N.J.S.A. 52:27D-126 — Appointment of construction official, subcode officials.

52:27D-126 Appointment of construction official, subcode officials. 8. a. The appointing authority of any municipality shall appoint a construction official, any necessary subcode officials and technical assistants to assist such officials to administer and enforce the code. The appointing authority may, by resolution or order as appropriate, set the total number of weekly hours of operation of the construction official's office and the total number of weekly work hours of the construction official, commensurate with the compensation paid to the construction official. The appointing authority shall not set the specific work hours of the construction official. The appointing authority shall also appoint a construction board of appeals to hear and decide appeals from decisions made by said construction official and subcode officials, in the administration and enforcement of the code. Nothing herein, however, shall prevent a municipality from accepting inspections as to compliance with the code or any subcode thereof made by an inspection authority approved by the State of New Jersey pursuant to law. b. To establish tenure rights or any other right or protection provided by the "State Uniform Construction Code Act" or Title 11A, Civil Service, of the New Jersey Statutes, or any pension law or retirement system, the job title "construction official" shall be equivalent to that job title which, prior to the adoption of the State Uniform Construction Code as provided in section 5 of the "State Uniform Construction Code Act," entailed the chief administrative responsibility to enforce all construction codes which had been adopted by the municipal governing body, the enforcement of which was not the responsibility of an authorized private inspection agency; and the job title "subcode official" shall be equivalent to that job title which, prior to the adoption of the State Uniform Construction Code, entailed subordinate administrative responsibility to enforce one or more of the following construction codes: building, plumbing, electrical or fire code. Any person, in a municipality operating under Title 11A, Civil Service, of the New Jersey Statutes, who, prior to the adoption of the State Uniform Construction Code, held the equivalent of the job title "construction" official or "subcode" official, but who no longer holds his position as a result of a determination that his old job title was not equivalent to that of "construction" official or "subcode" official, shall be offered reappointment as a construction official or subcode official, as the case may be, and shall be granted permanent classified status in such position. Tenure shall continue for (1) any construction official or subcode official who is serving under tenure as otherwise provided by law on the effective date of this act or within one year thereafter, or (2) any person certified pursuant to subsection c. of this section and who subsequently gains such tenure. A construction official or subcode official appointed in a municipality operating under the provisions of Title 11A, Civil Service, of the New Jersey Statutes, who, at the time of adoption of the State Uniform Construction Code, January 1, 1977, or prior to January 1, 1981, had permanent classified status or was employed as a construction official or subcode official or in another position in the unclassified service, shall be included in the classified service without civil service examination in his respective title of construction official or subcode official. Any individual employed by a municipality, who, in his employment with the municipality between January 1, 1977 and prior to January 1, 1981, was charged with the chief administrative responsibility to enforce all existing municipal construction codes, shall be deemed as appointed to the position of construction official for the purposes of this act. Any individual employed by a municipality, who, in his employment with the municipality between January 1, 1977 and prior to January 1, 1981, was charged with chief responsibility to enforce the municipal building, plumbing, fire, or electrical code, shall be deemed as appointed to the position of subcode official for the purposes of this act. No person, on or after January 1, 1981, shall be appointed as construction or subcode official in a municipality operating under Title 11A, Civil Service, of the New Jersey Statutes without having passed an examination administered by the Civil Service Commission certifying the merit and fitness of the person to hold such position; provided that, whenever a noncivil service municipality adopts the provisions of that Title, construction code officials and subcode officials of such municipality appointed prior to the filing of the petition for the adoption of civil service, shall attain permanent status in the classified service without examination. Any construction or subcode official appointed after January 1, 1981 on a provisional basis in a municipality which has adopted the provisions of Title 11A, Civil Service, of the New Jersey Statutes, may not be removed from office except for just cause after a fair and impartial hearing has been held at the local level, with no further appeal to the Civil Service Commission; provided, however, that such a construction or subcode official may be removed to permit the appointment of a person certified for appointment by the Civil Service Commission. A construction official or subcode official in a noncivil service municipality shall be appointed for a term of four years and shall, upon appointment to a second consecutive term or on or after the commencement of a fifth consecutive year of service, including years of service in an equivalent job title held prior to the adoption of the State Uniform Construction Code, be granted tenure and shall not be removed from office except for just cause after a fair and impartial hearing. A construction or subcode official, to be eligible for appointment in civil service or noncivil service municipalities, shall be certified by the State of New Jersey in accordance with subsection c. of this section and shall have had at least three years' experience in construction, design or supervision as a licensed engineer or registered architect; or five years' experience in construction, design, or