[Amended 5-25-1982 by Ord. No. 1846]
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the following meanings ascribed to them by this section:
APPLICANT
Any person who makes application for a permit.
CROSS TRENCH
Any opening at 90° to the center line of the street.
DIRECTOR
The Director of Public Works of the Village or his duly authorized representative.
EMERGENCY
Any unforeseen circumstance or occurrence, the existence of which constitutes a clear and immediate danger to person or property.
MAJOR PERMIT
An opening exceeding 15 square yards.
MATERIALS
Includes pipes, fittings and appurtenances as well as the excavation or backfill.
MINOR PERMIT
An opening of 15 square yards or less.
NONPROFIT/TAX EXEMPT
Any qualified nonprofit, religious, or tax-exempt organization domiciled within the Village of Ridgewood and having a Village of Ridgewood mailing address.
[Added 8-11-2010 by Ord. No. 3260]
PERMITTEE
Any person who has been issued a permit and has agreed to fulfill all the terms of this article.
PERSON
Any individual, firm, corporation or entity.
ROADWAY
The cartway or paved area only.
STREET
The improved portion of the right-of-way of any public street, public highway, public way, public road or public easement within the Village, including that portion of the right-of-way improved with curbs and sidewalks.
UTILITY
Any utility, public, private or government.
VILLAGE
The Village of Ridgewood.
A. 
No person, firm or corporation shall open or cause to be opened, by cutting or excavating, the surface or soil of any street, roadway or other public property for any purpose whatsoever without first obtaining therefor from the Director a written permit; provided, however, that any person maintaining pipes, lines or other underground facilities in or under the surface of any street may proceed with an opening without a permit when emergency circumstances demand the work to be done immediately, provided that the permit could not reasonably and practically have been obtained beforehand. The person shall thereafter apply for a permit on the first regular business day on which the Village is open for business.
B. 
It is not intended to require a permit for the opening or excavating within any county or state road for which a permit has been acquired from the proper authority.
C. 
A permit shall be valid for an effective period not to exceed 30 consecutive calendar days. Such effective period may be extended if so requested by the permittee prior to the expiration thereof for an additional period not to exceed 30 days. An additional extension for a final period not to exceed 30 days may be requested and granted. A permit may not be extended for a period in excess of 90 days from the date the original permit was issued.
D. 
No work shall proceed between November 15 and March 15 unless emergency circumstances exist or approval is specifically granted by the Director and/or his/her designated representative to expedite the removal of any pole no longer in use as well as any other debris generated or created by the work of the permit, within the public right-of-way.
[Amended 3-14-2012 by Ord. No. 3329]
E. 
No work provided to be done under a permit shall be performed on Saturdays, Sundays or holidays except with prior approval of the Director or in the event of an emergency. Any work regulated hereunder shall be performed between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. unless an emergency exists.
F. 
No person, firm, or corporation shall, during the course of their work within the Village's public rights-of-way requiring a permit under this chapter, occupy metered parking spaces without the proper compensation due the Village in accordance with the fees set forth in Chapter 145, Fees.
[Added 6-9-2010 by Ord. No. 3254]
G. 
Any nonprofit/tax exempt organization seeking to occupy a portion of the Village's parking metered public right-of way shall, prior to their occupation, request and receive permission in the form of a permit from the Office of the Village Manager. The request shall state the dates of any occupation of the Village's parking metered public right-of-way, the anticipated duration, and the number of parking meters to be occupied. There shall be no permit fee for any qualified nonprofit/tax exempt organizations. The maximum duration of occupancy to be permitted, with no fee, shall be two hours per day.
[Added 8-11-2010 by Ord. No. 3260]
H. 
The Village Manager shall have the discretion to waive the bagged meter fee for the Village's parking metered right-of-way for any organization that, prior to its occupation of said spaces, applies for and receives a permit from the Office of the Village Manager. The said permit shall be limited to no more than 15 metered parking spaces at a time per event. The waiver of the bagged meter fee shall be noted on the permit issued.
[Added 3-12-2014 by Ord. No. 3407]
I. 
