A. 
Except as provided in N.J.S.A. 55:19-83, any property that has not been legally occupied for a period of six months may be deemed to be an abandoned property upon a determination by the Code Enforcement Officer, or such other public officer designated or appointed by the Township Administrator pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.5, if at a minimum, any two or more of the following criteria are met:
(1) 
The property is in need of rehabilitation in the reasonable judgment of the Code Enforcement Officer, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.5, and no rehabilitation has taken place during that same six-month period.
(2) 
Construction was initiated on the property and was discontinued prior to completion, leaving the building unsuitable for occupancy, and no construction for a period of time in accordance with the Uniform Construction Code.
(3) 
At least one installment of property tax remains unpaid and delinquent on that property as of the date of a determination.
(4) 
The property has been determined to be a nuisance by the Code Enforcement Officer, for one or more of the following reasons:
(a) 
The property has been found to be unfit for human habitation, occupancy, or use pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.3.
(b) 
The condition and vacancy of the property materially increases the risk of fire to the property and adjacent properties.
(c) 
The property is subject to unauthorized entry leading to potential health and safety hazards; the owner has failed to take reasonable and necessary measures to secure the property; or the municipality has secured the property in order to prevent such hazards after the owner has failed to do so.
(d) 
The presence of vermin or the accumulation of debris, uncut vegetation, or physical deterioration of the structure or grounds have created potential health and safety hazards and the owner has failed to take reasonable and necessary measures to remove the hazards.
(e) 
The dilapidated appearance or other condition of the property materially affects the welfare, including the economic welfare, of the residents of the area in close proximity to the property, and the owner has failed to take reasonable and necessary measures to remedy the conditions.
A. 
The Code Enforcement Officer shall identify abandoned property within the Township of Old Bridge for the purpose of establishing an abandoned property list. The abandoned property list shall include, for each abandoned property identified, the tax block and lot number, the name of the owner of record, if known, street address of the lot and the date added to the list. The Code Enforcement Officer may add properties to the abandoned property list at any time, and may delete properties at any time when he or she finds that the property no longer meets the definition of an abandoned property.
B. 
An abandoned property shall not be included on the abandoned property list if rehabilitation is being performed in a timely manner, as evidenced by building permits issued and diligent pursuit of rehabilitation work authorized by those permits. A property on which an entity other than the Township of Old Bridge has purchased or taken assignment from the Township of a tax sale certificate which has been placed on the abandoned property list may be removed if the owner of the certificate pays all municipal taxes and liens due on the property within 30 days after the property is placed on the list; provided, however, that if the owner of the certificate fails to initiate foreclosure proceedings within six months after the property was first placed on the list, the property shall be restored to the abandoned property list in accordance with the provisions of N.J.S.A. 55:19-103.
C. 
The Code Enforcement Officer shall establish the abandoned property list, after which a notice of violation will be sent, certified mail, return receipt requested, and by regular mail, to the owner of record and any stakeholder. The notice of violation shall identify the property determined to be abandoned, setting forth the owner of record and any stakeholder, if known, the tax lot and block number, street address and the date the property was added to the list. The Code Enforcement Officer in consultation with the Tax Collector, shall also send out a notice by regular mail to any mortgagee, servicing organization, or property tax processing organization that receives a duplicate copy of the tax bill pursuant to N.J.S.A. 54:4-64(d). When the owner of record is not known for a particular property and cannot be ascertained by the exercise of reasonable diligence by the Tax Collector, notice shall not be mailed but instead shall be posted on the property in the manner as provided in N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.7. The mailed notice shall indicate the factual basis for the finding of the Code Enforcement Officer, that the property is abandoned as that term is defined herein and in N.J.S.A. 55:19-54, and shall specify the information relied upon in making such finding. In all cases, a copy of the mailed or posted notice shall also be filed by the Code Enforcement Officer in the Office of the Middlesex County Clerk. This filing shall have the same force and effect as a formal notice under N.J.S.A. 2A:15-6. The notice shall be captioned with the name of the Township of Old Bridge as "plaintiff" and the name of the property owner as "defendant," as though an action had been commenced by the Township against the owner.
D. 
An owner or lienholder may challenge the inclusion of his property on the abandoned property list by appealing that determination to the Township Administrator within 30 days of the owner's receipt of the certified notice or 40 days from the date upon which the notice was sent. An owner whose identity was not known to the Code Enforcement Officer, shall have 40 days from the date upon which notice was posted, whichever is later, to challenge the inclusion of a property on the abandoned property list. For good cause shown, the Township Administrator may accept a late filing of an appeal. Within 30 days of receipt of a request for an appeal of the findings contained in the notice, a hearing shall be scheduled for redetermination of the matter. Any property included on the list shall be presumed to be abandoned property unless the owner, through the submission of an affidavit or certification asserting that the property is not an abandoned property, can demonstrate that the property was erroneously included on the list. The affidavit or certification shall be accompanied by supporting documentation, such as, but not limited to, photographs, repair invoices, bills and construction contracts. The sole ground for appeal shall be that the property in question is not an abandoned property as that term is defined in N.J.S.A. 55:19-54. The Township Administrator shall decide any timely filed appeal within 10 days of the hearing on the appeal and shall promptly, by certified mail, return receipt requested, and by regular mail, notify the property owner of the decision and the reasons therefor.
