[1980 Code § 121-84; Ord. No. O-28-12]
The Division Manager is hereby designated to serve as the chief administrative agent hereunder, and all inspections, regulations, enforcement and hearings on violations of the provisions of this Code, unless expressly stated to the contrary, shall be under his direction and supervision. He may appoint or designate, with the consent of the Director of Code Enforcement, such other public officials or employees of the Town to perform duties as may be necessary to the enforcement of this Code, including the making of inspections and holding of hearings.
a. 
Residential. All buildings and premises subject to this Code are subject to inspection from time to time by a Code Enforcement Officer of the Town. At the time of such inspections, all rooms in the building and all parts of the premises must be available and accessible for such inspections, and the owner, operator and occupant are required to provide the necessary arrangements to facilitate such inspections. Such inspections shall be made between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. unless one of the following conditions exists:
1. 
The premises are not available during the foregoing hours for inspections.
2. 
There is reason to believe that violations are occurring on the premises which can only be apprehended and proven by inspections during other than the prescribed hours or which require immediate inspection after being reported, such as failure to supply heat.
3. 
There is reason to believe a violation exists of a character which is an immediate threat to health or safety, requiring inspection and abatement without delay.
b. 
Nonresidential. All buildings and premises subject to this Code are subject to inspection from time to time by the enforcing officer. At the time of such inspections, all rooms and parts of the premises must be available and accessible for such inspections, and the owner and operator are required to provide the necessary arrangements to facilitate such inspections. Such inspections shall be made during regular open hours of the business occupying the premises unless there is reason to believe a violation exists of a character which is an immediate threat to health or safety, requiring inspection and abatement without delay.
[1980 Code § 121-86]
Inspectors shall be supplied with official identification and upon request shall exhibit such identification when entering any dwelling unit, rooming unit or any part of any premises subject in this Code. Inspectors shall conduct themselves so as to avoid intentional embarrassment or inconvenience to occupants.
[1980 Code § 121-87]
a. 
Penalties. Where the Division Manager or his agent is refused entry or access or is otherwise impeded or prevented by the owner, occupant or operator from conducting an inspection of the premises, such person shall be in violation of this Code and subject to the penalties hereunder.
b. 
Administrative warrant.
1. 
The Division Manager may, upon affidavit, apply to the Judge of the Municipal Court of the Town of Morristown for an administrative warrant, setting forth factually the actual conditions and circumstances that provide a reasonable basis for believing that a nuisance or violation of the Code may exist on the premises, including one or more of the following:
(a) 
The premises require inspection according to the cycle established by the Town for periodic inspections of premises of the type involved.
(b) 
Observation of the external condition of the premises and its public areas has resulted in the belief that violations of the Code exist.
(c) 
Circumstances such as age of building, type of building, particular use of premises or other factor render systematic inspections of such buildings necessary in the interest of public health and safety.
2. 
If the Judge of the Municipal Court of the Town of Morristown is satisfied as to the matter set forth in the affidavit, he shall authorize the issuance of an administrative warrant permitting access to and inspection of that part of the premises on which the nuisance or violation may exist. Warrant for access may be issued by the Judge of the Municipal Court of the Town of Morristown upon affidavit of the Division Manager establishing grounds therefor pursuant to § 13-78.
c. 
Administrative warrant for area inspection. In addition to the provisions of Paragraph b, the Division Manager may, upon affidavit, apply to the Judge of the Municipal Court of the Town of Morristown for an administrative warrant to conduct an area inspection as that term is defined in § 13-4.
[1980 Code § 121-88; Ord. No. O-44-93; Ord. No. O-37-05 § I; Ord. No. O-28-12]
Except as provided in Paragraph h, where a violation of this Code or the regulations hereunder is found to exist, a written notice from the Division Manager shall be served on the person or persons responsible for the correction thereof.
a. 
Contents of notice. The notice shall specify the violation or violations committed; what must be done to correct same; a reasonable period of time, not to exceed 30 days, within which to correct or abate the violation; the right of the person served to request a meeting with the Division Manager; and that the notice shall become an order of the Division Manager in 10 days after service unless a hearing is requested pursuant to Paragraph c.
b. 