For special events. When a special event, free to the public, desires to utilize metered parking spaces adjacent to a Village Park or public space (i.e., Van Neste Square, the train station, etc.) on a Sunday, the Village Manager shall have the option, upon request, to issue a permit waiving the fee for bagging the parking meters desired by the event.
[Added 3-12-2014 by Ord. No. 3407]
The permittee shall not begin or carry on any part of the work provided to be done, except in the event of an emergency, without first notifying the Director not less than 24 hours in advance and obtaining his approval therefor.
A. 
In all cases, full consideration is required to be given to the adoption and implementation of measures reflecting sound engineering principles and economic factors necessary to preserve and protect the integrity and visual quality of the roadway, its maintenance and efficiency and vehicular and pedestrian traffic safety.
B. 
Utility lines are to be located to permit servicing such lines with minimum interference with vehicular or pedestrian traffic. Efforts must be made to minimize the construction of chambers or vaults in the roadway area and to avoid their location at street intersections.
C. 
Ground-mounted utility facilities shall be of a design compatible with the visual quality of the roadway section being traversed.
D. 
Opening of new or resurfaced roadways or municipal parking lots.
[Amended 6-10-2009 by Ord. No. 3194; 8-13-2014 by Ord. No. 3424; 9-14-2016 by Ord. No. 3545; 2-8-2023 by Ord. No. 3939]
(1) 
New roadways or municipal parking lots and roadways resurfaced with a bituminous concrete surface course in the Village of Ridgewood shall not be opened (excavated in) for a period of five calendar years from the date of the pavement surface completion unless an emergency exists. When an emergency exists necessitating an opening, the contractor or utility firm performing the opening shall compensate the Village of Ridgewood an additional $2,500 per individual opening or $2,500 for every 50 linear feet of pipe trench, whichever is greater, in addition to any requirements stated in the Village's street opening permit process.
(2) 
All municipal roadways and parking lots that have been resurfaced with a bituminous concrete surface course upon which imprinted preformed thermoplastic crosswalk material has been installed, shall not be opened for a period of five calendar years from the date of the imprinted preformed thermoplastic crosswalk material's installation unless an emergency exists. When an emergency exists necessitating an opening or crossing of the thermoplastic material, the contractor or utility firm performing the opening or crossing shall compensate the Village of Ridgewood an additional $200 per measured square foot of thermoplastic crosswalk material damaged or removed, in addition to any requirements stated in the Village's street opening permit process.
E. 
If any subsequent Village facility necessitates the moving or adjusting of utility facilities located by permit, then such utilities shall bear all costs and expenses of the required move or adjustment unless the cost and expense of said move or adjustment is otherwise provided for by law.
F. 
Utility line designs and construction are subject to minimum safety standards and construction requirements prescribed by the respective national or industry standard codes.
G. 
All excavations made in the roadways of the Village of Ridgewood shall be properly backfilled. Backfill materials shall be compacted by mechanical means to 95% of Modified Proctor Test, as described in ASTM D1557. When requested by the Village Engineer, the holder of a street opening permit shall provide to the Village of Ridgewood satisfactory documentation that backfill soils have been properly compacted.
[Added 8-13-2014 by Ord. No. 3424]
H. 
The Village Manager shall have the discretion to waive the fee in Subsection D for Village residents demonstrating a verifiable emergency situation necessitating the road opening.
[Added 8-13-2014 by Ord. No. 3424]
Any person desiring a permit for street opening shall make application therefor to the Director for each such opening upon forms provided for that purpose. Application for a street opening permit for work to be performed for a utility shall be made by the utility, and such permit shall be issued to the utility and not to the contractor. A separate application shall be made and a separate permit issued for each street to be opened by the permittee.
A. 
Except to the extent waived by the Director and/or his/her designated representative in case of an emergency, the application shall show or include the following information for a minor street opening:
[Amended 10-13-1992 by Ord. No. 2375; 6-9-2010 by Ord. No. 3254; 3-14-2012 by Ord. No. 3329]
(1) 
The name, address, office telephone number, email contact address, and cellular telephone of the applicant or his/her designated contact person.
(2) 
The name, address and telephone number of the owner of the property in front of which or for whom the work is to be performed.
(3) 
The location of the property.
(4) 
The extent and nature of the work to be done.
(5) 
The date or dates when the work is to be done.
