[Adopted 2-21-1995 by Ord. No. 94-22]
The Director of the Division of Housing and
Code Enforcement is designated as of the officer to exercise the powers
prescribed by this article.
The Code adopted by the City of Bridgeton for the control
and regulation of dwellings, premises, buildings or structures within
the City of Bridgeton.
The Director of the Division of Housing and Code Enforcement
of the City of Bridgeton.
Any room or rooms, or suite or apartment thereof, whether
furnished or unfurnished, which is occupied, or intended, arranged
or designed to be occupied for sleeping or dwelling purposes by one
or more persons, provided that this definition shall not be construed
to include:
Any rooming house or boarding house as defined
by the Rooming and Boarding House Act of 1979, N.J.S.A. 55:13B-1 et
seq.
Any hotel, motor hotel, motel, or established
guest house which is commonly regarded as a motor hotel, motel; however
this section is limited to hotels, motor hotels, and motels or established
guest houses which contain at least 10 or more units of dwelling space
or which have sleeping facilities for at least 25 or more persons
and are kept, used, maintained, advertised as, or held out to be,
a place where sleeping or dwelling accommodations are available to
transient or permanent guests.
The Director or his representative is hereby
authorized and directed to make inspections to determine the condition
of dwellings, in order that he may perform his duty of safeguarding
the health and safety of the occupants of the dwellings and of the
general public. For the purpose of making such inspections, the Director
or his representative is hereby authorized to enter, examine and survey
at all reasonable times all dwellings, dwelling units, rooming units
and premises. The owner or occupant of every dwelling, dwelling unit
and rooming unit, or the person in charge thereof, shall give the
Director or his representative free access to such dwellings, dwelling
units, or rooming units and its premises at all reasonable times for
the purpose of such inspections, examinations and surveys. Every occupant
of a dwelling or dwelling unit shall give the owner or his agent or
employee thereof, access to any part of such dwelling or dwelling
unit; or its premises, at all reasonable times for the purpose of
making such repairs or alterations as are necessary to effect compliance
with the provisions of this article or with any lawful rule or regulation
adopted or any lawful order issued pursuant to the provisions of this
article.
Whenever the Director or his representative
determines that there are reasonable grounds to believe that there
has been a violation of any provision of this article, or of any rule
or regulation adopted pursuant thereto, he shall give notice of such
alleged violation to the record title owner and to all persons responsible
therefor as provided in the Code.
Whenever the Director finds that an emergency
exists which requires immediate action to protect the public health
or safety, he may, without notice or hearing, issue an order reciting
the existence of such emergency and requiring that such action be
taken as he deems necessary to meet the emergency. Notwithstanding
any other provision of this article, such order shall be effective
immediately. Any persons to whom such order is directed shall comply
therewith immediately, but upon written request to the Director shall
be afforded a hearing as set out in the appeal procedures in the code.
The Director is hereby authorized and empowered
to make and adopt such written rules and regulations as he may deem
necessary for the proper enforcement of the provisions of this article;
provided, however, that such rules and regulations shall not be in
conflict with the provisions of this article, nor in any way alter,
amend or supersede any of the provisions thereof. The Director shall
file a certified copy of all rules and regulations which he may adopt
in his office and in the office of the Clerk of the City of Bridgeton.
No person shall occupy as owner occupant or
rent to another for occupancy any dwelling or dwelling unit for the
purpose of living therein which does not conform to the provisions
of the code established as the standard[1] to be used in determining whether a dwelling is safe,
sanitary and fit for human habitation, and to determine whether premises
are being maintained in such condition as to not constitute blighting
effect upon neighboring properties nor an element leading to a progressive
deterioration and downgrading of neighboring properties with an accompanying
diminution of property values.
A.
No person shall rent, lease or let to any occupant
or occupants, whether or not for consideration, a dwelling unit unless
a housing permit has been obtained from the Director. The housing
permit shall be valid for a period of one year and shall be on a form
prepared by the Director. The housing permit shall be posted on the
interior door of the entrance to the dwelling unit. The record title
owner shall be responsible to renew the housing permit annually.
B.
Application. The housing permit shall not be issued
by the Director unless the following conditions are satisfied:
(1)
An application fee in the amount of as set forth in Chapter 149, Fees, Article II, Schedule of Fees, per year is paid to the City of Bridgeton. Said fee shall be paid no later than March 1 of each year. If not paid by March 1, the application fee as set forth in Chapter 149, Fees, Article II, Schedule of Fees, shall be in addition to any sanctions imposed by § 277-39.
