(A) Use group annual inspections and fees. In addition to the inspection and fees required pursuant to the Act and the regulations of the Department of Community Affairs, the following additional annual inspections and fees shall be required for non-life hazards:
(1) Business.
USE GROUP | DESCRIPTION | ANNUAL FEE |
USE GROUP | DESCRIPTION | ANNUAL FEE |
B1 | Business establishments having a gross floor area of 500 square feet or less | $75 |
B2 | Business establishments having a gross floor area of 501 square feet or more but less than 3,500 square feet | $125 |
B3 | Business establishments having a gross floor area of 3,501 square feet or more but less than 7,500 square feet | $175 |
B4 | Business establishments having a gross floor area of 7,501 square feet or more but less than 12,000 square feet | $225 |
B5 | Business establishments having a gross floor area of 12,001 square feet or more but less than 24,000 square feet | $375 |
B6 | Business establishments having a gross floor area of 24,001 square feet or more but less than 48,000 square feet | $550 |
B7 | Business establishments having a gross floor area of 48,001 square feet or more | $900 |
B8 | Business/Multi. Multiple business occupancy shall include all buildings and structures or parts thereof which are used for the purposes that meet the requirements of use group B and which comprise a multiplicity of rooms, suites or areas to accommodate multiple business occupancies, not to exceed 30 in number, which are rented from a common owner. The owner, who shall control access to all areas, shall provide basic services as are needed for the tenants to conduct their business, at their option. These services may include but are not limited to clerical, phone answering, and message taking, photocopying and reproduction, mail services, security and secretarial and stenographers. | $500 |
(2) Mercantile.
USE GROUP | DESCRIPTION | ANNUAL FEE |
M1 | Mercantile establishments having a gross floor area of 500 square feet or less | $75 |
M2 | Mercantile establishments having a gross floor area of 501 square feet or more but less than 3,500 square feet | $125 |
M3 | Mercantile establishments having a gross floor area of 3,501 square feet or more but less than 7,500 square feet | $200 |
M4 | Mercantile establishments having a gross floor area of 7,501 square feet or more but less than 12,000 square feet | $250 |
(3) Factory.
USE GROUP | DESCRIPTION | ANNUAL FEE |
F1 | Factories having a gross floor area of less than 12,000 square feet | $350 |
F2 | Factories having a gross floor area of 12,001 square feet or more but less than 24,000 square feet | $550 |
F3 | Factories having a gross floor area of 24,001 square feet or more but less than 48,000 square feet | $800 |
F4 | Factories having a gross floor area of 48,001 square feet or more | $1,000 |
(4) Storage.
USE GROUP | DESCRIPTION | ANNUAL FEE |
S1 | Building used for storage with a gross floor area of less than 3,500 square feet | $225 |
S2 | Building used for storage with a gross floor area of 3,501 square feet or more but less than 7,500 square feet | $350 |
S3 | Building used for storage with a gross floor area of 7,501 square feet or more but less than 12,000 square feet | $450 |
S4 | Building used for storage with a gross floor area of 12,001 square feet or more but less than 24,000 square feet | $550 |
S5 | Building used for storage with a gross floor area of 24,001 square feet or more but less than 48,000 square feet | $750 |
S6 | Building used for storage with a gross floor area of 48,001 square feet or more | $1,000 |
(5) Residential.
R1 | Apartments and condominiums (common areas only) | $15/unit |
(6) Fee exempt buildings. All government buildings, including fire stations, EMS stations, police stations, etc. (but excluding meeting halls, rental halls, social halls, and common areas) that are not classified as a life hazard use shall have their fees waived.
(B) Fire safety use groups defined. For the purposes of uniformity, use groups of all buildings contained in this section of this chapter shall be defined using the 2006 Edition of the International Construction Code. Such buildings shall be subject to the registration and periodic inspection requirements established by this chapter. Where two or more life safety uses exist at the same building or premises, each one shall be considered as separate and distinct for the purposes of this chapter and shall be registered pursuant to the provisions of this chapter.
(C) Doubtful fire safety use classification. When a building or structure is not specifically classified within a fire safety use group, such building shall be included in the fire safety use group it most nearly resembles in respect to the existing life and fire hazard. It shall also be classified by the Fire Official.
(D) Vacant buildings. The annual inspection and fee for all vacant buildings shall be in accordance with the previous use of the building.
(E) Required inspections. All fire safety uses shall be inspected annually for compliance with the provisions of this chapter and the Uniform Fire Safety Act.[1] When in the opinion of the Fire Official there exist conditions likely to cause fire, contribute to the spread of fire, interfere with fire-fighting operation, endanger life or violate the provisions or intent of this chapter, additional inspections may be made as often as necessary for the purpose of ascertaining these conditions and causing them to be corrected.
[1]
Editor’s Note:
See N.J.S.A. 52.27D-192 et seq.
(F) Payment of fees. The owner of the building is responsible to register and pay the fee for buildings containing common or public areas. The tenant/occupant is responsible to register and pay the fee for the space occupied by the tenant/occupant. All registrations will be for a period of one year and are not subject to a refund or proration, and are non-transferable.
(G) Registration of buildings and annual fees.
(1) Every owner or tenant/occupant subject to this section shall file with the local enforcing agency, using forms provided by the local enforcing agency, for certification or registration. The application shall include but not be limited to the name, address and telephone number of the applicant; name, address and telephone number of the business; description of the business; the name, address and telephone number of the person responsible for the business; and emergency contact information as requested.