(6) 
Evidence that all materials, labor and/or equipment which are needed to complete such undertaking as authorized by the permit are available.
(7) 
A signed statement by the applicant that he agrees to perform the work for which the permit is granted strictly in accordance with the conditions of the permit and this article.
(8) 
A list of all federal, state or local government agencies having jurisdiction thereover and, if such agencies require approval, a statement whether such approval has been obtained and attachment of a copy of such approval.
(9) 
A signed statement by the applicant that the Village is to be saved harmless by the applicant from any loss, injury or damage arising out of the granting of the permit or from any negligence or fault of such applicant, his servants or agents in connection with any of the work done under or in connection with such permit.
(10) 
Certificates of insurance.
(a) 
A certificate of insurance stating that 10 days' written notice shall be given to the Village before a policy covered thereby shall be changed or cancelled, indicating that the applicant is insured against all hazards and risks of loss which may arise from or out of the performance of the work, whether such performance be by himself, his subcontractor or anyone directly or indirectly employed by him, and shall include protection against liability arising from completed operations. This insurance shall be written in comprehensive form, and the liability limits shall not be less than the following:
[1] 
Bodily injury: $100,000 each person; $300,000 each occurrence.
[2] 
Property damage: $50,000 each occurrence.
(b) 
With the approval of the Director, public utilities subject to regulation by the Board of Public Utilities may furnish a self-insurance certificate in lieu of a liability insurance certificate.
(11) 
A nonrefundable application fee as set forth in Chapter 145, Fees.
(12) 
The number of parking meters the proposed work will obstruct. The number of days the parking meters will be obstructed. Obstruction counts anytime the parking space is not available to the public due to the work of the permit.
B. 
The application for a major street opening permit shall require the items in Subsections A(1) through (10), both inclusive, and, in addition thereto, three sets of plans and specifications, a traffic control plan in accordance with the manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and/or a detour plan as required by the Director, together with a nonrefundable application fee as set forth in Chapter 145, Fees.
[Amended 10-13-1992 by Ord. No. 2375]
A. 
The Director will have a minimum of three working days to review the application prior to issuing a street opening permit.
B. 
When the Director approves an application, he shall at that time advise the applicant of the amount of deposit necessary to cover the work proposed in said application.
C. 
The Director will also state the probable inspection costs that may be incurred and advise the applicant of such costs.
D. 
Once the applicant meets all the requirements of this article, the Director will grant the permit.
Every person obtaining a permit shall:
A. 
Pay a permit fee for the issuance of an excavation permit which shall be in addition to all other fees for permits or charges relative to any proposed construction work in an amount as set forth in Chapter 145, Fees.
[Amended 10-13-1992 by Ord. No. 2375]
B. 
Pay an inspection fee as set forth in Chapter 145, Fees.
[Amended 10-13-1992 by Ord. No. 2375]
C. 
Make a deposit as required by § 249-49 of this article.
In granting any permit under this article and to prevent danger to public or private property or to prevent the operation from being conducted in a manner hazardous to life or property or in a manner likely to create a nuisance, the following conditions will apply:
A. 
Only rubber-tired equipment shall be used.
B. 
Routes upon which materials may be transported are to be approved by the Village before the permit is issued.
C. 
Disposal of excavated materials within the Village of Ridgewood is subject to Chapter 246, Soil Removal, of the Village Code.
D. 
Dust resulting from construction procedures is to be kept to a minimum.
E. 
Excessive noise shall be prohibited.
F. 
Roadways and sidewalks are to be kept clear for pedestrian and vehicular traffic. All operations shall be planned with full regard to safety and to keep traffic interference to an absolute minimum. No trench shall remain open beyond the hours of work. Gas companies, however, shall be permitted to leave open small openings for the purpose of adequately venting natural gas, provided that said small openings are adequately protected with traffic control devices and that proper notice is given to the Village. Said openings shall be maintained for no longer than 48 hours. The Director may permit other small openings in circumstances where work cannot be completed during normal working hours, provided that said openings are properly plated so as not to interfere with the flow of traffic or to endanger the public.
G. 
Construction equipment and materials shall not be left on the street overnight unless special permission is given, in writing.
