[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Council of the Township of Washington 9-5-1978 by Ord. No. 78-22 (Ch. 196 of the 1985 Code). Amendments noted where applicable.]
The following definitions shall apply as to the interpretation and enforcement of this chapter:
PERSON
Any individual, firm, partnership, corporation or association of persons, and the single number shall include the plural.
ROADWAY
That portion of a street or highway improved, designed or ordinarily used for vehicular travel.
SHOPPING CENTER
Any commercial establishment that provides off-street parking for patrons.
SIDEWALK
That portion of a street other than the roadway normally between the curb and the property line of the street.
STREET or HIGHWAY
The entire width between the boundary lines of every way publicly maintained when any part thereof is open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel.
A. 
Every person in charge or control of any building, structure or lot within the Township, whether as owner, tenant, occupant, lessee or otherwise, shall remove and clear away or cause to be removed and cleared away snow and ice from so much of the sidewalk as is in front of or abuts said building or lot of land.
(1) 
Except as provided in Subsection B hereof, snow and ice shall be so removed from sidewalks from all business and commercial premises within the Township of Washington within 12 hours after the cessation of any fall of snow, sleet or freezing rain.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II)]
(2) 
Except as provided in Subsection B hereof, snow and ice shall be so removed from all other sidewalks within the Township within 12 hours after the cessation of any fall of snow, sleet or freezing rain.
B. 
However, in the event snow and ice on a sidewalk has become so hard that it cannot be removed without likelihood of damage to the sidewalk, the person or entity charged with its removal shall, within the time mentioned in Subsection A hereof, cause enough sand or other abrasive to be put on the sidewalk to make travel thereon reasonably safe, and shall then, as soon thereafter as weather permits, cause said sidewalk to be thoroughly cleaned.
[Added 3-14-2011 by Ord. No. 11-05; amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II)]
Every person in charge or control of any building, structure or lot within the Township, whether as owner, tenant, occupant, lessee or otherwise, on which there is located a fire hydrant, shall remove all snow and ice from around such fire hydrant sufficient to allow proper and immediate access to such fire hydrant for fire protection purposes, and in no event shall such person permit snow and/or ice to obstruct access to such fire hydrant after 24 hours after the cessation of the fall of snow, sleet or freezing rain.
A. 
The owner or owners, occupant or occupants, tenant or tenants of all shopping centers in the Township shall be individually and jointly responsible for the removal of and shall remove all snow and ice from said parking areas, sidewalks and public ways in accordance with the above and other provisions of this chapter set forth in this section.
B. 
In the event the snow cannot be removed from the parking lot, it shall be deposited in an area of the parking lot where it will not block or obstruct the view in any public way.
C. 
In the event said snow and ice (or either) is so frozen as to make removal impracticable, covering the same thoroughly with sand or ashes or the use of other chemicals to remove same shall be deemed compliance with the removal provisions of this chapter.
D. 
Removal of ice and snow as aforesaid shall be accomplished within six hours after snowfall has stopped and/or when snow has reached a depth of four inches.
E. 
Accumulations of snow and ice resulting from the lawful removal of snow and ice hereunder shall not be loaded or removed by dumper, loader, truck or any vehicles or motorized apparatus between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.
[Added 1-16-2006 by Ord. No. 06-1]
No person shall deposit or cause to be deposited any snow or ice:
A. 
On or against a fire hydrant.
B. 
On a traveled portion of roadway in a manner that impedes or interferes with flow of traffic.
No person shall cause the accumulation of snow and ice on any street or roadway in such a manner as to endanger pedestrians or obstruct the vision of motorists. In no event shall snow or ice be or be caused to be piled on any corner by any person within 10 feet of any intersection in excess of four feet in height which would tend to obstruct a motorist's vision.
[Added 6-2-2025 by Ord. No. 25-14]
A. 
Intent; rationale. It is the intent of this section to establish uniform procedures to reimburse residents for damage to mailboxes due to snow removal operations. The Township of Washington's primary obligation is to ensure that its roadways are as clear as possible of snow and ice. It is also understood that most mailboxes are located within the public right-of-way and, therefore, while fulfilling the primary objective, mailboxes may be unintentionally and unavoidably damaged. This policy assumes there is a shared responsibility between the Township of Washington and the homeowner when mailboxes located in the public right-of-way are damaged during snow removal operations.
B. 
Resident responsibility. Snowplow operators make every effort to remove snow as close to the curbline as practical and to provide access to mailboxes for the Postal Service. However, it is not possible to provide perfect conditions and minimize the damage to mailboxes with the size and type of equipment the Township operates. Therefore, the final cleaning adjacent to mailboxes is the responsibility of each resident.
C. 
