[HISTORY: Adopted by the Borough Council of the Borough of Florham Park 7-16-1985 by Ord. No. 9-85; amended in its entirety 9-15-1998 by Ord. No. 18-98. Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Fire Department — See Ch. 25.
Unfit buildings — See Ch. 94.
Uniform construction codes — See Ch. 103.
Fire hydrants — See Ch. 125.
Fire lanes — See Ch. 131.
Property maintenance — See Ch. 188.
[Amended 9-21-2004 by Ord. No. 15-04]
Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 52:27D-198, the New Jersey Uniform Fire Code, N.J.A.C. Title 5, Chapter 70, subject to such modifications and amendments as the Department of Community Affairs shall from time to time deem appropriate, shall be locally enforced in the Borough of Florham Park.
The local enforcing agency established by this chapter shall be a part of the Borough Volunteer Fire Department and shall be known as the "Bureau of Fire Prevention," which shall be under the direct supervision and control of the Fire Official, who shall be report to the Fire Chief.
A. 
The Fire Official shall be appointed by the Mayor and Council upon recommendations provided by the Public Safety Commissioner, based on qualifications established by the New Jersey Uniform Fire Code.
[Amended 9-21-2004 by Ord. No. 15-04]
B. 
The Fire Official shall serve for a term of one year, and the Mayor and Council shall fill any vacancy occurring during the year from a list of qualified applicants who have applied for the position. Residents of the Borough and members of the Fire Department will be given preference in the selection process.
[Amended 9-21-2004 by Ord. No. 15-04]
C. 
The Fire Official and inspectors shall be removed from office during the term of appointment only for good cause shown and after having been given the opportunity for a hearing before the Mayor and Council.
D. 
From time to time, inspectors and employees may be necessary to aid the local enforcing agency, and the Mayor and Council shall appoint them upon recommendation by the Fire Official.
E. 
The Fire Official and all inspectors shall be properly qualified, and their individual appointments may be delayed or denied because of a lack of sufficient training or experience.
The local enforcing agency shall enforce the Uniform Fire Safety Act and the codes and regulations adopted under it in all buildings, structures and premises within the established boundaries of the Borough of Florham Park, other than owner-occupied one- and two-family dwellings, and shall faithfully comply with the requirements of the Uniform Fire Safety Act and the Uniform Fire Code. (NOTE: See N.J.S.A. 52:27D-192 et seq.)
[Amended 9-21-2004 by Ord. No. 15-04]
The local enforcing agency established by this chapter shall carry out inspections in accordance with the New Jersey Uniform Fire Code.
[Amended 9-21-2004 by Ord. No. 15-04]
The local enforcing agency shall be responsible for the issuance of certificates of smoke detector and carbon monoxide compliance in accordance with the New Jersey Uniform Fire Code.
[Amended 9-21-2004 by Ord. No. 15-04]
Variances shall be granted in accordance with the requirements of the New Jersey Uniform Fire Code by the local enforcing agency.
Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 52:27D-206, Subdivision b, and 52:27D-208, any person aggrieved by any ruling, action, order or notice of the local enforcement agency, including the declaration of a violation of the Uniform Fire Safety Act, shall have the right to appeal to the Construction Board of Appeals of the Borough of Florham Park.
No person shall:
A. 
Obstruct, hinder, delay or interfere by force or otherwise with the local enforcing agency in the exercise of any power or the discharge of any function or duty under the provisions of the Act.
B. 
Prepare, utter or render any false statement, report, document, plans or specification permitted or required under the provisions of the Act.
C. 
Render ineffective or inoperative or fail to properly maintain any protective equipment or system installed or intended to be installed in a building or structure.
D. 
Refuse or fail to comply with a lawful ruling, action, order or notice of the local enforcing agency.
E. 
Violate, or cause to be violated, any of the provisions of the Act.
[Amended 9-21-2004 by Ord. No. 15-04]
Penalties for violations of the requirements of the New Jersey Uniform Fire Code shall be as set forth therein.
