City of Trenton, NJ Article III General Penalty

[Adopted 9-7-1967 as §§ 3-19 of the Revised General Ordinances as amended through Ord. No. 90-16]

§ 1-17 Maximum penalty.

For violation of any provision of this chapter or any other ordinance of the City where no specific penalty is provided regarding the section or sections violated, the maximum penalty shall, upon conviction for such violation, be one or more of the following:

A. A fine not exceeding $2,000.

[Amended 6-20-2002 by Ord. No. 02-54; 8-17-2006 by Ord. No. 06-60]

B. Imprisonment in the county jail for a period not exceeding 90 days.

C. A period of community service not exceeding 90 days.

§ 1-18 Separate violation.

Except as otherwise provided, each and every day in which a violation of any provision of this chapter or any ordinance of the City exists shall constitute a separate violation.

§ 1-19 Repeat offenders.

Any person who is convicted of violating any provisions of this chapter within one year of the date of a previous violation of the same provision and who was fined for the previous violation, shall be sentenced by the court to an additional fine as a repeat offender. The additional fine imposed by the court upon a person for a repeat offense shall not be less than the minimum or exceed the maximum fine fixed for a violation of this chapter, but shall be calculated separately from the fine imposed for the violation of any provision of this chapter. It shall be the responsibility of the officer signing the complaint to determine before the trial whether the person is subject to the additional fine as a repeat offender. The defendant shall be provided with a reasonable opportunity to dispute any allegation that (s)he is subject to punishment as a repeat offender.

§ 1-20 Default in payment of fine.

Any person convicted of the violation of any provision of this chapter in default of the payment of any fine imposed therefor, may, in the discretion of the court by which (s)he was convicted, be imprisoned in the county jail for a term not exceeding 90 days or be required to perform community service for a period not exceeding 90 days.

§ 1-21 Appropriateness of maximum penalty.

The maximum penalty stated in this general penalty section is not intended to state an appropriate penalty for each and every violation. Any lesser penalty, including a nominal penalty or no penalty at all, may be appropriate for a particular case or a particular violation.