[HISTORY: Article I adopted by the Council of the Township
of Monroe 3-5-73 by Ord. No. 229. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Added 8-29-11 by Ord.
No. 0-8-2011-031]
This article requires dumpsters and other refuse containers
that are outdoors or exposed to stormwater to be covered at all times
and prohibits the spilling, dumping, leaking, or otherwise discharge
of liquids, semi-liquids or solids from the containers to the municipal
separate storm sewer system(s) operated by the Township of Monroe
and/or the waters of the state so as to protect the public health,
safety and welfare, and to prescribe penalties for the failure to
comply.
For the purpose of this article, the following terms, phrases,
words and their derivations shall have the meanings stated herein
unless their use in the text of this article clearly demonstrates
a different meaning. When not inconsistent with the context, words
used in the present tense include the future, words used in the plural
number include the singular number, and words used in the singular
number include the plural number. The word "shall" is always mandatory
and not merely directory.
GARBAGE
Putrescible animal and vegetable waste resulting from the
handling, preparation, cooking or consumption of food.
LITTER
Any used or unconsumed substance or waste material which
has been discarded, whether made of aluminum, glass, plastic, rubber,
paper, or other natural or synthetic material, or any combination
thereof, including, but not limited to, any bottle, jar or can, or
any top, cap or detachable tab of any bottle, jar or can, any unlighted
cigarette, cigar, match or any flaming or glowing material or any
garbage, trash, refuse, debris, rubbish, grass clippings or other
lawn or garden waste, newspapers, magazines, glass, metal, plastic
or paper containers or other packaging or construction material, but
does not include the waste of the primary processes of mining or other
extraction processes, logging, saw milling, farming or manufacturing.
[Amended 5-2-05 by Ord. No. O-5-2005-020]
LITTER RECEPTACLE
A container suitable for the depositing of litter.
[Added 5-2-05 by Ord. No. O-5-2005-020]
MUNICIPAL SEPARATE STORM SEWER SYSTEM (MS4)
A conveyance or system of conveyances (including roads with
drainage systems, municipal streets, catch basins, curbs, gutters,
ditches, man-made channels, or storm drains) that is owned or operated
by the Township of Monroe or other body, and is designed and used
for collecting and conveying stormwater.
[Added 8-29-11 by Ord. No. O-8-2011-031]
PERSON
Any individual, corporation, company, partnership, firm,
association, or political subdivision of this state subject to municipal
jurisdiction.
[Added 5-2-05 by Ord. No. O-5-2005-020]
PUBLIC PLACE
Any and all streets, lanes, parkways, sidewalks, municipal
parking lots, alleys or other public ways, and any and all public
parks, squares, spaces, recreation areas, grounds and buildings.
REFUSE
All putrescible and nonputrescible solid wastes (except body
wastes), including but not limited to garbage, rubbish, ashes, street
cleanings, dead animals, abandoned automobiles and solid market and
industrial wastes.
REFUSE CONTAINER
Any waste container that a person controls whether owned,
leased, or operated, including dumpsters, trash cans, garbage pails,
and plastic trash bags.
[Added 8-29-11 by Ord. No. O-8-2011-031]
RUBBISH
Nonputrescible solid wastes consisting of both combustible
and noncombustible wastes, such as paper, wrapping, cigarettes, cardboard,
tin cans, yard clippings, leaves, wood, glass, bedding, crockery and
similar materials.
STORMWATER
Water resulting from precipitation (including rain and snow)
that runs off the land's surface, is transmitted to the subsurface,
is captured by separate storm sewers or other sewerage or drainage
facilities, or is conveyed by snow removal equipment.
[Added 8-29-11 by Ord. No. O-8-2011-031]
WATERS OF THE STATE
The ocean and its estuaries, all springs, streams and bodies
of surface or groundwater, whether natural or artificial, within the
boundaries of the State of New Jersey or subject to its jurisdiction.
[Added 8-29-11 by Ord. No. O-8-2011-031]
[Amended 5-2-05 by Ord. No. O-5-2005-020]
It shall be unlawful for any person to throw, drop, discard
or otherwise place any litter of any nature upon public or private
property other than in a litter receptacle, or having done so, to
allow such litter to remain.
[Added 8-29-11 by Ord. No. O-8-2011-031]
Any person who controls, whether owned, leased, or operated,
a refuse container or dumpster must ensure that such container or
dumpster is covered at all times and shall prevent refuse from spilling
out or overflowing.
Any person who owns, leases or otherwise uses a refuse container
or dumpster must ensure that such container or dumpster does not leak
or otherwise discharge liquids, semi-liquids or solids to the municipal
separate storm sewer system(s) operated by the Township of Monroe.
[Added 8-29-11 by Ord. No. O-8-2011-031]
A. Permitted temporary demolition containers.
B. Litter receptacles (other than dumpsters or other bulk containers).
C. Individual homeowner trash and recycling containers.
D. Refuse containers at facilities authorized or discharge stormwater
under a valid NJDES permit.
E. Large bulky items (e.g., furniture, bound carpet and padding, white
goods placed curbside for pickup).