[Amended 8-16-1999 by Ord. No. 99-5; 8-2-2011 by Ord. No. 11-03]
(2)
Rental registration statement.
[Amended 1-5-2010 by Ord. No. 09-07]
(a)
The owner of the building in which a unit of dwelling space is situated
has, upon a form provided by the Director, registered said premises,
designating thereon the name, address and telephone number of the
owner and the name, address and telephone number of an agent, who
is located or residing within the County of Cumberland and who is
charged by the owner with the responsibility for the property in an
emergency involving the property or when the owner is not available,
the names and address of the lessors of the property and the names
and ages of all lessees and/or occupants. Such form shall require
the signature of the owner.
(b)
No owner of a building in which a unit of dwelling space is rented,
leased or let shall rent, lease or let such space without obtaining
the names and ages of all lessees and occupants of said unit of dwelling
space. At a change of ownership or a change of tenancy during the
registration year, the owner of a building in which a unit of dwelling
space is situated shall provide an updated rental registration statement
to the City of Bridgeton, providing for the names and ages of all
lessees and/or occupants. A change of tenancy shall also mean the
addition or deletion of any person not included in the annual registration
statement. Such updated registration statement shall require the signature
of the owner.
(c)
The Director may provide a copy of the rental registration statement
to the Police Chief, the construction officer, the Fire Chief and
the Board of Education of the City of Bridgeton. When providing a
copy of the rental registration statement to any other person or entity,
the rental registration statement shall be redacted to remove the
names and ages of any children.
Should any investigation or inspection pursuant to § 277-30 reveal that the dwelling unit does not conform in all respects with the provisions of this article and to the provisions of the code, the Director may proceed in accordance with the code and establish reasonable time for correction of violations, and an opportunity of affected persons to be heard. In the event a reinspection reveals that the alleged violations have not been corrected and the unit of dwelling space continues to not conform in all respects to the provisions of this article and the provisions of the code, the Director, in addition to all other remedies provided by this article, may revoke the permit issued pursuant to § 277-35.
[Amended 4-5-2004 by Ord. No. 03-22]
This section shall be in addition to the requirement of obtaining a housing permit as provided in § 277-35 of this article.
A.
No person shall rent, lease or let to any occupant
or occupants, whether or not for consideration, any dwelling, dwelling
unit, rooming house or rooming unit unless a certificate of occupancy
shall first have been obtained from the Director. Said certificate
shall certify that the building or unit is fit for human habitation
and complies with the requirements of all ordinances of the City of
Bridgeton which relate to housing. No tenant or occupant shall sublease,
sublet or permit use of dwelling or lodging units without following
the above procedure.
B.
Every rental unit shall be required to receive an
inspection upon any change in occupancy. A change of occupancy inspection
shall be good for 30 days from the date of the inspection. In the
event of a subsequent change in occupancy occurring within 30 days
of that initial inspection, provided that notice of such change has
been given to the Department of Housing within the aforementioned
thirty-day period, a certificate of occupancy listing the new occupant
shall be issued without the need for an additional inspection.
[Amended 8-15-2023 by Ord. No. 23-18]
No tenant or occupant of any dwelling, dwelling
units, hotel, rooming house or rooming unit shall sublease, sublet
or permit use of the dwelling or lodging unit without complying with
the provisions of this article.
A.
Any person, firm or corporation violating the provisions of § 277-35 this article shall upon conviction thereof, be subject, for the first offense, to a fine of not more than $500. For a second offense, a person shall be subject to a fine of not more than $1,000. For a third or subsequent offense, a person shall be punished as provided in Chapter 1, Article III, General Penalty.
B.
Any person, firm or corporation violating any other provisions of this article shall upon conviction thereof be punished as provided in Chapter 1, Article III, General Penalty. Each day such violation is committed or permitted to continue, may constitute a separate offense and shall be punishable as such hereunder.
The City, by resolution of the City Council
of the City of Bridgeton, may abate a nuisance, correct a defect,
or put the premises in proper condition so as to comply with the code,
or any other municipal ordinance or state law, at the cost of the
owner or lessor, and expend municipal funds for such proposes and
charge the same against the premises, and the amount thereof as determined
by the City Council shall be a lien against the premises and may be
collected as any other municipal lien or by an action at law.