(2) If the owner or tenant/occupant subject to this chapter fails to complete the registration within 30 days of the date on which it was mailed, the local enforcing agency shall order the owner or tenant/occupant to pay a penalty equal to double the scheduled registration fee.
(3) Every owner or tenant/occupant subject to this chapter shall pay the local enforcing agency an annual registration fee in the amount specified in this chapter. Said annual registration fee shall be paid by the date specified in the invoice, which shall in no event be less than 30 days from the date on which it was mailed.
(H) Enforcement. If any annual registration fee or any penalty for non-registration is not paid within 30 days of its stated due date, the same may be sued for and recovered by and in the name of the local enforcing agency in a civil action by a summary proceeding under the Penalty Enforcement Law (N.J.S.A. 2A:58-1 et seq.)[2] in the Township Municipal Court.
[2]
Editor’s Note:
N.J.S.A. 2A:58-1 was repealed by P.L. 1999, c. 274, §4. See now N.J.S.A. 2A:58-10 et seq.
(I) Other fees.
(1) Fire incident/investigation, EMS reports.
(a) An administrative fee shall be charged to any entity requesting reproduction of a fire incident or fire investigative report, which is or is not classified a public document under the New Jersey Open Public Records Act, and shall be handled in accordance with OPRA regulations and fees.
(b) Exception. Any township resident or business owner will be entitled to reproductions of any of the above referenced reports for incidents in which they are directly involved, at no cost.
(2) Certificate of Fire Code status. As per Section 5:70-2.2(e) (N.J.A.C. 5:70-2.2(e)) of the Uniform Fire Code, any request for a certificate of Fire Code status shall be: $25.
(3) Returned check fees. Any returned check shall cost $35 or the actual costs of recovery, whichever is higher.
(4) Fire watch. Any business required to provide a fire watch, who is unable to perform them as defined by the policies of the Township Fire Department, or requests the use of Fire Department personnel to perform the fire watch, the cost shall be $85 per hour per firefighter assigned. At any time the Fire Official shall determine the number of people required to perform an adequate fire watch that conforms with the policies of the department.
(5) Exclusive fire safety training.
(a) Fire safety training beyond the normal scope and delivery of fire safety programs administered by the Township Fire Department, that is requested for the compliance with governmental regulation, including but not limited to fire extinguisher, evacuation planning and hazardous materials training shall be compensated at the rate of $150 per hour.
(b) The use of any props or consumables by the Fire Department in any training provided shall be reimbursed by the requesting party at actual costs, or costs as set forth by the Fire Department in advance.
(6) Civil court appearance and depositions. Any employee or volunteer member of the Township Fire Department subpoenaed to testify in civil court or at a deposition shall appear and compensation to the Township Fire Department shall be made as follows: $150 per hour, with a minimum four-hour block and $0.53 per mile plus tolls for distances exceeding 25 miles.
(7) Investigative conferences and meetings. Any uninterrupted one hour conference at the Township Fire Department Stations, on site, or at a location designated by the requestor shall be set forth as follows: $85 per hour.
(8) Hazardous materials.
(a) All expenditures for providing hazardous materials mitigation supplied by the Township Fire Department will be the responsibility of the entity responsible and/or the owner of the property. Such costs will be itemized and reviewed by the Director of Emergency Services prior to the invoice being sent to the responsible party and/or owner. The cost shall not exceed the estimated cost of providing the service. Once an invoice is received by an entity, payment shall be made in full within 60 days. Failure to pay within 60 days will result in the responsible party being liable for a further penalty upon conviction for nonpayment in Municipal Court. The penalty upon conviction is $100 for each offense.
(9) Cost of suppression. If the origin and cause of a fire results from a violation of the Uniform Fire Safety Act[3] previously cited by the Fire Official or an employee designated to do so, the owner/occupant shall be responsible for the cost of the fire suppression.
[3] Editor’s Note:
See N.J.S.A. 52:27D-192 et seq.
(10) Site plan/subdivision plan reviews. All plan reviews shall be subject to a fee of $100 for each review.
(11) After hours inspections.
(a) The regular business hours of the Fire Prevention Bureau are 8:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. The following fee schedule shall be implemented for after-hours inspections where inspections are requested to be performed after regular business hours. The Fire Official may dictate after hours inspections at his/her discretion in order to inspect businesses who typically conduct a large portion of their business after normal hours, to inspect the businesses under normal operating conditions.
(b) Fees.
Hours | Amount |
1 or less | $150 |
1 to 4 hours | $300 |
4 to 8 hours | $500 |
(12) Fire Department event stand-by (Fire or EMS).
(a) The Township Fire Department is the exclusive provider of fire and EMS services for the township, any business required to provide a stand-by for an event, or where a request for the use of Fire Department personnel to stand-by, the cost shall be in accordance with the Fire Department stand-by fee schedule as assigned with a minimum of four personnel for a fire apparatus and a minimum of two personnel for an ambulance. All requests will be upon approval by the Township Fire Department and upon their availability to fulfill the request. Requests for an individual firefighter or EMT for an event shall be approved on a case by case basis upon determination by the Fire Department.
(b) Any time a stand-by is required by the Fire Official as part of a permit for an event, the Township Fire Department shall provide those services at the fees set forth in their stand-by fee schedule. The use of outside vendors or companies to provide fire or EMS services is prohibited.
(Ord. 312-17, passed 12-27-17)