[HISTORY: Adopted by the Council of the City of Northfield 3-4-1980 by Ord. No. 2-80 (Ch. 92 of the 1974 Code). Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Unfit buildings — See Ch. 109.
Land use and development — See Ch. 215.
Property maintenance — See Ch. 268.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
ERADICATION MEASURE
The elimination of rodents and rats from any building, lot or premises through the use of traps, poisons, fumigation or any other acceptable method, all such methods to be performed by a licensed and competent exterminator licensed to do business within the State of New Jersey.
PERSON IN CONTROL
The owner or part owner of a building, lot or premises and/or any person authorized to exercise powers of or for an owner of property for purposes of purchase, sale, use, occupancy or maintenance and/or any other person having use or custody of the property, or any part thereof.
It is the intent of the Council of the City of Northfield to eradicate the presence of rats and other rodents (exclusive of those rodents commonly accepted as pets and confined as pets within the municipality), and this intent is within the public interest and for purposes of the public health and welfare.
All buildings, lots and premises shall be kept free from rats and other rodents. When any building, lot or premises is found to be subject to infestation or inhabitation by rats or other rodents, the person in control of the premises, lot or building shall apply continuous eradication measures to remove the rats or other rodents.
A. 
No person shall demolish or cause to be demolished any building or structure within the City of Northfield without first filing with the City Building Inspector a certificate from a licensed exterminator that the building has been exterminated of rats and other rodents.
B. 
The certificate shall set forth the date of extermination by the licensed exterminator, which date shall be not less than seven days nor more than 20 days prior to the date of demolition.
C. 
No demolition permit shall be issued by the Building Inspector until said certificate has been filed with the Office of the Building Inspector.
D. 
The Building Inspector, upon receipt of said certificate, shall file a copy of the certificate with the Atlantic County Board of Health. In the event of a delay in demolition beyond the date set forth in the application and permit, reinspection and refiling of a certificate by a licensed exterminator certifying the premises to be free from rats and other rodents shall be required.
[Amended 4-1-1980 by Ord. No. 4-1980]
No person shall obtain a building permit within the City of Northfield to permit new construction or any improvement to or modification of existing structures without first filing with the City Building Inspector a certificate from a licensed exterminator that the building and premises have been exterminated of rats and other rodents and that the premises, building and lot are free of rats and other rodents. The certificate shall be a prerequisite to issuance of any building permit within the City, and the certificate by the licensed exterminator shall state that the extermination or the inspection resulting in a finding of no rats or other rodents or evidence of same was made within not less than seven days nor more than 20 days prior to application for the permit.
[Amended 4-1-1980 by Ord. No. 4-1980]
The Atlantic County Board of Health and/or the Building Inspector shall cause an inspection to be made of any lot, building or premises in the City which he has good reason to believe is infested with or contains rats or other rodents or as to which a complaint has been received. If, as a result of such inspection, evidence is found of the presence of rats or other rodents, the owner or person in control shall be notified and shall comply with § 280-3 of this chapter.
The penalty for violation of any provision of this chapter shall be as set forth in Chapter 1, General Provisions, § 1-15. Each failure of the person in control to apply continuous eradication measures as provided in § 280-3 of this chapter, after notice, shall be deemed to be a separate violation of this chapter and shall be so treated.
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).