[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Council of the Borough
of South Plainfield 3-28-1991 by Ord. No. 1232. Amendments noted where applicable.]
In accordance with the provisions of N.J.A.C. 5:23-4.3 et seq.:
A.
There is hereby established in South Plainfield a State Uniform Construction
Code enforcing agency to be known as the "Code Enforcement Agency,"
consisting of a construction official, building subcode official,
plumbing subcode official, electrical subcode official and/or agency,
fire protection subcode official, and such other subcode officials
for such additional subcodes as the Commissioner of the Department
of Community Affairs, State of New Jersey, shall hereafter adopt as
part of the State Uniform Construction Code. The Construction Official
shall be the chief administrator of the enforcing agency.
B.
Each official position created in Subsection A hereof shall be filled by a person qualified for such position pursuant to P.L. 1975, c. 217,[1] as amended, and N.J.A.C. 5:23, provided that, in lieu
of any particular subcode official, an on-site inspection agency may
be retained by contract pursuant to N.J.A.C. 5:23. More than one such
official position may be held by the same person, provided that such
person is qualified pursuant to P.L. 1975, c. 217, and N.J.A.C. 5:23
to hold each such position.
[1]
Editor's Note: See N.J.S.A. 52:27D-119 et seq.
C.
The public shall have the right to do business with the Code Enforcement
Agency at the Borough Hall, 2480 Plainfield Avenue, South Plainfield,
New Jersey, except for emergencies and unforeseen or unavoidable circumstances.
A.
There is hereby established a Construction Board of Appeals to hear
appeals from decisions by the enforcing agency. Such Board shall consist
of five members. At least one Board member shall be a registered architect
or licensed professional engineer with building construction experience,
and at least one Board member shall be qualified as a plumbing subcode
official and one qualified as an electrical subcode official. No more
than two Board members shall be selected from the same business or
profession. Each Board member shall have had at least three years'
experience in construction, design or supervision as a licensed engineer
or registered architect; or, in the alternative, five years' experience
in construction, design or supervision as an architect or engineer
with a bachelor's degree in architecture or engineering, respectively,
from an accredited institution of higher education; or, as a further
alternative, 10 years' experience in construction, design or supervision
as a journeyman in a construction trade or as a construction contractor,
subcontractor or inspector.
B.
Appointment.
(1)
The Council shall appoint the Board members and any alternate members.
For the members first appointed, the Council shall designate the appointees'
terms so that one shall be appointed for a term of one year, one for
a term of two years, one for a term of three years, and two for a
term of four years. At the expiration of such terms and thereafter,
appointments shall be made for terms of four years. Vacancies shall
be filled for the unexpired term.
(2)
The Council shall appoint such number of alternates as may be appropriate,
for terms not to exceed four years, or may, in the alternative, appoint
alternates on a case-by-case basis. No regular or alternate Board
member may be a member of the enforcing agency, the decisions of which
are subject to the review of the Board.
[Amended 7-14-1994 by Ord. No. 1363; 9-12-1996 by Ord. No. 1431; 7-17-1997 by Ord. No. 1455; 8-14-1997 by Ord. No. 1459; 10-10-2002 by Ord. No. 1603; 10-2-2007 by Ord. No. 1801; 6-21-2010 by Ord. No. 1894; 4-2-2012 by Ord. No. 1953]
In accordance with the
provisions of N.J.A.C. 5:23-4.18, there are hereby established the
following fees:
A.
Plan review fee.
(1)
The fee for a construction permit shall be the sum of the subcode
fees and shall be paid before the permit is issued.
(2)
The fee for plan review shall be 20% of the construction permit fee
and shall be paid at the time of submission of an application for
a permit. The amount of the plan review shall be deducted from the
amount of the fee due for a construction permit when the permit is
issued. Plan review fees shall not be refundable.
B.
Subcode fees established pursuant to N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.25.
[Amended 3-16-2015 by Ord. No. 2018; 9-8-2015 by Ord. No. 2030; 7-31-2018 by Ord. No. 2081; 6-17-2019 by Ord. No. 2143; 9-7-2021 by Ord. No. 2210]
(1)
(2)
Plumbing and mechanical.
(a)
$20 per fixture, piece of equipment or appliance connected to
the plumbing system.
(b)
Residential minimum fee: $75 commercial minimum fee: $100.
(c)
Residential: $75 per special device. Commercial: $100 per special
device: Furnaces, boilers, hot water heaters, gas/oil piping, sewer
connection, water service connection, sewer pumps, grease traps, oil
separators, refrigeration units, backflow preventers, active solar
systems, annual sprinkler inspection, quarterly or annual cross connection
permits and interceptors.
