[Amended 10-1-2024 by Ord. No. 2024-28]
A. 
The owners or tenants of land abutting or bordering on the public streets, avenues, rights-of-way or highways within the Borough shall remove or cause to be removed all ice and snow from the paved sidewalk in front of such land within 24 hours after such ice or snow shall have formed or fallen thereon.
B. 
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to throw or put, or cause to be thrown or put, any snow or ice from private property, sidewalks or driveways into any portion of the roadway or other public place from which snow and ice have been cleared by the Borough.
C. 
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to throw or put, or cause to be thrown or put, any snow or ice on, over, or around a fire hydrant so as to obstruct the view of the hydrant or to cause an obstruction to the connection of fire equipment to the hydrant.
A. 
If the owners or tenants of any such premises shall refuse or neglect to remove all ice and snow from the paved sidewalks in front of such land, as required by § 383-26, within 24 hours after such ice or snow shall have formed or fallen thereon, it shall be the duty of the officer having charge of the streets and highways of the Borough to cause such work to be done.
B. 
Said officer shall certify the cost of the removal of such ice and snow to the Council. After verification by the Council, the cost shall be charged against the land abutting or bordering, and the amount so charged shall become a lien upon the land of the owner or tenant charged with the duty or removal of such ice and snow. Said amount shall be added to and become a part of the taxes next to be assessed and levied upon such land, and the same shall bear interest at the same rate as taxes.
C. 
The Council shall, upon receiving and verifying the cost of removal of such ice and snow, adopt a resolution directing that the cost shall be charged against such land and shall cause a certified copy of such resolution to be delivered to the Collector of Taxes, who shall collect such taxes at the time of collection of the taxes next to be assessed and levied upon such land.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Original Sec. 22-30, entitled "Penalty," which immediately followed this section, was deleted 11-24-1992 by Ord. No. 92-23.
[Added 3-4-2025 by Ord. No. 2025-04]
A. 
Intent; rationale. It is the intent of this section to establish uniform procedures to reimburse residents for damage to mailboxes due to snow removal operations. The Borough of Paramus' primary obligation is to ensure that its roadways are as clear as possible of snow and ice. It is also understood that most mailboxes are located within the public right-of-way and, therefore, while fulfilling the primary objective, mailboxes may be unintentionally and unavoidably damaged. This policy assumes there is a shared responsibility between the Borough of Paramus and the homeowner when mailboxes located in the public right-of-way are damaged during snow removal operations.
B. 
Resident responsibility. Snow plow operators make every effort to remove snow as close to the curb line as practical and to provide access to mailboxes for the Postal Service. However, it is not possible to provide perfect conditions and minimize the damage to mailboxes with the size and type of equipment the Borough operates. Therefore, the final cleaning adjacent to mailboxes is the responsibility of each resident.
C. 
Landscaping; hardscape. Property owners should assume all risk of damage for landscaping/hardscape, including nursery and inanimate materials that are installed or encroach on the Borough right-of-way. The Borough assumes no responsibility for damage incurred to these nonpermitted elements as a result of snow plowing and ice control activities with the exception that lawns that are scraped or gouged by Borough equipment will be repaired by top dressing and seeding the following spring. In addition, inanimate materials such as boulders, timbers, etc., are a hazard and can cause damage to plow equipment.
D. 
Reimbursement policy. While there is no legal requirement, it is the policy of the Borough of Paramus to reimburse residents up to $100 for eligible mailbox damage caused by direct plow contact or thrown snow coming off the plow on the part of the Borough's Department of Public Works or Borough private contractors. Residents seeking reimbursement greater than $100 for mailbox damage caused by Borough operators may file a tort claim under Title 59 of New Jersey Statutes Annotated. Nothing in this section shall be construed to entitle any resident to reimbursement prior to an investigation and determination by the Director of Public Works or designee that the claimed damage is eligible for reimbursement pursuant to this subsection.
E. 
Eligibility; procedure; investigation. For the purpose of this section, boxes used for receipt of Unites States mail and placed outside of residences and established for such purposes shall be referred to herein as "mailboxes." All mailboxes must be installed in accordance with the United States Postal Service Mailbox Guidelines.
(1) 
Eligibility; mailbox damage claim. The reimbursement provisions shall only apply to those homeowners who satisfy the following criteria:
(a) 
The mailbox is securely fastened to a sturdy post which is sufficiently anchored in the ground to resist the impact of plowed snow.
(b) 
The damaged mailbox and/or post must meet the requirements of the United States Postal Service Mailbox Guidelines, as well as all other requirements in regards to construction and location. Mailboxes that do not meet the requirements of the United States Postal Service and/or any other applicable regulations are not eligible for reimbursement.
(c) 
The damage must have been caused by direct contact with or thrown snow from Borough Department of Public Works or Borough private contractor plows or snow removal equipment.
(d) 
The homeowner must notify the Borough within 90 days of the date the damage occurred. Damage reported outside this time frame will not be eligible for reimbursement.
(e) 
The homeowner must sign a general release discharging the Borough from all debts, claims, demands, damages, actions or further tort claims under Title 59.
(2) 
Claim procedure.
(a) 
Within the time period above, a homeowner making a claim for reimbursement shall contact the Department of Public Works and file a mailbox damage claim.
(b) 
The mailbox damage claim shall be accompanied with the following:
[1] 
Name, address, phone number and email address of claimant.
[2] 
Date and time of damage.
[3] 
Exact location of damage.
[4] 
Explanation of what happened/description of damage.
[5] 
Photographs of damage.
[6] 
Itemized receipt for the cost of the new mailbox and/or post.
(c) 
After submission of the claim, the Director of Public Works or designee shall investigate the alleged damage to determine if the damage was caused by the plow blade, vehicle and/or thrown snow coming off the plow. A written response on the findings of the investigation will be mailed to the resident.
(d) 
If it is determined that the mailbox was damaged by the plow blade, vehicle and/or thrown snow coming off the plow, the homeowner will be reimbursed for the cost of the mailbox and/or post in an amount not to exceed $100 upon the submission of an itemized receipt for the cost of the new mailbox and/or post. If it is determined that the damage was not caused by the plow blade, vehicle and/or thrown snow coming off the plow, no reimbursement will be given. All actual repairs and/or replacements shall be the responsibility of the homeowner.