[1978 Code § 1-1; New]
This book shall be known and may be cited as "The Revised General Ordinances of the Township of Sparta, 1999" and is herein referred to as the "Revision" or "Code."
[1978 Code § 1-2; New]
For the purpose of this Revision and in the interpretation and application of all other ordinances heretofore or hereafter adopted, except as the context may otherwise require:
CHARTER
Shall mean the provisions of the Optional Municipal Charter Law, L. 1950, c. 210, as amended (N.J.S.A. 40:69A-1 et seq.) applicable to that form of government provided therein known as "Council-Manager Plan B."
CLERK OR TOWNSHIP CLERK
Shall mean the Municipal Clerk duly appointed pursuant to law.
COUNCIL
See Township Council.
COUNTY
Shall mean the County of Sussex.
GENERAL LAW
Shall mean any law or provision of law, not inconsistent with the Optional Municipal Charter Law heretofore or hereafter enacted which is by its terms applicable or available to all municipalities, and the following additional laws whether or not such additional laws are so applicable or available to all municipalities; legislation relating to taxation, local courts, education, health, public authorities serving more than one municipality, and municipalities in unsound financial condition.
GOVERNING BODY
Shall mean the Township Council of the Township of Sparta elected pursuant to Council-Manager Plan B of the Optional Municipal Charter Law, consisting of five elected Councilmen.
LICENSED
Shall mean licensed in accordance with the appropriate section or chapter of this Code.
MONTH
Shall mean a calendar month unless otherwise specifically provided.
MUNICIPAL MANAGER, TOWNSHIP MANAGER OR MANAGER
Shall mean the person appointed by the Township Council as Municipal Manager of the Township pursuant to the Charter, or the person duly authorized pursuant to the Charter to perform his duties during the temporary absence or disability of the Manager.
MUNICIPALITY
Shall mean the Township of Sparta in the County of Sussex.
NEW JERSEY STATUTES OR N.J.S.A.
Shall mean that body of statutory law containing revisions of the Revised Statutes of New Jersey and known as the New Jersey Statutes, as amended and supplemented.
OATH
Shall be construed to include an affirmation where an affirmation may be substituted for an oath. In such cases the words swear and sworn shall be construed to be equivalent to the words affirm and affirmed.
OFFICER OR OFFICIAL
And the title of an officer or official shall be construed as if the words of the Township of Sparta followed it.
ORDINANCE
Shall mean any act of local legislation heretofore or hereafter adopted, and including this Code, so long as it shall have been adopted by the procedure required for the adoption of an ordinance and so long as it shall remain in force and effect pursuant to law.
OWNER
When applied to a building or land shall include any part owner, any corporation, joint owner, tenant in common, tenant in partnership, joint tenant, or tenant by the entirety, of the whole or of a part of such building or land.
PERSON
Shall mean any individual, natural persons, partnerships, joint ventures, societies, associations, clubs, trustees, trusts, corporations, or unincorporated groups, or any officers, agents, employees, servants, factors of any kind or personal representatives of any kind thereof in any capacity, acting either for himself or for any other person, under either personal appointment or pursuant to law.
PUBLIC GROUNDS, PUBLIC SQUARE, PUBLIC PLACE OR PUBLIC PLACES
Shall mean any and every public ground, public square, public park or other public place within the Township which is within the jurisdiction and control of the Township, and which is or may be in general use by all citizens, and in which all have an equal right of passage and repassage at will.
SIDEWALK
Shall mean any portion of a street or highway between the curbline and the adjacent property line, intended for the use of pedestrians.
STATE
Shall mean the State of New Jersey.
STREET
Shall include a street, avenue, road, alley, lane, highway, boulevard, concourse, driveway, culvert, sidewalk, footpath and crosswalk, and every class of road, square, place or municipal parking field used by the general public.
TENANT OR OCCUPANT
When applied to a building or land, shall include any person who occupies the whole or part of such building or land, whether alone or with others.
TOWNSHIP
Shall mean the Township of Sparta in the County of Sussex and State of New Jersey.
TOWNSHIP COUNCIL OR COUNCIL
Shall mean the local legislative body of the Township constituted and elected pursuant to the Charter or code and designated as the Municipal Council of the Township of Sparta.
WEEK
Shall mean seven days.
YEAR
Shall mean a calendar year unless otherwise specifically provided.
[1978 Code § 1-3; New]
For the purpose of this Code and any other ordinances heretofore or hereafter adopted, except as the context may otherwise require, the following information is provided. Technical words and phrases, and words and phrases having a special or accepted meaning in the law, shall be construed in accordance with such technical or special or accepted meaning.
The present tense includes the past and future tenses and the future, the present.
The masculine gender includes the feminine and neuter, and may refer to firms, associations, bodies corporate, and other artificial persons.
The singular number includes the plural and the plural, the singular.
Preceding shall mean next before; following shall mean after.
Shall is mandatory and may is permissive.
The time within which an act is done shall be computed by excluding the first and including the last day, and if the last day be a Sunday or a legal holiday, or a day on which the offices of the Township are closed, that day shall be excluded.
Writing and written shall include printing, typewriting and any other mode of communication using paper or similar material which is in general use, as well as legible handwriting.
And may be construed as meaning or, and or as and, if the sense requires and indicates such meaning.
Whenever a specific time is used in this Code, it shall mean the prevailing and established time in effect in the State of New Jersey during any day in any year.
Any citation of a Statute, law or ordinance contained in this Revision shall be deemed to refer to such Statute, law or ordinance as amended, whether or not such designation is included in the citation.
Chapter shall mean one of the major divisions of the revision identified by an Arabic number and divided by subject matter.
Section shall mean a major subdivision of a chapter.
Subsection shall mean a subdivision of a section, identified by a decimal number.
