New Jersey township steps up vacant property registration ordinance to curtail delinquency
Jackson, NJ: Amendments to the vacant property registration as described in Chapter 331, “Registration of Property,” went into effect as of Aug. 1.
An owner of a property falling under the “vacant property” definition (see below) will have 3 days from the definition trigger, or 30 days after assuming ownership of such a property, to file a registration statement for each such vacant property, and a $250 fee, with Jackson Township Office of Code Enforcement.
Registration is valid until the end of the given calendar year, with $250 renewal for any such property necessary by that following Jan. 31 in order to avoid penalties.
A “vacant property” is defined as, “Any building used or to be used as a residence which is not legally occupied or at which substantially all lawful construction operations or residential occupancy has ceased for a period of at least three months, and any commercial property that has not been legally occupied or at which substantially all lawful construction operations have ceased for a period of at least three months.”
If a property owner is not in full compliance, a minimum $500 to maximum $1,000 fine can be levied for each offense. Every day a violation continues is a separate offense, with fines resulting in a lien on the property.
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