[Amended 9-21-2004 by Ord. No. 15-04]
Service of all notices, rules, decisions and orders shall be as set forth in the New Jersey Uniform Fire Code.
[Amended 8-17-2004 by Ord. No. 14-04]
In addition to the inspections required pursuant to the Act and the regulations of the Department of Community Affairs, the following additional inspections shall be required:
A. 
All mercantile, industrial, educational and recreational occupancies, other than life-hazard uses covered by these regulations, shall be known as Type FP1 and shall be inspected for compliance with the provisions of the New Jersey Uniform Fire Code semiannually by the local enforcing agency.
B. 
The owners of all buildings, other than life-hazard uses, in the Borough of Florham Park shall file with the local enforcing agency, on forms provided by said agency, an application for a certificate of registration. It shall be a violation of the code for an owner to fail to complete and return such an application within 30 days after having been served with it.
[Amended 8-17-2004 by Ord. No. 14-04; 9-24-2015 by Ord. No. 15-18]
A. 
The following fee schedule is adopted for the inspection of those buildings not covered by the State Inspection Fee Schedule as set forth in the New Jersey Uniform Fire Code.
[Amended 2-17-2022 by Ord. No. 22-1]
Gross Floor Area
(square feet)
Fee
0 to 1,000
$65
1,001 to 2,000
$80
2,001 to 3,000
$80
3,001 to 4,000
$80
4,001 to 5,000
$80
5,001 to 6,000
$135
6,001 to 7,000
$135
7,001 to 8,000
$135
8,001 to 9,000
$135
9,001 to 10,000
$135
10,001 to 11,000
$250
11,001 to 12,000
$250
12,001 to 15,000
$250
15,001 to 20,000
$370
20,001 to 25,000
$370
25,001 to 30,000
$370
30,001 to 35,000
$500
35,001 to 40,000
$500
40,001 to 45,000
$500
45,001 to 50,000
$500
50,001 to 55,000
$500
55,001 to 60,000
$500
60,001 to 65,000
$500
65,001 to 70,000
$500
70,001 to 75,000
$500
75,001 to 80,000
$750
80,000 to 85,000
$750
85,001 to 90,000
$750
90,001 to 95,000
$750
95,001 to 100,000
$750
B. 
For each 5,000 square feet or part over 100,000 square feet, there will be charged an additional $100.
C. 
Fees for smoke detector inspections/carbon monoxide detectors:
(1) 
Commercial buildings: $75.
(2) 
Residential: The application fee for a certificate of smoke detector and carbon monoxide alarm compliance (CSDCMAC), as required by N.J.A.C. 5:70-2.3, shall be based upon the amount of time remaining before the change of occupancy is expected, as follows:
(a) 
Request for a CSDCMAC received more than 10 business days prior to the change of occupant: $75.
(b) 
Request for a CSDCMAC received fewer than 10 business days prior to the change of occupant: $125.
[Added 8-23-2011 by Ord. No. 11-14]
A. 
Applicability.
(1) 
The following structures shall be equipped with a rapid-access key box ("Knox-Box®") within six months of the effective date of this section:
(a) 
Any commercial or industrial structure protected by an automatic suppression system (sprinkler or standpipe);
(b) 
Any commercial or industrial structure protected by an automatic fire alarm system having a connection to a central monitoring station facility;
(c) 
Any multifamily residential structure that possesses a common corridor for access to living units and that also restricts building access by locking building entryway doors and/or has a common utility room for sprinkler or fire alarm appliances;
(d) 
Any facility that is required to prepare and have readily available material safety data sheets and/or hazardous chemical inventory forms as per federal and state codes.
(e) 
Other properties or structures where Fire Department or Police Department access would be delayed, as determined by the Fire Chief, Police Chief or Fire Official.
(2) 
All commercial buildings under construction must provide a temporary Knox-Box® for emergency access before construction begins.
