If the owner fails to comply with an order to remove or demolish
the building, the public officer may cause such building to be removed
or demolished or may contract for the removal or demolition thereof
after advertisement for and receipt of bids therefor.
C. The amount of the cost of the filing of legal papers, expert witnesses'
fees, search fees and advertising charges incurred in the course of
any proceeding taken under this chapter determined in favor of the
municipality and such cost of such repairs, alterations or improvements
or vacating and closing or removal or demolition, if any, or the amount
of the balance thereof remaining after deduction of the sum, if any,
realized from the sale of materials derived from such building or
from any contract for removal or demolition thereof shall be a municipal
lien against the real property upon which such cost was incurred.
If the building is removed or demolished by the public officer, he
shall sell the materials of such building. There shall be credited
against the cost of the removal or demolition thereof, including the
clearance and, if necessary, leveling of the site, the proceeds of
any sale of such materials or any sum derived from any contract for
the removal or demolition of the building. If there are no such credits
or if the sum total of such costs exceeds the total of such credits,
a detailed statement of the aforesaid costs and the amount so due
shall be filed with the Municipal Tax Assessor, Tax Collector or other
custodian of the records of tax liens, and a copy thereof shall be
forthwith forwarded to the owner by registered mail. If the total
of the credits exceeds such costs, the balance remaining shall be
deposited in the Superior Court by the public officer, shall be secured
in such manner as may be directed by such Court and shall be disbursed
according to the order or judgment of the Court to the persons found
to be entitled thereto by final order or judgment of such Court. Any
owner or party in interest may, within 30 days from the date of the
filing of the lien certificate, proceed in a summary manner in the
Superior Court to contest the reasonableness of the amount or the
accuracy of the costs set forth in the municipal lien certificate.
If an actual and immediate danger to life is posed by the threatened
collapse of any fire damaged or other structurally unsafe building,
the public officer may, after taking such measures as may be necessary
to make such building temporarily safe, seek a judgment in summary
proceedings for the demolition thereof.
Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to impair or limit
in any way the power of the Township of Middletown to define and declare
nuisances and to cause their removal or abatement, by summary proceedings
or otherwise, nor is anything in this chapter intended to limit the
authority of the enforcing agency or Construction Official under the
State Uniform Construction Code Act, P.L. 1975, c. 217 (N.J.S.A. 52:27D-119
et seq.) or any rules or regulations adopted thereunder.
The public officer may determine that a building is unfit for
human habitation or occupancy or use if he finds that conditions exist
in such building which are dangerous or injurious to the health or
safety of the occupants of such building, the occupants of neighboring
buildings or other residents of the Township of Middletown. Such conditions
may include the following (without limiting the generality of the
foregoing): defects therein increasing the hazards of fire, accident
or other calamities; lack of adequate ventilation, light or sanitary
facilities; and dilapidation, disrepair, structural defects and uncleanliness.
Complaints or orders issued by the public officer pursuant to
this chapter shall be served upon persons, either personally or by
registered mail, but if the whereabouts of such persons is unknown
and the same cannot be ascertained by the public officer in the exercise
of reasonable diligence and the public officer shall make an affidavit
to that effect, then the serving of such complaint or order upon such
persons may be made by publishing the same once in a newspaper printed
and published in the municipality or, in the absence of such newspaper,
in one printed and published in the county and circulating in the
municipality in which the buildings are located. A copy of such complaint
or order shall be posted in a conspicuous place on premises affected
by the complaint or order. A copy of such complaint or order shall
be duly recorded or lodged for record with the county recording officer
of the County of Monmouth.
Any person aggrieved by an order issued by the public officer
under this chapter may, within 30 days after the posting and service
of such order, bring an action for injunctive relief to restrain the
public officer from carrying out the provisions of the order and for
any other appropriate relief. The Court may proceed in the action
in a summary manner or otherwise. The remedy herein provided shall
be exclusive, and no person affected by an order of the public officer
shall be entitled to recover any damages for action taken pursuant
thereto or because of noncompliance by any person with any order of
the public officer.
The public officer shall have the right to exercise such power
as may be necessary or convenient to carry out and effectuate the
purposes and provisions of this chapter, including the following powers
in addition to others herein granted:
A. To investigate the building conditions in the Township of Middletown
in order to determine which buildings therein are unfit for human
habitation or occupancy or use.
B. To administer oaths, affirmations, examine witnesses and receive
evidence.
C. To enter upon premises for the purpose of making examinations, provided
that such entries shall be made in such manner as to cause the least
possible inconvenience to the persons in possession.
D. To appoint and fix the duties of such officers, agents and employees
as he deems necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter.
E. To delegate any of his functions and powers under this chapter to
such officers and agents as he may designate.
[Amended 5-1-2006 by Ord.
No. 2006-2876]
Any person adjudicated as having violated any provision of this chapter shall be subject to the penalties in Chapter
1, General Provisions, §
1-4, provided that if a fine is to be imposed in an amount greater than $1,250 for a violation of this chapter, the owner shall be afforded a thirty-day period to cure or abate the condition. Subsequent to this thirty-day abatement period, a fine greater than $1,250 may be imposed if the abatement has not been substantially completed and the Court does not determine otherwise.