H. 
Traffic shall be controlled in accordance with the appropriate sections of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, which includes information regarding the furnishing and erecting of traffic control devices necessary to move pedestrians and vehicular traffic safely through or around the work area.
I. 
All parking meters obstructed by the work of the permit shall be bagged with bags provided by the Village of Ridgewood Traffic and Signal Division only.
[Added 6-9-2010 by Ord. No. 3254]
J. 
All parking meters to be obstructed by a permit issued to a nonprofit/tax exempt organization shall be covered only by bags approved by the Village of Ridgewood Traffic and Signal Division.
[Added 8-11-2010 by Ord. No. 3260]
K. 
All parking meters permitted to be obstructed by a permit issued by the Village Manager shall be bagged with bags provided by the Village of Ridgewood Traffic and Signal Division only.
[Added 3-12-2014 by Ord. No. 3407]
[Amended 4-8-2015 by Ord. No. 3469]
The amount of deposit for street openings shall be a minimum of $1,000 or shall be computed in accordance with the unit prices the Village received for its most recent street resurfacing/restoration/reconstruction bid, as determined by the Director of Public Works, whichever is greater.
The deposit may be in the form of cash, a certified, treasurer's or cashier's check or surety bond made payable to the Village and meeting the approval of the Director. The surety bond must be written by a reputable surety company licensed to do business in the State of New Jersey, and the bond shall be conditioned upon the payment of all charges required by this article. Such bond must be approved by the Village Attorney as to form. The Village shall have the right to require the submission of the deposit in any of the above specified forms.
A. 
The amount of deposit shall be retained by the Village for the duration of the period of maintenance as defined hereunder.
B. 
Upon failure or default by the permittee of any of the terms, agreements, covenants and conditions of the permit on the permittee's part to be done or performed, said deposit may be used by the Village for any expense incurred by the Village by reason of such failure or default on the part of the permittee.
C. 
Any balance left after the expense of such failure or default, as determined and certified by the Director, has been paid and deducted from the amount of the deposit shall be refunded to the permittee.
If the deposit made is less than sufficient to pay all fees and costs, the permittee shall, upon demand, pay to the Village an amount equal to the deficiency. If the permittee fails or refuses to pay such deficiency upon demand, the Village may recover the same by action in any court of competent jurisdiction. Until such deficiency is paid in full, additional permits shall not be issued to such permittee.
Whenever any public utility or municipal authority maintaining underground facilities shall contemplate more than one street opening or excavation per calendar year, it may post a surety bond for the calendar year or part thereof to cover the estimated fees and cost of any and all work. Said bond must be written by a reputable surety company licensed to do business in the State of New Jersey or other approved surety, and the bond shall be conditioned upon the payment of all charges estimated to be required by this article during the term of the bond. Such bond must be approved by the Village Attorney as to form.
A. 
The period of maintenance shall be construed as a period of one year after the date of final completion, as determined by the Director, of the work to be done pursuant to the terms of the permit; except, however, that in the event that the termination of said one-year period shall fall between November 1 and April 1, inclusive, then and in that event, the period of maintenance shall be construed as extending until the 15th day of May next thereafter.
[Amended 4-8-2015 by Ord. No. 3469]
B. 
The permittee shall be responsible for the entire work and shall keep every portion of said work in perfect order and repair during the entire period of maintenance, and should said permittee fail to make needed repairs to the work or to adequately maintain surfaces disturbed by said permittee, the Director reserves the right, and without prior notice to the permittee, to cause such repairs to be made or such surfaces to be maintained by the Village's own forces or by contract or otherwise, in which case all expenses incurred by the Village shall be deducted from the deposit as herein otherwise provided for.
If the work to be undertaken by the permittee is such that it will affect the use of properties abutting or adjoining the project, the permittee shall, in writing, notify by hand delivery or mail the affected property owners or tenants of the proposed work to be done. The permittee shall submit a list of names and addresses of the owners and/or tenants of such properties to the Director along with a copy of the notification.
The permittee shall notify the Village Police and Fire Directors of any street opening or excavation which affects the flow of traffic in the streets within the Village. Such notification shall state the nature of the work to be done and the location of such project. He shall also notify the Police and Fire Directors when any openings or excavations have been closed, permitting traffic to flow thereon.