(3) 
All newly constructed structures of the type described in Subsection A(1) above shall be equipped with a Knox-Box® prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy.
(4) 
Any commercial or industrial structure with an external audible fire alarm and/or any complex with perimeter fencing which limits emergency vehicle access is required to provide a Knox key or Knox padlock.
B. 
Installation.
(1) 
Applications for a Knox-Box® shall be obtained from the Florham Park Fire Department.
(2) 
The owner or operator of a structure required to have a Knox-Box® is responsible for installation of the Knox-Box®. This box shall be a UL-type approved by the Fire Chief, Police Chief or Fire Official.
(3) 
The Knox-Box® shall be installed on the front of the structure near the main entry door five feet above the ground, unless installation of the Knox-Box® at a height higher or lower than five feet above the ground is approved by the Fire Chief, Police Chief or Fire Official.
(4) 
The size of the Knox-Box® that is required to be installed will be determined by the number of keys or units that the box will support at the property location, as approved by the Fire Chief, Police Chief or Fire Official.
(5) 
More than one Knox-Box® may be required to be installed as per the building size or complex size as per the Fire Chief, Police Chief or Fire Official.
(6) 
A Knox-Box® tamper switch connected to the building's fire alarm system may be required.
C. 
Contents.
(1) 
The contents of the Knox-Box® shall include the following:
(a) 
Keys to locked points of ingress or egress, whether on the interior or exterior of such buildings.
(b) 
Keys to all mechanical rooms.
(c) 
Keys to all locked electrical rooms.
(d) 
Keys to elevators and their control rooms.
(e) 
Keys to fire alarm panels.
(f) 
Keys (special) to reset pull stations or other fire protective devices.
(g) 
Keys to any other areas as requested by the Borough of Florham Park's Fire or Police Department.
(h) 
A card containing the names and telephone numbers of emergency contact people for such buildings or any code numbers associated with their fire protection systems. These contact persons must be available on a twenty-four-hour basis.
(2) 
In lieu of having the interior keys in the exterior Knox-Box®, a second Knox-Box® may be located within the main lobby of the building to hold these keys.
D. 
Maintenance.
(1) 
The operator of the building shall immediately notify the Borough of Florham Park's Fire or Police Department and shall provide new keys when a lock is changed or rekeyed. The keys to such lock shall be secured in the Knox-Box®.
(2) 
The operator of the building shall be responsible for the Knox-Box® to be in proper working condition and for replacing or making repairs as may be necessary.
E. 
Temporary key lock box during times of construction.
(1) 
Before any work is started on any regulated building or property complex that would require the installation of a rapid-access key box, it shall be the responsibility of the owner or operator to apply for a Knox-Box®.
(2) 
Application for this temporary Knox-Box® shall be made at the Florham Park Fire Headquarters.
(3) 
This temporary Knox-Box® will be supplied by the Fire Department and must be returned prior to issuance of any certificate of occupancy.
(4) 
This temporary Knox-Box® must be mounted and keys installed in a location approved by the Florham Park Fire Department prior to securing the site or building.
(5) 
The fee for this Knox-Box® shall be equal to the fee set by the New Jersey Division of Fire Safety in the New Jersey Uniform Fire Code for a Type 1 permit.
F. 
Security caps. When a building is protected by an automatic sprinkler system or by a standpipe system, the Fire Chief, Police Chief or Fire Official may require the Fire Department connection to have a Fire Department connection security cap installed. The Fire Department connection security cap shall be a type approved by the Fire Chief, Police Chief or Fire Official.
G. 
Violations and penalties.
(1) 
Failure to install a Fire Department connection security cap, Knox-Box®, and Knox padlock or to provide a key box within 30 days of the date required under the directions of this section enables the Borough to install said device or equipment at the owner's expense.
(2) 
Any violation of this section by any owner or operator is hereby declared to be a misdemeanor offense subject to a fine of $2,000. Each day that such violation shall continue after notification shall be considered a separate violation, carrying an additional penalty of $100 per day.