New lawsuit filed against New Jersey cities, questioning legality of vacant property registration programs

New Jersey: Lawsuits claiming vacant property registration is illegal have been filed against four cities and the company that handles the registry.

 

The company that handles the vacant property registration information itself, Community Champions Corp., with the townships of Deptford and Monroe, and the boroughs of Glassboro and Paulsboro, has been named in the suit.

 

The suit states, “Assembly Bill No. 4031 was never enacted into law and the Legislature in the State of New Jersey has never enacted a statute authorizing the registration of vacant/abandoned properties … In New Jersey, municipalities are the creature of statutes and can only exercise those powers expressly granted by the Legislature,” according to the article: “Vacant housing registry is illegal, investors claim in lawsuit,” by Matt Gray.

 

The issue of registration fees has been an ongoing issue in cities across the country, as more cities decide to utilize registries to improve community appearances, and as property owners sometimes struggle to deal with unknown new measures, fees, and penalties levied.

 

 

 

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