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City of Clifton, NJ
Passaic County
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
APPROVED RATING ORGANIZATION
Any of the following: Underwriters Testing Laboratories Factory Mutual Research Corp., National Bureau of Standards or NFPA Standard No. 74, 1975.
CONSTRUCTION OFFICIAL
The chief administrator of the City of Clifton Building Department created pursuant to the State Uniform Construction Code Act, N.J.S.A. 52:27D-119 et seq., its amendments and supplements and ordinances of the City of Clifton.
DWELLING UNIT
Any room or group of rooms located within a building forming a single habitable unit with facilities which are used, designed or arranged to be used for living, sleeping, cooking and sanitary facilities. A dwelling unit shall only be permitted to have one kitchen. If the dwelling unit contains a basement, a full bathroom shall not be permitted in the basement. A partial bathroom shall be permitted (a sink and lavatory), provided the only access to same is through an existing dwelling unit. If the dwelling unit contains an attic, a bathroom, either partial or full, shall not be permitted in the attic.
[Amended 5-18-2004 by Ord. No. 6409-04]
FIRE OFFICIAL
The official in charge of the Fire Prevention Bureau as prescribed by the State Uniform Fire Code, namely N.J.S.A. 52:27D-198, 52:27D-201 and 52:27D-219.
FIRE SUBCODE OFFICIAL
The fire protection subcode official prescribed by the State Uniform Construction Code Act, namely, N.J.S.A. 52:27D-119 et seq., its amendments and supplements and ordinances of the City of Clifton.
SMOKE DETECTOR
An instrument approved by an approved rating organization for the detection of ionized gases or products of combustion produced by burning or smoldering materials.
Kerosene heaters, stoves and water heaters, oil burners and stoves and ranges and oil-burning stoves without flues or chimneys are prohibited in the City.
A. 
Legislative declaration.
(1) 
The City of Clifton Fire Department has indicated that the proliferation of solid-gate security gates throughout the City poses significant dangers and potentially hampers the ability of firefighters to combat fires within said buildings and to protect the health, safety and welfare of all citizens.
(2) 
In order to address the above problem, the City of Clifton is desirous of undertaking a program within the City of Clifton requiring all security gates and/or doors to be of see-through composition.
B. 
Regulations. Any security gates extending over or across a window or door within the City of Clifton shall be of a grate or lattice type, with a minimum of 75% of the gate area being of see-through composition. All gates and accompanying hardware shall be maintained in a state of good repair and coated to prevent rust and/or deterioration.
C. 
Penalties. The failure to maintain said gates and accompanying hardware as provided herein shall be considered a violation punishable upon conviction of same by a fine in a minimum amount of $100 and maximum amount of $1,000 or imprisonment of a period not to exceed 90 days, or both.
[Amended 2-20-2007 by Ord. No. 6646-07; 8-5-2009 by Ord. No. 6829-09]
Permit fees shall be those established in the most currently adopted Uniform Fire Code:
A. 
Type 1: $50. The fee shall be doubled for an annual Type 1 permit.
[Amended 5-15-2012 by Ord. No. 7021-12]
B. 
Type 2: $166.
C. 
Type 3: $331.
D. 
Type 4: $497.
A. 
Every dwelling unit in the City of Clifton shall comply with the requirements of the New Jersey Uniform Fire Code for the installation of smoke detectors.
B. 
Smoke detectors shall be capable of being installed and maintained by the person or persons entitled to occupy the dwelling unit. Smoke detectors shall consist of an assembly incorporating the detector, control equipment and the alarm-sounding device in one unit. They shall have a power supply consisting of a monitored battery or a cord connection to an electrical receptacle which is fitted with a plug restrainer device. The plug-in receptacle shall not be controlled by any switch other than that of the main power supply. Two or more single-station smoke detector assemblies may be interconnected so that activation of one causes all integral or separate audible alarms to operate.
C. 
Upon activation, the smoke detector shall provide an audible alarm which is to be distributed and have such character so that it can be heard in all rooms of the dwelling unit with their doors closed. The audible signals shall be distinctive from other audible signaling devices which may be used for other purposes in the dwelling unit. The smoke detector shall be designed for and capable of either self-restoration or manual restoration to normal conditions for operation. No provisions shall be made for deactivation of the audible alarm other than by reactivation of the system.
The fire official, with the advice of the construction official, shall have the power to modify in writing, any of the provisions of this chapter upon written application therefor by the owner or lessee of a dwelling unit when there are practical difficulties in carrying out the strict letter of this chapter with respect to such dwelling unit; provided, however, that the spirit of this chapter shall be observed, public safety secured and substantial justice done.
A. 
The owner of every dwelling unit in the City of Clifton shall cause the same to be brought into compliance with the terms and provisions of this chapter.
B. 
Prior to the transfer of title, rental or change of occupancy of any dwelling unit located in the City of Clifton, application shall be made to the enforcing agency of the City of Clifton for the issuance of a certificate of smoke detector compliance.
C. 
A certificate of occupancy shall not be issued by the appropriate official for any dwelling unit unless and until the applicant therefor shall have first complied with all the terms and conditions of this chapter. The fee for smoke detector inspections shall be $30 per dwelling unit per inspection.
[Amended 7-5-2000 by Ord. No. 6147-00]
The tax search official of the City of Clifton shall provide to each person requesting a tax search from his office a statement calling attention to the provisions of this chapter.
A. 
Any person, partnership, firm or corporation violating any of the provisions of this chapter shall, upon conviction, be punished by one or more of the following:
(1) 
A fine not exceeding $1,000.
(2) 
Confinement in the municipal jail or in the county jail for a period not exceeding 90 days.
(3) 
A period of community service not exceeding 90 days.
B. 
Each violation of any of the provisions of this chapter and each day the same is violated shall be deemed and taken to be a separate and distinct offense.
C. 
The minimum penalty or fine for the violation of any of the provisions of this chapter shall be $100.
D. 
In addition to the foregoing fines or penalties, any person, partnership, firm or corporation violating any of the provisions of this chapter within one year of the date of a previous violation of the provisions of this chapter shall be subject to be sentenced to an additional fine as a repeat offender. The additional fine shall not be less than the minimum nor exceed the maximum fine as set forth above and shall be calculated separately from the fine imposed for a violation of the provisions of this chapter.
E. 
In addition, any person, partnership, firm or corporation who rents, leases or causes to be rented, leased or otherwise occupied any dwelling unit in violation of any provision of this chapter or Chapter 210, Dwelling Certificate, Chapter 273, Housing Standards, and/or Chapter 461, Zoning, or any other chapters of the Code of the City of Clifton which results in the displacement of tenants shall be responsible for all relocation costs as set forth in N.J.S.A. 20:4-6.1 et seq.
The provisions of this chapter shall be administered and enforced by the Bureau of Fire Prevention or any other code enforcement agency of the City of Clifton.