[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Council of the Township of Ewing 11-24-1998 by Ord. No. 98-13 as Ch. 222 of the 1998 Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Fees — See Ch. 172.
Trailers — See Ch. 354.
Vehicle junk business — See Ch. 366.
Snowmobiles and minibikes — See Ch. 371, Art. II.
Certain terms as used in this chapter shall have the following meanings:
DISABLED
Any motor vehicle, equipment or machinery, omnibus, road tractor, trailer, truck, truck-trailer or vehicle which is so disabled as to constitute an obstruction to traffic and/or is mechanically inoperative.
INOPERABLE
Any junk motor vehicle or junk motor vehicle body which is a motor vehicle, equipment, machinery, omnibus, road tractor, trailer, truck, truck-trailer or vehicle no longer in use as such or which is wholly unfit for such use on the roads and streets without substantial repair, rebuilding or reconditioning.
MOTOR VEHICLE and VEHICLE
Intended to have the meaning stated and defined in N.J.S.A. 39:1-1 et seq.
UNREGISTERED
Includes any motor vehicle, omnibus, road tractor, trailer, truck, truck-trailer, equipment or machinery or vehicle which is found without the current year's registration or identification markers as required by law.
No person shall park, leave or store any unregistered, disabled or inoperable motor vehicle, machinery or equipment on any public lands or premises.
No person shall park, leave, store or maintain any unregistered, disabled or inoperable motor vehicle, machinery or equipment for a period of more than 10 days upon any private lands or premises, unless said vehicle, machinery or equipment is garaged or exempt as hereinafter provided.
[Added 10-9-2001 by Ord. No. 01-27]
No person shall park, leave, store or maintain any registered or unregistered, able or disabled, operable or inoperable motor vehicle, machinery or equipment for purposes of contents storage for a period of more than 10 days upon any private or public lands or premises. Failure to remove stored contents from such vehicle machinery, or equipment after 10 days' notice to do so by the Police Department shall constitute a violation of this chapter. This section shall not apply to any person using a vehicle for business purposes whose business requires that equipment and materials be stored in such vehicle on a regular basis.
No owner or occupier of any private lands and premises shall permit, allow or suffer any unregistered, disabled or inoperable motor vehicle or machinery to be parked, left, stored or maintained on that person's lands or premises for more than 10 days, unless such vehicle, machinery or equipment is garaged or exempt as hereinafter provided. Failure to remove such vehicle, equipment or machinery after 10 days' notice to do so by the Police Department shall constitute a violation of this chapter.
A. 
Procedure. Any person, owner or occupier maintaining a motor vehicle exempt, as listed below, shall obtain an exemption letter from the Chief of Police. Such letter shall be valid for one year from issuance, except in the case of Subsection B below. Such letter shall be displayed in the vehicle so that it is readily observable by enforcement officers. The fee for such letter shall be as set forth in Chapter 172, Fees.
B. 
This chapter shall not apply to any person, owner or occupier having a license or permission to maintain any such vehicle, machinery or equipment under any appropriate ordinance of the Township.
C. 
The maintenance of one motor vehicle under §§ 377-3 and 377-5 which does not possess current registrations shall be permitted at a single dwelling unit, as long as it is in complete and operable condition, for 30 days, which may be extended for another 30 days by the Chief of Police.
D. 
The maintenance of a motor vehicle under §§ 377-3 and 377-5 altered for drag or stock car racing shall be permitted, so long as it is maintained on a registered trailer.
E. 
The maintenance of motor vehicles which are classified antique under appropriate state statutes, under §§ 377-3 and 377-5, shall be permitted.
[Amended 10-9-2001 by Ord. No. 01-27]
The premises where any such vehicle, machinery or equipment is kept, stored or maintained or used for contents storage purposes, in violation of this chapter, shall be deemed to be a nuisance and detrimental to the health and welfare of the residents of the Township in that the exposure of the view of such motor vehicles, machinery or equipment is unsightly and detrimental to the neighborhoods of the Township of Ewing and dangerous to persons of tender years, and the Township shall have the right to apply for injunctive or other relief in addition to the penalties herein.
[Amended 10-9-2001 by Ord. No. 01-27]
Any police officer or duly authorized agent of the Township of Ewing is authorized to remove any such unregistered or disabled vehicle, machinery or equipment or vehicle used for contents storage purposes from said property to a storage place or garage, the expenses involved in such removal and storage of such motor vehicle to be upon the owner of such vehicle. The officer or officers removing the vehicle shall certify the costs thereof to the Township Council, which shall examine the certificate and, if found correct, shall cause the costs shown thereon to be charged against said lands. The amounts so charged shall forthwith become a lien upon such lands and shall be added to and become and form a part of the taxes next to be assessed and levied upon said lands and bear interest at the same rate as taxes, and shall be collected and enforced by the same officers and in the same manner as taxes.