[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Brooklawn 6-5-2000
by Ord. No. 13-00. Amendments noted where applicable.]
It is hereby determined and declared that the abandonment, or storage
out of doors of any motor vehicle not currently in use for transportation
and not currently licensed or registered, on any public street or on any public
or private lands within the Borough is contrary and inimical to the public
welfare in that such vehicles so abandoned or stored out of doors deteriorate
and are unsightly and are detrimental to and depreciate the value of properties
in the neighborhood where they are located and in the Borough as a whole.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings
indicated:
Includes any motor vehicle, omnibus, road tractor, trailer, truck,
truck- trailer or other vehicle which:
Is parked without the current year's registration or identification
markers as required by law;
Has been parked in any public street or on any public lands for a period
of 48 hours;
Is so disabled as to constitute an obstruction of traffic and the driver
or person owning or in charge thereof neglects or refuses to move the same
to a place where it shall not obstruct traffic;
Is found to be mechanically inoperative and is allowed to remain inoperative
for a period of 48 hours (said period of time may be extended, for good cause,
by the Police Department); or
Is found without one or more tires.
Refers to the sequestration of the vehicle or junk automobile body
at a place of storage.
Any automobile which is no longer in actual use as a motor vehicle
or which is wholly unfit, without rebuilding or reconditioning, for use in
highway transportation or which has been discarded for use as a motor vehicle
or otherwise abandoned.
Any motor vehicle, omnibus, road tractor, trailer, truck, truck-tractor
or other vehicle and shall have the meaning as ascribed to the foregoing words
as contained and defined in N.J.S.A. 39:1-1 et seq. of the Revised Statutes
of the State of New Jersey.
Any individual, firm, partnership or corporation being the owner
or having any legal right in or to the motor vehicle or other vehicle as herein
defined. The term “person” when applied to lands, housing, residential,
commercial or industrial units which are leased rather than owned by the occupants
shall be deemed to mean and include the owner of the leased structures.
Such site or location as the Chief of Police of the Borough shall
from time to time establish and provide.
The Police Department of the Borough of Brooklawn.
A.
Abandonment prohibited. It shall be unlawful for any
person to abandon or suffer or permit the abandoning of any motor vehicle,
junk automobile or junk automobile body out of doors upon any public or private
lands in the Borough of Brooklawn or on any public street or between the right-of-way
side lines of any public right-of-way therein
B.
Storage prohibition. No person shall place, keep or store
any junk automobile or junk automobile body, as heretofore defined in this
chapter, on any public or private property within the Borough of Brooklawn.
C.
Presumption. If any motor vehicle, junk automobile or
junk automobile body shall be abandoned on private lands for five workings
days or more, it shall be presumed that the owner or tenant in possession
of said land has abandoned it there or permitted or suffered it to be abandoned
there.
D.
Exclusion. Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to
prohibit the placing, keeping or storage of any motor vehicle, junk automobile
or junk automobile body in an enclosed garage, barn or other building.
Whenever any officer of the Brooklawn Police Department finds any motor
vehicle, junk automobile or junk automobile body which has been abandoned,
kept or stored contrary to the provisions of this chapter, such member of
the Brooklawn Police Department shall remove, secure the removal of and/or
impound said motor vehicle, junk automobile or junk automobile body in accordance
with the procedures hereinafter set forth:
A.
Public property. Whenever any motor vehicle, junk automobile
or junk automobile body is found on any public street, highway or public property,
an emergency condition is hereby declared to exist, and any office of the
Brooklawn Police Department is hereby authorized to immediately remove, secure
the removal of and/or impound the motor vehicle, junk automobile or junk automobile
body without the necessity of notice prior to said impoundment. After impoundment,
the Brooklawn Police Department shall use diligent efforts to identify and
locate the owner of the impounded vehicle, junk automobile or junk automobile
body and notify the owner in accordance with § 87-4C.
B.
Private lands.