Landscaping; hardscape. Property owners should assume all risk of damage for landscaping/hardscape, including nursery and inanimate materials that are installed or encroach on the Township right-of-way. The Township assumes no responsibility for damage incurred to these nonpermitted elements as a result of snow plowing and ice control activities with the exception that lawns that are scraped or gouged by Township equipment will be repaired by top dressing and seeding the following spring. In addition, inanimate materials, such as boulders, timbers, etc., are a hazard and can cause damage to plow equipment.
D. 
Reimbursement policy. While there is no legal requirement, it is the policy of the Township of Washington to reimburse residents up to $100 for eligible mailbox damage caused by direct plow contact or thrown snow coming off the plow on the part of the Township's Department of Public Works or Township private contractors. Residents seeking reimbursement greater than $100 for mailbox damage caused by Township operators may file a tort claim under Title 59 of New Jersey Statutes Annotated. Nothing in this section shall be construed to entitle any resident to reimbursement prior to an investigation and determination by the Director of Public Works or designee that the claimed damage is eligible for reimbursement pursuant to this section.
E. 
Eligibility; procedure; investigation. For the purpose of this section, boxes used for receipt of United States Mail and placed outside of residences and established for such purposes shall be referred to herein as "mailboxes." All mailboxes must be installed in accordance with the United States Postal Service mailbox guidelines.
(1) 
Eligibility; mailbox damage claim. The reimbursement provisions shall only apply to those homeowners who satisfy the following criteria:
(a) 
The mailbox is securely fastened to a sturdy post which is sufficiently anchored in the ground to resist the impact of plowed snow.
(b) 
The damaged mailbox and/or post must meet the requirements of the United States Postal Service mailbox guidelines, as well as all other requirements in regard to construction and location. Mailboxes that do not meet the requirements of the United States Postal Service and/or any other applicable regulations are not eligible for reimbursement.
(c) 
The damage must have been caused by direct contact with or thrown snow from Township Department of Public Works or Township private contractor plows or snow removal equipment.
(d) 
The homeowner must notify the Township within 90 days of the date the damage occurred. Damage reported outside of this time frame will not be eligible for reimbursement.
(e) 
The homeowner must sign a general release discharging the Township from all debts, claims, demands, damages, actions or further tort claims under Title 59.
(2) 
Claim procedure.
(a) 
Within the time period above, a homeowner making a claim for reimbursement shall contact the Department of Public Works and file a mailbox damage claim.
(b) 
The mailbox damage claim shall be accompanied with the following:
[1] 
Name, address, phone number and email address of claimant.
[2] 
Date and time of damage.
[3] 
Exact location of damage.
[4] 
Explanation of what happened/description of damage.
[5] 
Photographs of damage.
[6] 
Itemized receipt for the cost of the new mailbox and/or post.
(c) 
After submission of the claim, the Director of Public Works or designee shall investigate the alleged damage to determine if the damage was caused by the plow blade, vehicle and/or thrown snow coming off the plow. A written response on the findings of the investigation will be mailed to the resident.
(d) 
If it is determined that the mailbox was damaged by the plow blade, vehicle and/or thrown snow coming off the plow, the homeowner will be reimbursed for the cost of the mailbox and/or post in an amount not to exceed $100 upon the submission of an itemized receipt for the cost of the new mailbox and/or post. If it is determined that the damage was not caused by the plow blade, vehicle and/or thrown snow coming off the plow, no reimbursement will be given. All actual repairs and/or replacements shall be the responsibility of the homeowner.
A. 
Any person, firm, corporation or association who shall violate any of the provisions of this chapter or fail to comply with any notice given as provided herein shall, upon conviction thereof, be punishable as provided in § 1-1 of Chapter 1, General Provisions. Every day that such violation continues shall be deemed and considered to be a separate and distinct offense.
[Amended 6-3-1985 by Ord. No. 85-5]
B. 
Removal by Township.
[Added 2-5-1979 by Ord. No. 79-2]
(1) 
In the event summons for a violation of this chapter cannot be served because premises are unimproved or vacant or there is no person within the jurisdiction of the municipality to receive the same or for any other reason cognizable at law, the Department of Public Works, upon being made aware of said inability of such service, may cause such work to be done.
[Amended 4-6-2020 by Ord. No. 20-03]
(2) 
The Director of the Department of Public Works shall ascertain and keep a record of exact cost of all work caused to be done on account of such act or omission of each person aforesaid, and shall identify those persons with particularity.
[Amended 4-6-2020 by Ord. No. 20-03]
(3) 
Each person whose act or omission makes it necessary that the Department of Public Works cause work to be done as aforesaid shall be liable to the Township for the cost of such work.
[Amended 4-6-2020 by Ord. No. 20-03]
(4) 
It shall be the duty of the Director of the Department of Law to sue for these costs or to collect the same in accordance with other legal process.