supervision as an architect or engineer with a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution of higher education; or 10 years' experience in construction, design or supervision as a journeyman in a trade or as a contractor. A subcode official shall, pursuant to any subcode which he administers, pass upon: (1) matters relative to the mode, manner of construction or materials to be used in the erection or alteration of buildings or structures, except as to any such matter foreclosed by State approval pursuant to this act, and (2) actual execution of the approved plans and the installation of the materials approved by the State. The construction official in each municipality shall be the chief administrator of the "enforcing agency." He shall have the power to overrule a determination of a subcode official based on an interpretation of a substantive provision of the subcode which such subcode official administers, only if the construction official is qualified to act pursuant to this act as a subcode official for such subcode. He may serve as subcode official for any subcode which he is qualified under this act to administer. A subcode official or municipal engineer may serve as a construction official if otherwise qualified under the provisions of this act. The municipal enforcing agency shall require compliance with the provisions of the code, of all rules lawfully adopted and promulgated thereunder and of laws relating to the construction, alteration, repair, removal, demolition and integral equipment and location, occupancy and maintenance of buildings and structures, except as may be otherwise provided for. Two or more municipalities may provide by ordinance, subject to regulations established by the commissioner, for the joint appointment of a construction official and subcode official for the purpose of enforcing the provisions of the code in the same manner. c. No person shall act as a construction official or subcode official for any municipality unless the commissioner determines that said person is so qualified, except for the following: (1) a municipal construction official or subcode official holding office under permanent civil service status, or tenure as otherwise provided by law on the effective date of this act or within one year thereafter and (2) a municipal construction official or subcode official holding office without such permanent civil service status or tenure on the effective date of this act or within one year thereafter; provided said construction official or subcode official not having such permanent civil service status or tenure shall be certified in accordance with this act within four years of the effective date thereof; provided further that a person holding on the effective date of this act a valid plumbing inspector's license from the Department of Health and Senior Services pursuant to Title 26 of the Revised Statutes may serve as a plumbing subcode official and a person holding on the effective date of this act a valid electrical inspector's license from the Board of Public Utilities pursuant to Title 48 of the Revised Statutes may serve as an electrical subcode official. The commissioner, after consultation with the code advisory board, may authorize the preparation and conducting of oral, written and practical examinations to determine if a person is qualified by this act to be eligible to be a construction official or subcode official or, in the alternative, may accept successful completion of programs of training as proof of qualification within the meaning of this act. Upon a determination of qualification the commissioner shall issue or cause to be issued a certificate to the construction official or subcode official or trainee stating that he is so certified. The commissioner, after consultation with the code advisory board, may establish classes of certification that will recognize the varying complexities of code enforcement in the municipalities within the State. The commissioner shall, after consultation with the code advisory board, provide for educational programs designed to train and assist construction officials, subcode officials, and technical assistants to these officials in carrying out their responsibilities. Whenever the commissioner is required by the terms of this subsection to consult with the code advisory board and the matter in question concerns plumbing subcode officials, the commissioner shall also consult with the Public Health Council and Commissioner of Health and Senior Services. d. The commissioner, after consultation with the code advisory board, may periodically require that each construction official, subcode official, and technical assistant demonstrate a working knowledge of innovations in construction technology and materials, recent changes in and additions to the relevant portions of the State Uniform Construction Code, and current standards of professional ethics and legal responsibility; or, in the alternative, the commissioner, after consultation with the code advisory board, may accept successful completion of appropriate programs of training as proof of such working knowledge. L.1975, c.217, s.8; amended 1979, c.394; 1981, c.469, s.1; 1982, c.210; 2000, c.126, s.29; 2008, c.29, s.112; 2009, c.119. 52:27D-126a Enforcing agency fees, surcharges. 3. Where the appointing authority of any municipality shall appoint an enforcing agency and construction board of appeals pursuant to section 8 of P.L.1975, c.217 (C.52:27D-126), the municipal governing body by ordinance, in accordance with standards established by the commissioner, shall set enforcing agency fees for plan review, construction permit, certificate of occupancy, demolition permit, moving of building permit, elevator permit and sign permit, provided, however, that such fees shall not exceed the annual costs for the operation of the enforcing agency. For the three-year period commencing with an enforcing agency's initial participation in the "Electronic Permit Processing Review System," developed and implemented pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2021, c.70 (C.52:27D-124.4), the municipal governing body may impose, and the enforcing agency may collect, construction permit surcharge fees to defray the enforcing agency's startup costs related to offering electronic plan review and scheduling. Surcharge fees shall be established in accordance with standards established by the commissioner. L.1979, c.121, s.3; amended 2021, c.70, s.3. 