(1)
Regulations. -- Whenever a motor vehicle, junk automobile
or junk automobile body is found on any private land in violation of this
chapter, then any officer of the Brooklawn Police Department in furtherance
of enforcement of this chapter shall affix to the vehicle in question a sticker
bearing the information more particular set forth on Exhibit 1 attached to
this chapter and made a part hereof by reference.
(2)
Exclusion. -- Nothing heretofore mentioned shall be deemed
to prevent any of the following activities from being conducted on private
lands under the conditions or by the people referred to:
(b)
Owners of motor vehicles being held for sale or resale
in a commercial zone are exempted from the provisions of this chapter.
(c)
Owners of a motor vehicle which would otherwise come under the provisions of this chapter who are in the military services stationed outside of the State of New Jersey shall be exempt from the provisions of this chapter in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in Subsection B(2)(a) above.
(3)
Exempt certificates. Any person who possesses, owns or maintains a motor vehicle covered under any one of the exclusions referred to above shall obtain from the Chief of Police an exempt certificate which shall indicate that the motor vehicle in question comes under one of the exclusions referred to in Subsection B(2) above. Said exempt certificate shall be valued for one year from the date of issuance. All owners of exempt certificates shall display the exempt certificate on the windshield or other prominent place on the motor vehicle in question so that it is readily observable by the enforcement officials under this chapter. No fees shall be charged for the issuance of an exempt certificate.
C.
Notice of impoundment.
(1)
Notice of impoundment of any motor vehicle, junk automobile
or junk automobile body shall be given to the owner of said motor vehicle,
junk automobile or junk automobile body or to the owner or tenant of lands
upon which a violation is occurring pursuant to § 87-3C above, in
writing, by certified mail, at the last known address of the party to be served
and shall contain the following:
(a)
The time and place of impoundment.
(b)
Location of the motor vehicle, junk automobile or junk
automobile body.
(c)
The reason for impoundment.
(d)
The account and nature of penalties and costs that may
be entered against him.
(e)
A statement that a sale of the motor vehicle, junk automobile
or junk automobile body will occur after 30 days if the motor vehicle, junk
automobile or junk automobile body is not reclaimed.
(2)
The address of the owner as shown on the records of the
State Division of Motor Vehicles shall be deemed sufficient for the purpose
of this subsection.
(3)
Notice of Director. Upon the impoundment of any vehicle
pursuant to this chapter, the member of the Brooklawn Police Department so
impounding the vehicle shall give immediate notice to the Director of Motor
Vehicles on forms prescribed by him for verification of ownership.
Whenever any motor vehicle, junk automobile or junk automobile body
impounded by the Police Department shall remain unclaimed for a period of
30 days, the motor vehicle, junk automobile or junk automobile body shall
be sold under the direction of the Borough Clerk of the Borough of Brooklawn
or his designee at public auction to the highest bidder. Such auction shall
take place after notice of such sale has been given at least seven days prior
thereto by one publication in the newspaper in the newspaper circulated in
the Borough and upon the mailing of a copy of said notice to the owner of
the motor vehicle, junk automobile or junk automobile body and/or to the owner
or tenant of the lands upon which a violation is occurring and the hold of
any security interest filed with the Director of the Division of Motor Vehicles
by certified mail at least seven days prior to the sale. All revenue collected
from the sale of the motor vehicle, junk automobile or junk automobile body
shall be retained by the Borough of Brooklawn as a cost of administration.
[Amended 6-21-2004 by Ord. No. 7-04; 11-15-2004
by Ord. No. 16-04]
Any person who violates any provision of this article shall, upon conviction
in the Municipal Court of the Borough of Brooklawn or such other court having
jurisdiction, be liable to a fine not exceeding $1,000 or imprisonment for
a term not exceeding 90 days, or both. Each day that a violation occurs shall
be deemed a separate and distinct violation, subject to the penalty provisions
of this article.
A continuance of a violation or a noncompliance with the provisions
of this chapter shall be deemed a nuisance, and the Borough Council shall
have the right to apply to the courts of this state for injunctive relief
or other relief, in addition to the penalties provided for herein.
