The provisions of this article shall govern the minimum conditions for the maintenance of exterior property, premises and structures; premises shall comply with the conditions herein prescribed insofar as they are applicable.
The owner of the premises shall maintain such structures and premises in compliance with the following requirements. A person shall not occupy as owner-occupant or let to another for occupancy or use the premises which do not comply with the following requirements of this section.
All vacant structures and premises thereof or vacant land shall be maintained in a clean, safe, secure and sanitary condition as provided herein so as not to cause a blighting problem 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 rubbish or garbage.
The operator of every establishment producing garbage, vegetable wastes or other prescribed materials shall provide, and at all times cause to be used, leak proof approved containers provided with close fitting covers for the storage of such materials until removed from the premises for disposal.
All premises shall be graded and maintained so as to prevent the accumulation of stagnant water thereon or within any structure located thereon. It shall be unlawful to discharge any liquid from a pump onto adjacent properties.
All loading areas, automobile service stations, drive-in establishments, etc. except those located within a flood plain shall be paved with bituminous concrete or equivalent surfacing and shall be free from dirt and other litter and kept in good repair. When lighted for nighttime use, lights shall not be permitted to cast directly upon dwellings nearby.
An owner of a structure or property shall be responsible for the extermination of insects, rodents, vermin or other pests in all exterior areas of the premises, except that the occupant shall be responsible for such extermination in the exterior areas of the premises of a single family dwelling. Whenever infestation exists in the shared or public parts of the premises of other than a single family dwelling, extermination shall be the responsibility of the owner.
All sidewalks, steps, driveways, parking spaces and similar paved areas for public use shall be kept in a proper state of repair and free of all snow, ice, mud and other debris. If any sidewalk or driveway or portion thereof by virtue of its state of repair shall constitute a danger to public health and safety, the sidewalk or driveway or portion thereof shall be replaced.
All areas shall be kept free from weeds or plant growth which are noxious, overgrown or detrimental to the public health and welfare.
All open salvage yards and open storage areas shall be completely obscured from surrounding property by a solid screen not less than six feet in height.
A person shall not construct, maintain or operate pipes, ducts, conductors, fans or blowers discharging gases, steam, vapor, hot air, grease, smoke, odors or other gaseous or particulate wastes so as to discharge directly upon abutting or adjacent public or private property or that of another tenant.
All necessary structures, including detached garages, fences and walls shall be maintained structurally sound and in compliance with Sections 16-19 and 16-20 of this code.
It shall be unlawful for any person to keep or permit the keeping on the streets, vacant lots, driveways and residential lawns, except in a fully enclosed structure, any motor vehicle, trailer or semi-trailer which is (a) missing tires, wheels, engine or any essential parts; or (b) which does not display a current, valid New Jersey state license; or (c) which is wrecked, disassembled or partially disassembled. Furthermore, no person shall park, stop or stand any motor vehicle, or permit or suffer the same to be done, in any front yard areas of premises occupied by a dwelling or hotel, except on driveways and parking areas constructed and installed in compliance with applicable Borough ordinances and not less than three feet from the interior front sidewalk line adjacent to said premises.
The exterior of a structure shall be maintained structurally sound and sanitary so as not to pose a threat to the health and safety of the occupants and so as to protect the occupants from the environment.
All supporting structural members of all structures shall be kept structurally sound, free of deterioration and maintained capable of safely bearing the dead and live loads imposed upon them.
Every foundation, exterior wall, roof and all other exterior surfaces shall be maintained in a workmanlike state of maintenance and repair and shall be kept in such condition as to exclude rodents.
All foundation walls shall be maintained so as to carry the safe design and operating dead and live loads and shall be maintained plumb and free from open cracks and breaks so as not to be detrimental to public safety and welfare.
Every exterior wall shall be free of holes, graffiti, breaks, loose or rotting boards or timbers, and any other conditions which might admit rain or dampness to the interior portions of the walls or to the occupied spaces of the building. All exterior surface material, including wood, composition or metal siding, shall be maintained weatherproof and shall be properly surface coated as required to prevent deterioration.
The roof shall be structurally sound, tight and not have defects which might admit rain, and roof drainage shall be adequate to prevent the rain water from causing dampness in the walls or interior portion of the building.
All cornices, shutters, entablatures, belt courses, corbels, terra cotta trim, wall facings and similar decorative features shall be maintained in good repair with proper anchorage and in a safe condition.