Paragraph shall mean a subdivision under a subsection, identified by an alphabetical letter or Arabic number.
[1978 Code § 1-4; New]
If any chapter, section, subsection or paragraph of this Code shall be declared to be unconstitutional, invalid or inoperative, in whole or in part, by a court of competent jurisdiction, such chapter, section, subsection or paragraph shall, to the extent that it is not unconstitutional, invalid or inoperative, remain in full force and effect, and no such determination shall be deemed to invalidate the remaining chapters, sections, subsections or paragraphs of this Code.
[New; Ord. No. 06-12 § 1]
Any person who shall violate any provision of this Code or other ordinance of the Township, where no specific penalty is provided regarding the section violated, shall, upon conviction thereof, be punishable by one or more of the following: a fine not exceeding $2,000 or imprisonment for a period not exceeding 90 days or to a period of community service not exceeding 90 days at the discretion of the Judge of the Municipal Court. (N.J.S. 40:49-5)
[New]
Except as otherwise provided, each and every day in which a violation of any provision of this chapter or any other ordinance of the Township exists shall constitute a separate violation.
[New]
The maximum penalty stated in this section is not intended to state an appropriate penalty for each and every violation. At the discretion of the Judge of the Municipal Court, any lesser penalty, including a nominal penalty or no penalty at all, may be appropriate for a particular case of violation.
[New]
The Township Council may prescribe that, for the violation of any particular Code provision or ordinance, at least a minimum penalty shall be imposed which shall consist of a fine which may be fixed at an amount not exceeding $100 (N.J.S.A. 40:49-5).
[New]
Any person who is convicted of violating an ordinance within one year of the date of a previous violation of the same ordinance and who was fined for the previous violation, shall be sentenced to an additional fine as a repeat offender. The additional fine as imposed upon a person for repeated offense shall not be less than the minimum or exceed the maximum fine imposed for a violation of the ordinance, but shall be calculated separately from the fine imposed for the initial conviction of violating the ordinance.
[New]
Any person convicted of the violation of any provision of this Code or any ordinance may, in the discretion of the court by which he was convicted, and in default of the payment of any fine imposed therefor, be imprisoned in the County jail or place of detention provided by the Township, for any term not exceeding 90 days, or be required to perform community service for a period not exceeding 90 days.
[Ord. No. 03-13 § 1; Ord. No. 04-15]
The following local supplemental Violations Bureau fine schedule is adopted as follows:
TRAFFIC SECTION
DESIGNATED OFFENSE
Ordinance Number
Short Description
Amount
7-7.2
Parking during state of emergency (weather)
$28
7-7.3
Temporary parking prohibition for snow plowing
$28
7-14.1
Parking prohibited certain hours
$28
7-17
Trucks over 4 tons excluded from certain streets
$63
7-35.1
Handicapped parking on street
$278
7-35.2
Handicapped parking in municipal lots and board of education properties
$278
7-35.3
Handicapped parking on private property open to public (retail)
$278
7-35.4
Handicapped parking on all other private property
$278
7-37.1
Illegal parking at Sparta High School
$28
9-8
Illegal parking at Township Parks
$28
16-2
Parking, stopping standing or obstructing fire lanes
$28
NON-TRAFFIC SECTION
DESIGNATED OFFENSE
Ordinance Number
Short Description
Amount
5-2.3
Unlicensed dog
$40 — 1st offense
$105 — 2nd offense
$155 — 3rd offense
5-2.4
Removal of tag (dog)
$15 — 1st offense
$30 — 2nd offense
$40 — 3rd offense
5-4.1
Disturbing the peace - barking, crying (dog)
$55 — 1st offense
$105 — 2nd offense
$255 — 3rd offense
5-4.2
Running at large (dog)
$55 — 1st offense
$105 — 2nd offense
$255 — 3rd offense
5-4.3
Dog control/leash
$30 — 1st offense
$55 — 2nd offense
$105 — 3rd offense
5-5.2
Defecation on private property
$55 — 1st offense
$105 — 2nd offense
$255 — 3rd offense
5-5.3
Defecation on public property
$55 — 1st offense
$105 — 2nd offense
$255 — 3rd offense
5-5.4
Defecation on owner's property
$52 — 1st offense
$102 — 2nd offense
$252 — 3rd offense
5-12.1
Unlicensed cat
$37 — 1st offense
$52 — 2nd offense
$102 — 3rd offense
5-12.1
Failure to vaccinate cat
$37 — 1st offense
$52 — 2nd offense
$102 — 3rd offense
5-12.2
Failure to display tag (cat)
$12 — 1st offense
$27 — 2nd offense
$37 — 3rd offense
[New]
It shall be the duty of the Municipal Clerk, or someone authorized and directed by the Clerk, to keep up-to-date the certified copy of the book containing the Code required to be filed in the office of the Clerk for the use of the public. All changes in the Code and all ordinances adopted subsequent to the effective date of this codification, which shall be adopted specifically as part of the Code, when finally adopted, be included therein by reference until such changes or new ordinances are printed as supplements to the Code book, at which time such supplements shall be inserted therein.
[New]
Copies of the Code book containing the Code may be purchased from the Municipal Clerk upon the payment of a fee to be set by resolution of the Township Council, which may also arrange, by resolution, for procedures for the periodic supplementation thereof.
[New]
It shall be unlawful to improperly change or amend, by additions or deletions, any part or portion of the Code, or to alter or tamper with this Code in any manner whatsoever which will cause the law of the Township of Sparta to be misrepresented thereby. Anyone violating this section of this ordinance shall be subject, upon conviction, to the penalty stated in Section 1-5, Penalty, of this chapter.
[1978 Code § 1-5]
The Seal heretofore provided and used by and for the Township as its official seal is hereby continued as the official seal of the Township.