52:27D-126b. Municipality; waiver of enforcing agency fees; ordinance Notwithstanding the provisions of section 3 of P.L.1979, c. 121 (C. 52:27D-126a), or any standard adopted pursuant thereto, to the contrary, a municipal governing body may provide in its ordinance for a waiver of enforcing agency fees for construction contracted for or conducted by the municipality within its boundaries. L.1982, c. 73, s. 2, eff. July 21, 1982. 52:27D-126c. Public building fee exemptions No county, municipality, or any agency or instrumentality thereof shall be required to pay any municipal fee or charge in order to secure a construction permit for the erection or alteration of any public building or part thereof from the municipality wherein the building may be located. No erection or alteration of any public building or part thereof by a county, municipality, school board, or any agency or instrumentality thereof shall be subject to any fee, including any surcharge or training fee, imposed by any department or agency of State government pursuant to any law, or rule or regulation, except that nothing contained in this section shall be interpreted as preventing the imposition of a fee upon a board of education by either the Department of Education for plan review or by a municipality for the review of plans submitted to it pursuant to the provisions of section 12 of P.L.1975, c.217 (C.52:27D-130). L.1985,c.409,s.1; amended 1989,c.43,s.2; 1990,c.23,s.4. 52:27D-126d. Waiver of enforcing agency fees Notwithstanding the provisions of section 3 of P.L.1979, c.121 (C.52:27D-126a), any municipality may, by ordinance, provide for a waiver of enforcing agency fees for any corporation which is (1) organized pursuant to the "New Jersey Nonprofit Corporation Act," N.J.S.15A:1-1 et seq. and (2) actively engaged in constructing or rehabilitating housing units for occupancy by low or moderate income households. For the purposes of this act, "low income household" means a household in which the gross household income is equal to 50% or less of the median gross household income for households of the same size within the region in which the housing is located. "Moderate income household" means a household in which the gross household income is equal to more than 50% but less than 80% of the median gross household income for households of the same size within the region in which the housing is located. L.1989, c.68, s.1. 52:27D-126e Waiving of construction permit, enforcing agency fees for certain construction projects to benefit persons with disabilities. 1. a. Notwithstanding the provisions of the "State Uniform Construction Code Act," P.L.1975, c.217 (C.52:27D-119 et seq.), or any rules, regulations, or standards adopted pursuant thereto to the contrary, the governing body of any municipality which has appointed an enforcing agency pursuant to the provisions of section 8 of P.L.1975, c.217 (C.52:27D-126) may, by ordinance, provide that no person shall be charged a construction permit surcharge fee or enforcing agency fee for any construction, reconstruction, alteration or improvement designed and undertaken solely to promote accessibility by persons with disabilities to an existing public or private structure or any of the facilities contained therein. The ordinance may further provide that a person with a disability, or a parent or sibling of a person with a disability, shall not be required to pay any municipal fee or charge in order to secure a construction permit for any construction, reconstruction, alteration or improvement which promotes accessibility to the person's own living unit. For the purposes of this subsection, " person with a disability" means a person who has the total and permanent inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental disability, including blindness, and shall include, but not be limited to, any resident of this State who has a disability as defined pursuant to the federal Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. s.416), or the federal Railroad Retirement Act of 1974 (45 U.S.C. s.231 et seq.), or is rated as having a 60 percent disability or higher pursuant to any federal law administered by the United States Veterans' Administration. For purposes of this paragraph "blindness" means central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with the use of a correcting lens. An eye which is accompanied by a limitation in the fields of vision such that the widest diameter of the visual field subtends an angle no greater than 20 degrees shall be considered as having a central visual acuity of 20/200 or less. b. (1) Notwithstanding the provisions of the "State Uniform Construction Code Act," P.L.1975, c.217 (C.52:27D-119 et seq.) or any rules, regulations or standards adopted pursuant thereto to the contrary, the governing body of any municipality which has appointed an enforcing agency pursuant to the provisions of section 8 of P.L.1975, c.217 (C.52:27D-126) shall not charge a person who has a service-connected disability declared by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, or its successor, to be a total or 100 percent permanent disability that would entitle them to a property tax exemption under section 1 of P.L.1948, c.259 (C.54:4-3.30) or a spouse, parent, sibling, or guardian of the veteran with a disability, a construction permit surcharge fee or enforcing agency fee for any construction, reconstruction, alteration, or improvement designed and undertaken solely to promote accessibility by the veteran with a disability to the veteran's own living unit. (2) A municipality that has granted an exemption from a construction permit surcharge fee or enforcing agency fee pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection may apply to the Department of Community Affairs, in accordance with rules and regulations promulgated by the Commissioner of Community Affairs for this purpose, for reimbursement of those exempt fees. L.1989, c.223, s.1; amended 1996, c.92, s.1; 2015, c.273; 2017, c.131, s.193. 52:27D-126f Definitions relative to testing, inspecting elevator devices; alternative testing; rules, regulations; review, analysis. 