Service of notice. Notice may be served personally or by first class mail, addressed to the last known address of the person to be served. In the case of an occupant, notice may be posted upon the door of his dwelling unit or rooming unit. Where it is ascertained that the owner does not reside on the premises, the "last known address" shall be the address of the owner as shown in the office of the Tax Collector. If the last known address cannot be ascertained, the notice may be posted on the outside front entrance of the building. The Division Manager shall file and provide notice to any owner, operator or occupant of any violation at any address other than the last known address provided hereunder if such other address is filed with the Division Manager personally or by certified mail addressed to the Division Manager. Service upon an owner, operator or occupant may also be attained by service of any notice upon a member of the family of the owner, operator or occupant. Date of service of the notice shall be determined, where service is by mail, as of the day following the day of mailing for notices to addresses within the Town, and as of the fourth day after the day of mailing for notices to addresses outside the Town. Where the day of service would fall upon a Sunday or other day when mail is not ordinarily delivered, then the day of service shall be the next regular delivery day. Notwithstanding any other provisions herein contained, where premises are multiple-dwelling buildings subject to registration pursuant to this chapter and have been so registered, notice served upon the agent designated therein shall constitute service upon the owner, operator and lessor of the premises, jointly and severally. Where the owner, operator or lessor has failed to register the premises as required, or if the present premises have been registered and if the agent designated therein cannot be found at the address given in the registration, the owner, operator or lessor affected thereby may be served by posting notice upon the premises in a conspicuous place as near as possible to the front entrance thereof.
c. 
Notice to become an order unless meeting requested. Within 10 days of the date of service of a notice, the notice shall constitute a final order unless the person served requests a meeting with the inspector. At the meeting, the person responsible for the property in question and the inspector shall discuss the violation, and, where possible, agree upon the abatement and time limit to abate the violation. In the event the violation is not abated within the time agreed upon, the inspector shall issue the summons.
d. 
Summary abatement.
1. 
Emergency. Where the violation or condition existing on the premises is of such a nature as to constitute an immediate threat to life and limb unless abated without delay, the Division Manager may either abate the condition immediately or order the owner, operator or occupant to correct the violation or condition within a period of time not to exceed three days and upon failure to do so, the Division Manager shall abate the condition, immediately thereafter.
2. 
Abatement of nuisances. Where a violation of this chapter or a nuisance exists, other than violations described in Paragraph d3, and owner, operator or occupant refuses to correct the condition within a period of time not to exceed 15 days after receiving written notice of the violation, the Town Council may direct the Director of the Department of Code Enforcement or Director of Public Works to expand municipal funds to abate the violation, as authorized by N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.12f. The cost of abatement shall be a lien against the premises as more particularly set forth in Paragraph e.
3. 
Removal or destruction of brush, weeds and debris. Where the owner, operator or occupant refuses to remove or destroy brush, weeds, including ragweed, dead and dying trees, stumps, roots, obnoxious growths, filth, garbage, trash or debris within 10 days after written notice to remove or destroy the same, the Enforcement Officer shall cause the violation to be abated, as authorized by N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.13. The cost of abatement shall be a lien against the property as authorized by N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.14 and more particularly Paragraph e of this section. The Enforcement Officer under this section shall include the Director of Code Enforcement or designee, the Director of Public Works or designee, or the Chief of Police or designee.
4. 
Cutting of brush and hedges near roadways and intersections. Where the owner, operator or occupant refuses to maintain the brush, hedges and other plant life growing within 10 feet of a roadway, or within 25 feet of the intersection of two roadways at a height of not more than 25 feet, and fails and refuses to cut the hedges within 10 days of written notice to do so, the Enforcement Officer shall cause the violation to be abated as authorized by N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.26. The cost of abatement shall be a lien against the property as authorized by N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.27 and more particularly set forth in Paragraph e of this section. Enforcement Officer under this section shall include the Director of Code Enforcement or designee, the Director of Public Works or designee, or the Chief of Police or designee.
e. 
Cost of abatement to be a lien against the premises.
1. 
Where abatement of any nuisance or violation is ordered pursuant to Paragraph d1 or d2, requiring correction of a defect, demolition or maintenance of the premises in a proper condition so as to conform to municipal ordinances or State law applicable thereto requires expending Town moneys therefor, the Director of the Department of Code Enforcement or Director of Public Works or their designees shall present a report of work proposed to be done to accomplish the foregoing to the Town Council with an estimate of the cost thereof, along with a summary of the proceedings undertaken by the Division Manager to secure compliance, including notices served upon owners, operators, lessors or agents, as the case may be, any hearing, or orders of the Division Manager with reference thereto, and costs of emergency abatement of conditions constituting an immediate threat to life and limb. The Council may thereupon by resolution authorize the abatement of the nuisance, correction of the defect or work necessary to place the premises in proper condition and in compliance with ordinances of the Town and laws of the State. The Director of the Department of Code Enforcement may thereafter proceed to have the work performed in accordance with the resolution at Town expense, not to exceed the amount specified in the resolution, and shall upon completion thereof submit a report of the moneys expended and costs to the Council. After review of the same, the Council may approve the expenses and costs, whereupon the same shall become a lien against the premises, collectible as provided by law. A copy of the resolution approving the expenses and costs shall be filed with the Tax Collector of the Town, who shall be responsible for the collection thereof, and a copy of this report shall be sent by certified mail to the owner.