[Amended 5-2-05 by Ord. No. O-5-2005-020]
Whenever any litter is thrown or discarded or allowed to fall
from a vehicle or boat in violation of this article, the operator
or owner, or both, of the motor vehicle or boat shall also be deemed
to have violated this article.
No person shall drive or move any truck or other vehicle within
the Township unless such vehicle is so constructed or loaded as to
prevent any load or contents of litter from being blown or deposited
upon any street or other public place; nor shall any person drive
or move any vehicle or truck within the Township, the wheels or tires
of which carry onto or deposit in any street or other public place
any mud, dirt, sticky substance or foreign matter of any kind, in
such a way as to tend to create a danger to public health, safety
or welfare or otherwise to create a nuisance.
No person shall throw or deposit litter in any fountain, pond,
lake, stream, river or any other body of water in a park or elsewhere
in the Township.
No person shall throw or deposit litter on any private property
within the Township, whether owned by such person or not, except that
the owner or person in control of private property may maintain authorized
private receptacles for collection in such a manner that litter will
be prevented from being carried or deposited by the elements upon
any street, sidewalk or other public place or upon any private property.
This section shall not apply to litter resulting from the normal course
of construction of any buildings or parts thereof during the period
of construction.
The owner or person in control of any private property shall
at all times maintain the premises free of litter; provided, however,
that this section shall not prohibit the storage of litter in authorized
private receptacles for collection.
No person shall throw or deposit litter in or upon any street,
sidewalk or other public place within the Township or upon those portions
of any private property that are open to the public.
No person shall bring, cart, remove, transport or collect any
litter from outside this municipality or into this municipality for
the purpose of dumping or disposing thereof except in those areas
that have been authorized for such purpose.
[Added 4-3-89 by Ord. No. 4-89-19]
The proprietors, lessees or users of property or building or
sponsors of events shall be responsible for providing and servicing
litter receptacles in a suitable container as approved by the Director
of Public Works. Litter receptacles and their servicing shall be required
at the following public places which exist in the municipality: sidewalks
used by pedestrians in active retail commercially zoned areas, such
that at a minimum there shall be no single linear quarter mile without
a receptacle; buildings held out for use by the public and railroad
and bus stations; parks; drive-in restaurants; all street vendor locations;
self-service and refreshment areas; construction sites; gasoline service
station islands; shopping centers; parking lots; campgrounds; and
at special events to which the public is invited.
[Added 4-3-89 by Ord. No. 4-89-19]
The discarding or dumping of any household or commercial solid
waste in any place not specifically designated for the purpose of
solid waste storage or disposal is prohibited.
[Added 4-3-89 by Ord. No. 4-89-19]
The storage in areas zoned residential, as outlined in Chapter
130, of any bulky household items, such as but not limited to appliances,
furniture or mattresses, except in a fully enclosed structure, is
prohibited.
[Added 4-3-89 by Ord. No. 4-89-19]
The storage of tires in areas zoned residential, as outlined
in Chapter 130, except in a fully enclosed structure, is prohibited.
[Added 4-3-89 by Ord. No. 4-89-19]
The use of open-top waste disposal bins for any use within the
Township is prohibited. The waste disposal bins for all uses shall
be of sufficient capacity to hold all generated waste from a particular
use with the top closed for the period between pickups. Storage of
waste outside the waste bin is prohibited.
[Added 4-3-89 by Ord. No. 4-89-19]
All waste bins designated for solid waste containment shall
be designated for the type of waste it shall contain. The waste bins
marked for a particular solid waste shall only be used for that solid
waste, and the deposition of a solid waste in a waste bin not designated
accordingly is prohibited.
[Added 4-3-89 by Ord. No. 4-89-19]
Every owner, lessee, tenant, occupant or person in charge of
any building or structure shall keep and cause to be kept the sidewalk
and curb abutting said building or structure free from obstruction
and nuisances of every kind and shall keep said sidewalks, areaways,
back yards, courts and alleys free from litter and other offensive
material.
[Added 5-2-05 by Ord. No. O-5-2005-020]
The requirements for the control of littering in the Township
of Monroe shall be enforced by the Monroe Township Police Department
and the Zoning Officer of the Township of Monroe.
[Added 4-3-89 by Ord. No. 4-89-19; amended 5-2-05 by Ord. No. O-5-2005-020]
Any person(s) found to be in violation of any provisions of
this article shall be subject to a fine not exceeding $500 or imprisonment
for a period not exceeding 90 days, or both. The maximum penalties
stated herein are not intended to be appropriate penalties for each
and every violation. Lesser penalties may be appropriate for particular
violations. Except as otherwise provided, each and every day in which
a violation exists shall constitute a separate violation.
[Added 11-7-90 as Ord. No. 0-11-90-039]
This article may be cited as the "Monroe Township Property Maintenance
Code."
This article sets forth the minimum conditions for maintenance
of exterior property, premises and structures within the Township
of Monroe.
Any owner of exterior property, premises and/or any structure
within the Township of Monroe shall be responsible to maintain such
property, premises or structures in compliance with this article.