(d)
South Plainfield residents 65 or older may have the water heater
replacement fee waived.
(3)
Fire: residential minimum fee: $75; commercial minimum fee: $100.
(a)
Smoke detectors:
|
1 to 6
|
$75
|
|
7 to 20
|
$125
|
|
Each additional 25 detectors
|
$50
|
(b)
Sprinkler heads:
|
1 to 10
|
$100
|
|
11 to 50
|
$150
|
|
51 to 200
|
$275
|
|
201 to 400
|
$800
|
|
401 to 1,000
|
$1,000
|
|
Over 1,000
|
$1,500
|
(c)
Solar PV systems: $75 minimum residential fee; $100 minimum
commercial fee.
(d)
Kitchen exhaust systems: $125.
(e)
Pre-engineered systems: $125.
(f)
Gas or oil appliances: $75 (not connected to plumbing system).
(g)
Crematoriums: $365; incinerators: $365; standpipes: $365.
(4)
Electrical: $75 minimum residential fee; $100 minimum commercial
fee.
(11)
Certificate of municipal compliance for smoke detector and carbon
monoxide.
(a)
One to four families between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.: $65
per dwelling unit.
(b)
Multifamily between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.: $50 per dwelling
unit.
(c)
One to four families at a special time: $125 per dwelling unit.
(d)
Multifamily at a special time: $100 per dwelling unit.
(e)
Reprint of any issued certificate: $25.
(f)
First re-inspection for failed or missed inspection: $35 per
dwelling unit.
(g)
Second re-inspection for failed or missed inspection: cost of
initial inspection.
(14)
Zoning ordinance with map or master plan: fee $50.
(15)
Development review ordinance: fee $35.
(16)
Bounced or returned check fee: $20.
(17)
Zoning verification letter: $35.
C.
Exemption
from construction fees.
(1)
Pursuant to the provisions of N.J.S.A. 52:27D-126e, no person shall
be charged a construction permit surcharge or enforcing agency fee,
except those fees for subcode inspections not performed by Borough
employees, for any construction, reconstruction, alteration or home
improvement designed and undertaken solely to promote accessibility
by disabled persons to an existing public or private structure or
any of the facilities contained therein.
(2)
A disabled person, as defined herein, or a parent or sibling of a
disabled person shall not be required to pay any municipal fee or
charge in order to secure a construction permit for any construction,
reconstruction, alteration or improvement which promotes accessibility
to his or her own living unit.
(3)
For the purposes of this section, "disabled person" means a person
who has the total and permanent inability to engage in any substantial
gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical
or mental impairment, including blindness, and shall include, but
not be limited to, any person who is disabled pursuant to the federal
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. § 416) or the federal Railroad
Retirement Act of 1974 (45 U.S.C. § 231 et seq.) or is rated
as having a sixty-percent disability or higher pursuant to any federal
law administered by the United States Veterans Administration. For
purposes of this subsection, "blindness" means central visual acuity
of 20/200 or less in the better eye with the use of correcting lenses.
An eye which is accompanied by a limitation in the field of vision
such that the widest diameter of the visual field subtends an angle
no greater than 20° shall be considered as having a central visual
acuity of 20/200 or less.
A.
The Construction Official shall, with the advice of the subcode officials,
prepare and submit to the Mayor and Council biannually a report recommending
a fee schedule based on the operating expenses of the agency and any
other expenses of the municipality fairly attributable to the enforcement
of the State Uniform Construction Code Act.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See N.J.S.A. 52:27D-119 et seq.
B.
In order to provide for the training, certification and technical
support programs required by the Uniform Construction Code Act and
the regulations, the enforcing agency shall collect, in addition to
the fees specified above, a surcharge fee of $0.00371 per cubic foot
of building or structure volume of new construction. Said surcharge
fee shall be remitted to the Bureau of Housing Inspection, Department
of Community Affairs, on a quarterly basis for the fiscal quarter
ending September 30, December 31, March 31 and June 30, and not later
than one month next succeeding the end of the quarter for which it
is due. In the fiscal year in which the regulations first become effective,
said fee shall be collected and the enforcing agency shall report
annually at the end of each fiscal year to the Bureau of Housing Inspection,
and not later than July 31, the total amount of the surcharge fee
collected in the fiscal year. In the fiscal year in which the regulations
first become effective, said report shall be for the third and fourth
quarters only.[2]