Any person receiving a permit as provided in this article shall cause the same to be kept in the possession of the person in charge of the work, who shall exhibit the same to any official or police officer in the Village on demand.
Except in the case of emergency, no work shall be performed by the permittee unless the Director shall be present or permission has been given by the Director to proceed in his absence. Such permission should not be unreasonably denied.
A. 
The Director or his authorized agents shall make daily inspections of all work authorized by permits issued pursuant to this article from the time the street is opened until the temporary pavement is installed. Timely inspections shall be made during the time the temporary pavement is in place and during the maintenance period.
B. 
The Village is empowered to employ an inspector if the Village is of the opinion that the work to be performed pursuant to a permit authorized by this article is such that an inspector is necessary to ensure compliance with the various provisions of this article.
[Amended 3-10-2021 by Ord. No. 3847]
Street opening permits shall be required for any and all contracts proposed by the Village. All guaranties required for the permit shall be provided for within the plans and/or specifications for the work. No permit fee shall be charged for work performed for or by the Village of Ridgewood. However, all information required for a street opening permit shall be submitted to the Engineering Division of the Department of Public Works.
A. 
No person to whom a permit has been granted under the provisions of this article shall perform any of the work authorized by such permit in any amount or quantity greater than that specified in the permit, except that upon the approval by the Director and payment of the additional fee, additional work may be done under the provisions of the permit in an amount not greater than 10% of the amount specified in the permit.
B. 
Any deposit and bond posted in connection with the original permit shall be deemed to cover any such additional work as may be approved pursuant to this section within the limits mentioned herein.
A. 
Work for which a permit has been issued pursuant to this article shall commence within 30 days after the issuance of the permit therefor and shall be carried out as expeditiously as possible.
B. 
If not so commenced or proper time extension granted, the permit shall be automatically terminated and the permit fee, inspection fee and any cash deposit shall be refunded to the permittee, with the exception of the application fee.
C. 
Permits thus terminated may be renewed upon the payment of an additional application fee and the required permit and inspection fees as defined within this article.
Permits issued under this article are not transferable from one person to another, and the work shall be carried out only at the location specifically designated in the permit.
It shall be the duty of the permittee to notify any company whose pipes, conduits or other structures are laid in the street in which any work is to be done by the permittee not less than 72 hours before commencing such opening or work. The permittee doing such work shall, at its own expense, carefully support, maintain in operation and protect from injury such pipes, conduits or other structures and, in case of injury, shall restore the same at its own expense or allow the company to whom the pipes, conduits or other structures belong, at its option, to make the necessary repairs, and costs thereof sustained by said company thereby shall be paid by said permittee to said company upon presentation of a bill.
A. 
Trenches shall be cut to have vertical faces, where soil and depth conditions permit, with a maximum width of two feet, plus the outside diameter of the pipe to be installed. Trenches shall be braced as necessary in accordance with all applicable federal, state, county and municipal laws and regulations.
B. 
Pipe bedding shall be installed in accordance with the manufacturer's or industry standard instructions for the pipe or conduit being used.
C. 
Prior to the excavation of the trench, the existing pavement shall be cut by pneumatic or hydraulically operated hand-held equipment or by saw cut. In no case shall large impact-type equipment be used.
D. 
The integrity of the remaining pavement structure, shoulders and slopes shall be of primary concern, and construction methods shall be utilized which will keep the damages to existing pavement and other areas to a minimum.
E. 
All blasting shall be conducted in accordance with applicable state and federal laws and regulations. Prior to proceeding with blasting, twenty-four-hour notice shall be given to the Director, owners of utilities within 50 feet and adjacent property owners.
A. 
Utility installations must meet the minimum requirements of the national or industry associations, institutes or codes which recommend methods of installation and utilization.
B. 
Wherever possible, the depth of bury for pipelines and conduits shall be of a minimum of 30 inches. Sufficient vertical and horizontal clearance between pipeline or structure of another utility facility shall be provided to permit the proper maintenance of the pipeline or structure.
