[Amended 12-16-2016 by Ord. No. 31-2019]
A. Upon the occurrence of any violation by an occupant of a residential rental premises within the Town of Hammonton or their invitees, guests and/or their pets which results in the issuance of a written warning or summons to those individuals, the landlord or owner of the property shall be placed on notice by receiving written notification of said violation via certified mail, return receipt requested, from the person so designated by Town Council to forward said notice. Said notice shall generally inform the landlord and/or owner of the nature of the violation and the date upon which said violation occurred. Said notice shall also require the landlord to provide the tenant with notice via certified mail, return receipt requested, or by personal delivery to cease said behavior and to provide the designated municipal official with proof that it has done so. Said notice shall also state that a second violation by the tenant of this Article shall result in said landlord and/or owner being cited and otherwise charged with a violation of this Article, which may result in a hearing on said violation to be heard in the Town of Hammonton Municipal Court.
B. Upon a tenant receiving a second warning/summons (notice of which shall also be provided via certified mail, return receipt requested, to landlord), then said landlord and/or owner may be cited for violation of this article and noticed for a hearing to be held in the Town of Hammonton Municipal Court unless the landlord provides proof within 30 days that it has commenced and in good faith prosecuted an action for eviction in Landlord/Tenant Court. The Municipal Court action shall be stayed pending conclusion of the eviction action, the results of which shall be provided to the Town's designated representative within five days of conclusion by the landlord/owner providing a written certification to the Town of the final resolution. The landlord's provision of such proof shall result in a dismissal of the action hereunder, regardless of the outcome in Landlord/Tenant Court, assuming same was prosecuted by the landlord to conclusion, but shall not relieve landlord of its obligation to file a future eviction action in the event of a subsequent violation of this article by the same tenant.
C. For purposes of determining the number of warning/summons received by any tenant, the said Tenant shall be relieved of one violation/summons for each twelve-month period in which that tenant receives no warning or summons.