E. 
The property owner may challenge an adverse determination of an appeal, in accordance with the New Jersey Court Rules, a summary trial proceeding in the Superior Court, Middlesex County. Such action shall be instituted within 20 days of the date of the notice of decision. The sole ground for appeal and new hearing before the Superior Court shall be that the property in question is not an abandoned property as that term is defined in N.J.S.A. 55:19-54. The failure to institute an action of appeal on a timely basis shall constitute a jurisdictional bar to challenging the adverse determination, except that, for good cause shown, the court may extend the deadline for instituting the action.
F. 
The Township shall promptly remove any property from the abandoned property list that has been determined by the Township Administrator or on appeal not to be abandoned and may, in its discretion, remove properties from said list whenever he deems such removal appropriate under the circumstances.
G. 
The abandoned property list shall become effective, and the Township of Old Bridge shall have the right to pursue any legal remedy with respect to properties on the list, at any time after at least one property has been placed on the list and following the expiration of the period for appeal with respect to that first property or upon the denial of an appeal brought by the property owner of that first property.
A. 
An owner may request removal of their property from the abandoned property list prior to sale of the tax sale certificate by paying all taxes and Township liens due, including interest and penalties, and:
(1) 
By posting cash or a bond equal to the cost of remediating all conditions because of which the property has been determined to be abandoned pursuant to N.J.S.A. 55:19-55 and by posting cash or a bond to cover the cost of any environmental cleanup required on the property, evidenced by a certification by a licensed engineer retained by the owner and reviewed and approved by the Township stating that the cash or bond adequately covers the cost of the cleanup; or
(2) 
By demonstrating to the satisfaction of the Township that the conditions rendering the property abandoned have been remediated in full; provided, however, that where the Administrator finds that the owner is actively engaged in remediating the conditions because of which the property was determined to be abandoned, as evidenced by significant rehabilitation activity on the property, may be granted an extension of time of not more than 120 days for the owner to complete all work, during which time no further proceedings will be taken against the owner or the property.
B. 
If the owner has posted cash or a bond in order to have a property removed from the abandoned property list and the conditions because of which the property was determined to be abandoned have not been fully remediated within one year of the date of posting the cash or bond, or, in the case of a property which requires a remediation of any known, suspected, or threatened release of contaminants, if the owner has failed to enter into a memorandum of agreement with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection or an administrative consent order, as the case may be, or if an agreement or order is in effect but the owner has failed to perform the remediation in conformance with the agreement or order, then the cash or bond shall be forfeited to the Township, which shall use the cash or bond and any interest which has accrued thereon for the purpose of demolishing or rehabilitating the property or performing the environmental remediation. Any funds remaining after the property has been demolished, rehabilitated, or cleaned up shall be returned to the owner.
A. 
The Township Committee, with the approval of the Court, may place a lien on the property to cover any costs of the Township in connection with any proceeding under N.J.S.A. 55:19-78 et seq., incurred prior to the grant by the Court of an order of possession, which may include costs incurred to stabilize or secure the property to ensure that it can be rehabilitated in a cost-effective manner. Any such lien shall be considered a Township lien for the purposes of N.J.S.A. 54:5-9, with the rights and status of a Township lien pursuant thereto.
B. 
Where the Township seeks to gain title to the property, it shall purchase the property for fair market value on such terms as the Court shall approve and may place the proceeds of sale in escrow with the Court.
C. 
The Court may authorize the Township of Old Bridge to sell the building free and clear of liens, claims and encumbrances, in which event all such liens, claims and encumbrances shall be transferred to the proceeds of sale with the same priority as existed prior to resale in accordance with the provisions of this section, except that municipal liens shall be paid at settlement. The proceeds of the purchase of the property shall be distributed as set forth in N.J.S.A. 55:19-97.
D. 
Upon approval by the Court, the Township shall sell the property on such terms and at such price as the Court shall approve and may place the proceeds of sale in escrow with the Court. The Court shall order a distribution of the proceeds of sale after paying Court costs in the order of priority set forth in N.J.S.A. 55:19-97.
E. 
With the exception of the holding of special tax sales pursuant to N.J.S.A. 55:19-101, the remedies available under N.J.S.A. 55:19-78, et seq. shall be available to the Township with respect to any abandoned property, whether or not the Township has established an abandoned property list and whether or not the property at issue has been included on any such list.