1. a. As used in this section: "Elevator device" means a hoisting and lowering device equipped with a car or platform which moves in guides for the transportation of individuals or freight in a substantially vertical direction through successive floors or levels of a building or structure. The term includes, without limitation, elevators, dumbwaiters, wheelchair lifts, manlifts, stairway chairlifts and any device within the scope of ASME A17.1 (Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators) or ASME A90.1 (Safety Standard for Belt Manlifts), except escalators and moving walks. It shall not include any conveyor devices that are process equipment. "Qualified elevator device inspection firm" means any entity, whether a sole proprietorship, partnership, association or corporation, that is engaged in the business of inspecting, testing, installing, maintaining or repairing elevator devices, or the business of inspecting and testing elevator devices, is registered for those purposes with the Department of Community Affairs, and employs at least one qualified elevator device inspector. "Qualified elevator device inspector" means any person who is employed by a qualified elevator device inspection firm and who is licensed by the Department of Community Affairs to conduct the routine, periodic and acceptance inspections and tests of elevator devices required pursuant to the provisions of the "State Uniform Construction Code Act," P.L.1975, c.217 (C.52:27D-119 et seq.). b. No elevator devices which, under the provisions of the "State Uniform Construction Code Act," P.L.1975, c.217 (C.52:27D-119 et seq.), are subject to routine, periodic and acceptance inspections and tests by the local enforcing agency or the Department of Community Affairs shall be subject to such inspections and tests, nor shall the owner of the structure be charged any fees therefor, if those elevator devices are subjected to acceptance testing and are routinely and periodically inspected and tested by a qualified elevator device inspection firm, and the owner has registered each such elevator device with the Department of Community Affairs and has indicated in the registration application form, or in a supplement to that form, the identity of the qualified elevator device inspection firm that has been given responsibility for inspection and testing of the elevator device. The inspections and tests, including the frequency thereof, conducted by a qualified elevator device inspector shall be in accordance with such rules and regulations as the Commissioner of Community Affairs may prescribe pursuant to the "State Uniform Construction Code Act," P.L.1975, c.217 (C.52:27D-119 et seq.) and subsection e. of this section. Acceptance testing and the five-year test shall be witnessed by the local enforcing agency or the Department of Community Affairs in accordance with such rules and regulations as the Commissioner of Community Affairs may prescribe pursuant to the "State Uniform Construction Code Act," P.L.1975, c.217 (C.52:27D-119 et seq.) and subsection e. of this section. No qualified elevator device inspector shall act in that capacity when his work on the elevator device is the work being inspected. c. If, upon inspection or test, a qualified elevator device inspector shall find that an elevator device is in a dangerous condition, or if there is an immediate hazard to persons riding on or using any such device, the inspector shall immediately prohibit any further use of the device and shall so notify in writing the owner and the local enforcing agency or Department of Community Affairs, as the case may be. The device shall remain out of service until such time as the inspector shall certify in writing that the dangerous condition or immediate hazard has been removed or corrected and that the device is safe for public use. If the local enforcing agency or the department shall determine, in response to a complaint or otherwise, that an elevator device is in a dangerous condition or that there is an immediate hazard to persons riding on or using that device, the local enforcing agency or the department may require the owner of the elevator device to make such repairs as may be necessary, or take other corrective action, within such time as the local enforcing agency or the department, as the case may be, shall prescribe. d. Any qualified elevator device inspector or qualified elevator device inspection firm violating the provisions of this section shall be subject to a penalty in accordance with section 20 of P.L.1975, c.217 (C.52:27D-138) and shall also be subject to suspension or revocation by the Department of Community Affairs of licensure or registration as a qualified elevator device inspector or qualified elevator device inspection firm, as the case may be. e. The Commissioner of Community Affairs, in accordance with the provisions of the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), shall promulgate rules and regulations to effectuate the purposes of this act. The rules and regulations shall provide for, but not be limited to, the qualifications for licensing of qualified elevator device inspectors, the registration of qualified elevator device inspection firms, the manner and form of licensure and registration, the fee for each such license or registration, the manner in which test results pursuant to this act are to be recorded, and minimum liability insurance requirements for qualified elevator device inspection firms, for which proof thereof shall be provided by the firms to the department. License and registration fees shall be designed to cover, but not exceed, the actual costs the department shall incur in administering the provisions of this act. f. The Department of Community Affairs shall conduct a review and perform an analysis of the impact on the safety record of elevator devices in this State as a result of the implementation of this section. The review and analysis shall be performed biennially. A written report of the results of the review and analysis shall be submitted to the Governor and the Legislature, with the first report submitted within 48 months following the effective date of P.L.1997, c.336 (C.52:27D-126f). L.1997,c.336,s.1.

This is the verbatim text of N.J.S.A. 52:27D-126, retrieved from the New Jersey Legislature's public statute corpus. Statutes are amended periodically — for the most current version, check the external source link above. Kyzer is not a law firm and this page is not legal advice.