All canopies, marquees, signs, metal awnings, stairways, fire escapes, standpipes, exhaust ducts and similar overhang extensions shall be maintained in good repair and be properly anchored so as to be kept in a safe and sound condition. They shall be protected from the elements and against decay and rust by the periodic application of a weather-coating material such as paint or other protective treatment.
All chimneys, cooling towers, smoke stacks and similar appurtenances shall be maintained structurally safe, sound and in good repair. All exposed surfaces of metal or wood shall be protected from the elements and against decay or rust by periodic application of weather-coating material such as paint or similar surface treatment.
Every stair, porch, balcony and all appurtenances thereto shall be so constructed as to be safe to use and capable of supporting the loads to which it is subjected and shall be kept in sound condition and good repair.
Every window, door and frame shall be constructed and maintained in such relation to the adjacent wall construction so as to exclude rain as completely as possible, and to substantially exclude wind from entering the dwelling or structure.
Every window and exterior door shall be fitted reasonably in its frame and be weather tight and weather stripping shall be used to exclude wind or rain from entering the dwelling or structure and they shall be kept in sound condition and good repair.
Every required window sash shall be fully supplied with approved glazing material which are without open cracks or holes.
Every window, other than fixed window, shall be capable of being easily opened and shall be held in position by window hardware.
Every door and window or other outside opening used for ventilation purposes shall be supplied with approved screening and every swinging screen door shall have a self-closing device in good working condition, except that such screens shall not be required for areas on a floor above the fifth floor and screen doors shall not be required on nonresidential structures or structures where the doors are required to swing out.
Every exterior door, door hinge and door latch shall be maintained in good condition. Door locks in dwelling units shall be in good repair and capable of tightly securing the door.
Every basement or cellar hatchway shall be so constructed and maintained as to prevent the entrance of rodents, rain and surface drainage water into the structure.
Every basement or cellar window which is openable shall be supplied with rodent proof shields, storm windows or other material affording protection against the entry of rodents.
The interior of a structure and its equipment shall be maintained structurally sound and in sanitary condition so as not to pose a threat to the health and safety of the occupants and to protect the occupants from the environment.
The supporting structural members of every building shall be maintained structurally sound, not showing any evidence of deterioration which would render them incapable of carrying the imposed loads. In every existing building used for business, industrial, mercantile or storage occupancy in which heavy loads or concentrations occur or in which machinery is introduced, the owner or occupant shall cause the weight that each floor shall safely sustain to be calculated by a registered architect or engineer and filed with the Code Official, and after such acceptance by the Code Official, posted on each floor in a conspicuous place.
Floors, walls, including windows, doors, ceilings and other interior surfaces shall be maintained in good, clean and sanitary condition. Peeling paint, cracked or loose plaster, decayed wood and other defective surface conditions shall be eliminated.
Lead based paint with a lead content of more than five-tenths of one percent: (0.5%) shall not be applied to any interior or exterior surface of a dwelling, dwelling unit or child care facility, including fences and outbuildings at these locations. Existing interior and exterior painted surfaces of dwelling units and child care facilities that contain an excess of five-tenths of one percent (0.5%) lead shall be removed and remedied in accordance with N.J.S.A. 23:14(A)-1 et seq.
Every toilet, bathroom and kitchen floor surface shall be constructed and maintained so as to be substantially impervious to water so as to permit such floor to be easily kept in a clean and sanitary condition.
In every building, cellars, basements and crawl spaces shall be maintained reasonably free from dampness to prevent conditions conducive to decay or deterioration of the structure.
The interior of every structure shall be maintained in a clean and sanitary condition free from any accumulation of rubbish, refuse or garbage. Rubbish, garbage and other refuse shall be properly kept inside temporary storage facilities as required under Section 16-66.
Garbage or refuse shall not be allowed to accumulate or be stored in public halls or stairways.
All structures shall be kept free from insect and rodent infestation and where insects or rodents are found, they shall be promptly exterminated by acceptable processes which will not be injurious to human health. After extermination, proper precautions shall be taken to prevent reinfestation.
Every door available as an exit shall be capable of being opened easily from the inside and without the use of a key.
Stairs and other exit facilities shall be adequate for safety as provided in the building code.
All interior stairs and railings and other exit facilities of every structure shall be maintained in sound condition and good repair by replacing treads and risers that evidence excessive wear or are broken, warped or loose. Every inside stair shall be so constructed and maintained as to be safe to use and capable of supporting the anticipated loads.
Every flight of stairs which is more than three risers high shall have handrails.