2. 
Where abatement is ordered pursuant to Paragraphs d3 and d4, the Enforcement Officer shall file a certification of the cost of abatement with the Council, which shall examine the certificate. If the Council finds the certification of the Enforcement Officer shall be correct, then it shall direct that the cost as shown thereon be charged against the lands, and a copy of its action shall be filed with the Tax Collector and mailed to the owner of the property. The amount so charged shall forthwith become a lien upon such lands and shall be added to and become and form a part of the taxes next to be assessed and levied upon such lands, the same to bear interest at the same rate as taxes, and shall be collected and enforced by the same officers and in the same manner as taxes, as authorized by N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.14 and 40:48-2.27.
3. 
Any action to abate a violation and charge the cost of abatement as a lien upon the lands shall be in addition to any provision for enforcement of violations of this chapter in the Municipal Court.
f. 
Referral of violations. Any violation of any ordinance other than this Code discovered by a Housing Inspector shall be reported to the Division Manager, who shall refer the alleged violation to the official or agency responsible for the enforcement of such other ordinance.
g. 
Extension of time where dispossess action undertaken. Where there exists a violation of occupancy standards hereunder, an owner or operator, upon receipt of a notice of violation, if unable to eliminate the violation by peaceable means within the period of time specified in said notice, shall commence within such period legal action to dispossess, evict or eject the occupants who cause the violation. No further action hereunder shall then be taken against the owner or operator so long as the action aforesaid is pending in the court and is prosecuted expeditiously and in good faith.
h. 
Where notice and hearing not required prior to court proceedings.
1. 
Notwithstanding the requirements of this subsection through Paragraph d, violations of the following sections may be prosecuted without notice by the filing of a complaint by the Division Manager or Property Maintenance Inspector in the Municipal Court: §§ 13-12a,4, 13-27, 13-28, 13-32, 13-39c through f, 13-42, 13-43, 13-44, 13-45c., 13-52, 13-56, 13-57, 13-58, 13-78, 13-80, 13-88 and 13-90. No notice shall be required on the enforcement of § 13-12a4 hereof as to the removal of accumulated snow or ice from paths, walks, driveway, parking lots and parking areas used by pedestrians and automobiles where such snow or ice remains uncleared within eight hours of daylight after the termination of snowfall.
2. 
Where the Division Manager, after reinspection, shall determine that there was a violation and a notice was served upon the owner, operator or occupant, whether or not said violation was abated prior to the issuance of an order, if thereafter within the space of one year there shall be a second violation by the same owner, operator or occupant of the same provision of this Code discovered on the same premises, the offender may be prosecuted on the second violation without the Division Manager's first giving notice to the owner, operator or occupant, by the filing of a complaint by the Division Manager in the Municipal Court.
i. 
Effect of notice on owner. For the purposes of enforcement of this Code, the service of a notice on an owner, whether or not the owner is also the operator, shall constitute notice of violations set forth therein until said violations are abated in conformity with this Code and the other applicable ordinances of the Town of Morristown.
j. 
The mayor or his designee may act as custodian. In accordance with the authority of N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.12g, in addition to other remedies provided herein, where the Division Manager has issued an order requiring the abatement of a nuisance, correction of a defective condition or the maintenance of the premises in a proper condition so as to conform to the ordinances of the Town of Morristown and laws of the State applicable thereto, and the owner, operator, lessor or agent charged with the premises has failed to comply therewith, the Division Manager or/other designee of the Mayor may, for the purposes of correcting any of the foregoing conditions, act as custodian of any building or structure subject to registration in accordance with the provisions of § 13-90 hereof, and may act as custodian, enter into and take charge of the premises and supervise the abatement of any nuisance, correction of defect or placing of the premises in compliance with municipal ordinances and State laws. For the performance of the duties of custodian, the Town of Morristown shall receive for the services from the owner, operator and lessor of the premises such compensation, approved by the Town Council, as costs and expenses, the same to be certified and collected as provided in Paragraph e.