All vacant structures and premises thereof or vacant land shall
be maintained by the owner in a clean, safe, secure and sanitary condition
as provided in this article so as not to cause blighting or adversely
affect the public health or safety.
All exterior property areas and premises shall be maintained in a clean, safe and sanitary condition free from any accumulation of refuse as that term is defined in Section
63-1 of the Monroe Township Code.
The use of open-top waste disposal bins within the Township
is prohibited. The owner or operator of the property, structure, premises
or business establishment producing garbage, vegetable wastes or other
putrescible material shall make available, and at all times cause
to be used leak-proof, approved containers provided with close-fitting
covers for the storage of such materials. Containers shall be of sufficient
number and capacity to adequately store such materials until these
materials are removed for disposal. Storage of refuse outside a covered
container is hereby prohibited.
All containers designated for solid waste containment shall
be designated to clearly indicate the type of waste to be contained
therein. Any container designated for disposal of a particular solid
waste shall be used only for disposal of that solid waste. The placement
for disposal of any solid waste in a container not specifically designated
for disposal of such waste is prohibited.
Any property shall be graded and maintained so as to prevent
the accumulation of standing or stagnant water thereon or within any
structure located thereon. Stagnant water is defined as any accumulation
of water which has not dispersed within seven days of the last recorded
local rainfall. This section is not applicable to those water retention
areas and/or reservoirs approved by the Property Maintenance Official
or Township Engineer.
All loading areas, automobile service stations and drive-in
food establishments shall be paved with the bituminous, concrete or
equivalent surfacing and shall be free from dirt and other litter
and kept in good repair. When such areas are lighted for nighttime
use, lights shall not be permitted to cast directly upon dwellings
nearby.
The owner of any property, structure, premises or business establishment
shall be responsible for the extermination of insects, rats, vermin
or other pests in all exterior areas of said property, except that
the occupant shall remain responsible for such extermination in the
exterior areas of the premises of any single-family dwelling.
A. All sidewalks, steps, driveways, parking spaces and similar paved
areas for or used by the public shall be kept in a proper state of
repair free of all snow, ice, mud, overhanging trees and shrubs which
obstruct walkways, and other debris, and shall be maintained free
of hazardous conditions. It shall be the owner's responsibility to
maintain such areas, except that the occupant shall remain responsible
for such areas bordering or on the premises of any single-family dwelling.
If any sidewalk driveway or portion thereof, by virtue of its state
of repair shall constitute a danger to the public health and safety,
the sidewalk driveway or portion thereof shall be replaced.
B. Proprietors, lessees, users or occupants of any property, premises,
building or establishment, or any sponsor of events on said property,
shall be responsible for providing and servicing receptacles or containers
for refuse in a manner approved by the Director of Public Works.
All lots shall be maintained free from weeds or other plant
growth in excess of 10 inches. All noxious weeds shall be prohibited.
Weeds are defined as all grasses, annual plants and vegetation other
than trees or shrubs; provided, however, that this term shall not
include cultivated flowers and gardens. The provisions of this section
shall not apply to property primarily used for agricultural purposes.
All approved open salvage yards and open storage areas shall
be completely obscured from surrounding property by an aesthetically
pleasing solid screen not less than six feet in height. Storage of
debris, junk or construction material not associated with an approved
use or permitted construction at that site is prohibited.
No person shall construct, maintain or operate pipes, ducts,
conductors and/or blowers discharging gases, steam, vapor, hot air,
grease, smoke, odors or other gaseous or particulate wastes in a manner
causing discharge directly upon, abutting, or adjacent to public or
private property.
All accessory structures including detached garages, fences
and walls, shall be maintained in a structurally sound condition.
[Amended 4-4-2022 by Ord. No. O-3-2022-009]
A. Except
as provided elsewhere in this Code, not more than one currently unregistered
and/or uninspected motor vehicle or trailer shall be parked on any
property in a residential district. No vehicle shall at any time be
in a state of major disassembly, disrepair or in any process of being
stripped or dismantled. No vehicle at any time shall undergo major
overhaul, including body work, in any residential district unless
such work is performed inside a structure or similarly enclosed area
designed and approved for such purposes.
B. No person
in charge or control of any property in a residential district, whether
as owner, tenant, occupant, lessee, or otherwise, shall park or keep
a currently unregistered and/or uninspected motor vehicle or trailer,
including any partially dismantled, nonoperating, wrecked, junked,
or discarded vehicle, on or upon a front yard of a property, other
than in a driveway.
[Amended 8-29-11 by Ord.
No. 0-8-2011-031]
The Zoning Officer of the Township of Monroe is hereby empowered
to enforce the Littering and Property Maintenance Code of the Township,
and if any violation of the terms of the Littering and Property Maintenance
Code is found to exist upon or about any property, premises, structure
or business establishment, the said Zoning Officer or any duly authorized
law enforcement officer is hereby authorized to sign a complaint for
said violation in the Municipal Court of Monroe Township.
Upon conviction for a violation of a provision of this article,
the maximum penalty shall be a fine not exceeding $500, or imprisonment
for a period not exceeding 90 days, or both. Except as otherwise provided,
each and every day in which a violation exists shall constitute a
separate violation.