[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Council of the Town of Secaucus 9-8-70. Amendments noted where applicable.]
This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Air Pollution Control Code of the Town of Secaucus."
It is hereby declared that pollution of the atmosphere by smoke, cinders, soot, fly ash, gases, fumes, vapors, odors, dust and other contaminants is a menace to the health, welfare and comfort of the residents of Secaucus and a cause of substantial damage to property. For the purpose of controlling and reducing atmospheric pollution, it is hereby declared to be the policy of the Mayor and Town Council to minimize air pollution as herein defined and prohibit excessive emission of the same, to establish standards governing the installation, maintenance and operation of equipment and appurtenances relating to combustion which are a source or potential source of air pollution, and, in furtherance of this purpose, to cooperate and coordinate these efforts with the State Department of Environmental Protection Air Pollution Control Program.
The following terms wherever used herein or referred to in this chapter shall have the respective meanings assigned to them unless a different meaning clearly appears from the context:
AIR POLLUTION
The presence in the outdoor atmosphere of one or more air contaminants in such quantities and duration as are or tend to be injurious to human health or welfare, to animal or plant life or to property, or would unreasonably interfere with the enjoyment of life or property throughout the town as shall be affected thereby, and excludes all aspects of employer-employee relationships as to health and safety hazards.
ECONOMIC POISONS
Those chemicals used as insecticides, rodenticides, fungicides, herbicides, nematocides or defoliants.
FUEL-BURNING EQUIPMENT
Any furnace, boiler water heater, device, mechanism, stoker, burner, stack, oven, stove, kiln, still or other apparatus or a group or collection of such units in the process of fuel burning for the generation of heat or power. Refuse-burning equipment shall be considered incinerators as herein defined and not as "fuel-burning equipment" under this definition. Ovens, stoves or ranges used exclusively for domestic cooking purposes are not included herein.
INCINERATOR
Any device, apparatus, equipment or structure used for destroying, reducing or salvaging by fire any material or substance, including but not limited to refuse, rubbish, garbage, debris or scrap or facilities for cremating human or animal remains.
ODOR
A property of a substance which affects the sense of smell.
OPEN BURNING
Any fire wherein the products of combustion are emitted into the open air and are not directed thereto through a stack or chimney.
OPERATOR
Any person who has care, custody or control of a building or premises or a portion thereof, whether with or without the knowledge of the owner thereof.
OWNER
Any person who, alone or jointly or severally with others, shall have legal or equitable title to any premises, with or without accompanying actual possession thereof; or who shall have charge, care or control of any premises of part thereof, including but not limited to a dwelling or dwelling unit, as owner or agent of the owner, or as a fiduciary, including but not limited to executor, administrator, trustee, receiver, guardian or as a mortgagee in possession regardless of how such possession was obtained. Any person who is a lessee or sublessee of all or any part of any premises, including but not limited to dwelling or dwelling unit, shall be deemed to be a co-owner with the lessor and shall have joint responsibility with the owner over the premises or portion thereof so leased or subleased.
PERSON
Includes corporations, companies, associations, societies, firms, partnerships and joint-stock companies, as well as individuals.
REFUSE
All putrescible and nonputrescible wastes (except body wastes), and shall include but not be limited to garbage, rubbish, yard trimmings, leaves, ashes, street cleanings, dead animals, abandoned automobiles and solid market and industrial wastes.
RINGELMANN SMOKE CHART
Ringelmann's Scale for Grading the Density of Smoke, published by the United States Bureau of Mines, or any chart, recorder, indicator or device for the measurement of smoke density which is approved by the State Department of Environmental Protection of the State of New Jersey, as the equivalent of said Ringelmann's Scale.
RUBBISH
Solids not considered to be highly flammable or explosive, and shall include but not be limited to rags, old clothes, leather, rubber, carpets, wood, excelsior, paper, ashes, tree branches, yard trimmings, furniture, tin cans, glass, crockery, masonry and other similar materials.
SALVAGE OPERATIONS
Any business, trade or industry engaged in whole or in part in salvaging or reclaiming any product or material, including but not limited to metals, chemicals, shipping containers or drums.
SMOKE
Small gasborne and airborne particles arising from a process of combustion in sufficient number to be observable.
TRADE WASTE
All solid or liquid material or rubbish resulting from construction, building operations or the prosecution of any business, trade or industry, and shall include but not be limited to plastic products; carbon, paint, grease, oil and other petroleum products; chemicals, cinders and other forms of solid or liquid waste materials.
A. 
No person shall cause, suffer, allow or permit open burning of refuse or plant life nor conduct a salvage operation by open burning, except as provided in Subsection B.
B. 
The open burning of trade waste is not prohibited where no other known method of disposal can be used without hazard to health or property and the required affidavit has been filed with and approved by the Commissioner of the New Jersey State Department of Environmental Protection in accordance with Chapter II, Section 1.4 of the New Jersey Air Pollution Control Code.
A. 
No person shall cause, suffer, allow or permit smoke from any fuel-burning equipment, the shade or appearance of which is darker than No. 1 of the Ringelmann Smoke Chart, to be emitted into the open air.