No backfilling shall be done by the permittee until the work being done under the permit shall have first been inspected and the backfilling authorized by the Director. In case of nonconformity with this requirement, the Director shall have the right to require that the work be uncovered by the permittee at the latter's own expense so that proper inspection may be made.
A. 
Backfilling must be done with a pervious material placed in two stages. The first stage includes the fill to a level of one-foot above the top of the pipe, and the second stage includes the remaining portion of the trench to finished grade. Backfill for the first stage shall be carefully deposited and compacted in six-inch layers without in any way injuring or disturbing the completed pipe or structure. The remaining portion of the trench shall be backfilled and compacted in twelve-inch layers.
B. 
Backfilling must be accomplished with select material. Backfilling necessitated by an emergency opening during the period from November 15 to March 15, inclusive, shall not be made with frozen material. In the event that backfilling is made with frozen material, it shall be removed by the permittee and replaced with stone dust or backrun sand.
C. 
Compaction shall be accomplished by approved mechanical or vibratory means to match the compaction and cohesion of the undisturbed adjacent material. Consolidation by saturation or puddling shall not be permitted.
A. 
Immediately after backfilling the excavation, the permittee shall place thereon an acceptable temporary pavement as provided herein below. Such temporary pavement shall be maintained even with the roadway surface until the permanent restoration is placed.
B. 
Temporary pavement shall consist of three inches of bituminous concrete, Mix I-5 or approved equal, when the opening was made in an existing pavement, and six inches of quarry process stone in all other cases, except that where topsoil, seeded areas or sod have been disturbed by the excavation, the permittee shall restore the ground surface to its original condition.
A. 
Permanent restoration of pavement surface over the street opening shall be made within two months, weather permitting, or within the same construction season if so noted on the permit, from the date the temporary pavement was installed.
B. 
Prior to the installation of the permanent pavement, the subgrade shall be properly prepared and the existing pavement neatly cut back a minimum of six inches from the edge of the trench or pavement damage in a straight line with vertical faces free of foreign matter. A tack coat shall be applied to the vertical faces of the existing pavement prior to the placement of the patch material.
C. 
The permanent pavement shall consist of a bottom course of bituminous stabilized base, Mix I-2, placed at a compacted thickness of six inches and a surface course of bituminous concrete, Mix I-5, placed at a compacted thickness of 1 1/2 inches.
D. 
All pavement restoration, both temporary and permanent, shall be constructed in accordance with the applicable specifications of the New Jersey State Highway Department.
E. 
The top or surface course of the permanent patch shall be flush with the grade of the surrounding pavement when it is compacted. The joint between the patch and the existing pavement shall be sealed with an asphalt emulsion.
F. 
For lateral trenches over 100 feet in length, the top or surface course of pavement shall extend from the curbline or edge of pavement to a point of three feet beyond the edge of the bottom course; however, such width shall not be less than 10 feet. If cross trenches are located less than 250 fee apart, the entire roadway shall be resurfaced.
G. 
Restoration of imprinted preformed thermoplastic decorative crosswalks shall be by a contractor qualified in the execution of such work. All restoration efforts shall match the surrounding material in color and appearance. The Director of Public Works or the designee shall be the sole judge of a contractor's qualification to properly perform the work. All restoration work to thermoplastic decorative crosswalks shall adhere to the same schedule and conditions that apply for asphalt pavement restoration work.
[Added 9-14-2016 by Ord. No. 3545]
A. 
The permittee shall clean up and remove promptly from the site of the work, upon completion thereof, all surplus excavated material and debris and shall leave the site of the work in a neat and orderly condition.
B. 
Where concrete curb, asphalt berm, sidewalk or landscaped areas are disturbed in the course of the work, the permittee shall restore such surface to its original condition. A letter of release shall be furnished to the Village of Ridgewood from the affected property owner prior to the release of the deposit or bond.
Any permit issued under this article may be revoked by the Director, after notice, for:
A. 
Violation of any condition of the permit.
B. 
Violation of any provision of this article or any other applicable ordinance or law relating to the work.
C. 
The existence of any condition or the doing of any work constituting or creating a nuisance or endangering the lives or property of others.
Deviations from the provisions of this article may be issued by the Village upon review and approval of a written petition by the permittee which shall include, in detail, the reason why such a deviation is being requested.