New Jersey Assembly moves forward on bill requiring vacant property registration

New Jersey: A bill requiring abandoned and vacant property registration passed, moving out of the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee for 2nd reading.
 

As of the June 7 updates to Bill 5084, the responsible party for a known vacant property must register it within 30 days of the date to be set if the Bill is fully approved; the Bill applies to both residential and commercial properties, and the definition for triggering a “vacant” label will be laid out in the final language of the Bill.


Properties that become vacant after that date decided will have 90 days to register, while parties taking ownership of an already known vacant property will have 30 days to submit their registration information.
 

Registration requires current contact information for the owners and for a representative individual that resides in the State to be responsible for the property. Registration is $250 and good for one year, with renewal required annually for the duration of the property remaining vacant.


If a property has any code violations, the fee may be increased up to $500 and then increased again up to $750 if code violations persist; greater fees or requirements set by municipalities before time of Bill 5084 may also be collected.


Vacant properties must also, within 45 days, have posted the contact information clearly at the property, for that individual in the State responsible for the property, as well as secure and maintain the property to code for the duration of the vacancy. Fines for violation of securing and maintenance can result in $500 to $1,000 fines per instance, per day; greater fees or requirements set by municipalities before time of Bill 5084 may be applied.

 

 

 

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