N.J. Admin. Code § 5:70-2.2 - Responsibility for compliance

(a) The owner shall be responsible for the safe and proper maintenance of the premises at all times.

(b) Owners of premises which are, or which contain, one or more uses subject to this Code, shall have concurrent responsibility with the owners of any such uses for compliance with the Code. No person shall be required to abate any violations which he has no power to abate or to require to be abated. If a violation is served on an owner who cannot comply due to lack of authority, within five days of receipt of the notice of violation, the owner shall either provide notice of the violation to the party with authority or inform the fire official of such party's name and address.

(c) If an occupant of a premises creates conditions in violation of this Code, by virtue of storage, handling and use of substances, materials, devices and appliances, the occupant can be held responsible for the abatement of said hazardous conditions.

(d) A person shall be deemed to have violated or caused to have violated a provision of this Code if an officer, agent or employee under his control and with his knowledge has violated or caused to have violated any of the provisions of this Code.

(e) Subsequent owners or those succeeding to control over the premises shall be responsible for correcting unabated violations and for the payment of outstanding fees and/or penalties whether or not they have requested a certificate of fire code status.

1. Upon request of the owner, contract purchaser, transferee or the authorized agent of any of them, the enforcing agency having jurisdiction over the premises shall issue a certificate either indicating that violations exist or that fees and/or penalties remain outstanding according to its records, or which states that its records indicate that no violations remain unabated and no penalties or fees remain unpaid. Upon request, the agency shall provide copies of the violations list and penalty orders.

2. Fees for the issuance of certificates of fire code status shall be as follows:

i. In any jurisdiction in which the Division of Fire Safety serves as the local enforcing agency, there shall be no charge for the first two certificates requested in any month period by an owner who is current in payment of applicable life hazard or non-life hazard fees. Thereafter, or if an owner has not made such payment, a notation to that effect shall be made on the bill and the requestor shall be charged a fee for the issuance of the certificate in the amount of $ 35.00.

ii. The fire official of a local enforcing agency other than the Division of Fire Safety may establish a reasonable fee for the issuance of a certificate of fire code status.

Notes

N.J. Admin. Code § 5:70-2.2

Amended by R.1995 d.58, effective 3/6/1995.
See: 26 N.J.R. 4258(a), 27 N.J.R. 878(b).