B. 
The provisions of this section shall not apply to smoke emitted during the cleaning of a firebox or the building of a new fire, the shade or appearance of which is not darker than No. 2 of the Ringelmann Smoke Chart, for a period or periods aggregating no more than three minutes in any 15 consecutive minutes.
A. 
Smoke emissions. No person shall cause, suffer, allow or permit smoke from any incinerator, the shade or appearance of which is darker than No. 1 of the Ringelmann Smoke Chart, to be emitted into the open air; or emissions of such opacity within a stack or chimney or, exclusive of water vapor, of such opacity leaving a stack or chimney to a degree greater than the emission designated as No. 1 of the Ringelmann Smoke Chart.
B. 
New fires. The provisions of Subsection A shall not apply to smoke emitted during the building of a new fire, the shade or appearance of which is not darker than No. 2 of the Ringelmann Smoke Chart, for a period of no longer than three consecutive minutes; or to emissions of such opacity within a stack or chimney or, exclusive of water vapor, of such opacity leaving a stack or chimney to a degree which is not greater than the emissions designated as No. 2 of the Ringelmann Smoke Chart, for a period no longer than three consecutive minutes.
C. 
Visible particles. No person shall cause, suffer, allow or permit the emission of particles of unburned waste or ash from any incinerator which are individually large enough to be visible while suspended in the atmosphere.
D. 
Odors. No person shall construct, install, use or cause to be used any incinerator which will result in odors being detectable by sense of smell in any area of human use or occupancy.
E. 
Limitation on time of operation. No person shall operate and no owner or operator of any building in the Town of Secaucus shall permit the operation of an incinerator prior to 7:00 a.m. or after 5:00 p.m. of any day, and all operation shall be completely terminated by 5:00 p.m., including complete extinction of the fire and removal of material in a safe manner from the firebox to a noncombustible container; provided, however, that by special permit, the Board of Health Officer may, because of exceptional circumstances, permit different hours of operation under such conditions as he shall deem necessary for the health, safety and welfare of the public or of persons in the vicinity.
No person or owner of property and no person having possession or control of property shall cause, suffer, allow or permit to be emitted into the open air substances in such quantities as shall result in air pollution. The provisions of this section shall not apply to the use of economic poisons.
A. 
All buildings and premises subject to this code are subject to inspection from time to time by the Health, Building or Plumbing Inspector or their duly authorized representatives. All rooms and areas in the building shall be available and accessible for such inspection which shall be made during usual business hours if the premises are used for nonresidential purposes; provided, however, that inspections may be made at other times if:
(1) 
The premises are not available during the foregoing hours for inspection; or
(2) 
There is reason to believe that violations are occurring on the premises which can only be apprehended and proved by inspection during other than the prescribed hours; or
(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. 
Emergency inspections may be authorized without warrant if an enforcement officer has reason to believe that a condition exists which poses an immediate threat to life, health or safety. Such procedure shall take place only where the time required to apply for and secure the issuance of a warrant would render ineffective the immediate action necessary to abate the condition. Emergency inspections may also be authorized by the Governor in time of air pollution emergencies in accordance with N.J.R.S. 26:2C-32. Where the enforcement officers or their duly authorized representatives are refused entry or access or are otherwise impeded or prevented by the owner, occupant or operator from conducting an inspection of the premises, such owner, occupant or operator shall be in violation of this chapter and subject to the penalties hereunder.
A. 
Any enforcement officer may, upon affidavit, apply to the Judge of the Municipal Court of the Town of Secaucus for a search warrant setting forth factually the actual conditions and circumstances that provide a reasonable basis for believing that a nuisance or violation of the chapter may exist on the premises, including one or more of the following:
(1) 
That the premises require inspection according to the cycle established by the Board of Health for periodic inspections or premises of the type involved.
(2) 
That observation of external conditions (for example, smoke, ash, soot, odors) of the premises and its public areas has resulted in the belief that violations of this chapter exist.
(3) 
Circumstances such as age and design of fuel-burning equipment and/or systems, types of incinerator, particular use of premises or other factors which renders systematic inspections of such buildings necessary in the interest of public health and safety.
B. 
If the Judge of the Municipal Court of the Town of Secaucus is satisfied as to the matters set forth in the said affidavit, he shall authorize the issuance of a search warrant permitting access to and inspection of that part of the premises on which the nuisance or violation may exist.
A. 
Any person who shall violate any of the provisions of this chapter or who shall fail to comply therewith or with any of the requirements thereof shall be punishable by a fine not to exceed $500 or by imprisonment in the county jail for a period not to exceed 90 days, or by both such fine and imprisonment, and each violation of any of the provisions of this chapter and each day that such violation shall continue shall be deemed to be a separate and distinct offense.
B. 
The violation of any section or subsection of this chapter shall constitute a separate and distinct offense independent of the violation of any other section or subsection, or of any order issued pursuant to this chapter. Each day of violation shall constitute an additional, separate and distinct offense.
This chapter is to be liberally construed to effectuate the purposes herein described. Nothing herein is to be construed as repealing or abridging the emergency powers of any agency of government except to the extent expressly set forth herein.