Wood Ridge City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XI
Administration and Enforcement
§ 530-86 Zoning Officer designated.
A.
The Zoning Officer of the Borough of Wood-Ridge and any Deputy, Assistant, or Special Assistant Zoning Officers, respectively, are hereby designated and authorized by the Mayor and Borough Council to administer and enforce all the provisions of this chapter.
[Amended 4-17-2024 by Ord. No. 2024-8]
B.
In no case shall a permit be granted for the construction or alteration of any building where the proposed construction, alteration or use would be in violation of any provision of this chapter.
C.
It shall be the duty of the Zoning Officer to cause any new buildings, plans or premises to be inspected or examined and to order in writing to the owner that any condition be remedied which is found to exist in violation of any provisions of this chapter. He shall have the right to enter any building or premises during the daytime in the course of his duties. A copy of each such report shall be filed with the Borough Council.
D.
All members of the Borough Police Department, licensed officials and inspectors and certified technical assistants of the Borough Construction Code Office, licensed officials and inspectors of the Fire Prevention Bureau, all Property Maintenance Code Enforcement Officers, including all deputies or assistants thereof, and the Borough Engineer, respectively, are hereby designated as Special Assistant Zoning Officers for the purposes of assisting the Zoning Officer and enforcing the provisions of this chapter, pursuant to the supervision and direction of the Zoning Officer.
[Added 4-17-2024 by Ord. No. 2024-8]
§ 530-87 Building permits.
Every application for a building permit shall be accompanied by proof that all municipal taxes have been paid, three sets of plans drawn in ink or blueprint and showing the actual shape and dimensions of the lot to be built upon, the exact location, size and height of the buildings and accessory buildings existing and proposed, and the lines within which the building or structure is to be erected or altered, the existing or intended use of each building or part of a building, the number of families or dwelling units the building is designed to accommodate, the number and location of off-street parking spaces and off-street loading areas and other such information with regard to the lot and neighboring lots as may be necessary to determine and provide for the enforcement of this chapter. One copy of the plans shall be returned to the owner when the plans shall have been approved by the Zoning Officer together with such permits as may be granted. All dimensions shown on these plans relating to the location and size of the lot to be built upon shall be based on an actual survey of the lot by a licensed land surveyor in the State of New Jersey. The lot and the location of the building thereon shall be staked out on the grounds before construction is started. No building permit shall be issued for any new building located in a subdivision unless that subdivision is duly approved by the Planning Board in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 335, Land Subdivision and Site Plan Review. The provisions contained in this section are in no way intended to conflict with the obligations of the Zoning Officer as the same are more particularly set forth in the Uniform Construction Code and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.[1]
§ 530-88 Certificates of occupancy; fees for certificates of continued occupancy.
A.
It shall be unlawful for any person to use or permit the use of any building or part thereof hereafter erected, altered, converted or enlarged wholly or in part until a certificate of occupancy, applied for at the time of application for a building permit, shall have been issued by the Zoning Officer. The certificate shall show that the building or part of a building and the proposed use thereof conform to the requirements of this chapter. It shall be the duty of the Zoning Officer to issue a certificate of occupancy only when he is satisfied that all municipal taxes have been paid and the building or part of a building and the proposed use thereof conform to the provisions of this chapter and all other applicable codes and ordinances of the Borough of Wood-Ridge. Such certificates of occupancy shall be granted or denied, in writing, within 10 days from the date a written application is filed with the Zoning Officer. A certificate of continued occupancy shall also be required prior to reoccupancy of a vacated existing building other than an owner-occupied residential structure.[1]
B.
Should the Zoning Officer decline to issue a certificate of occupancy or of continued occupancy, his reasons for doing so shall be so stated on one copy of the application and that copy returned to the applicant.
C.
Upon written request from an owner or tenant, the Zoning Officer shall issue a certificate of continued occupancy for any building or use of land existing on August 19, 1982, certifying, after general inspection of the visible parts of the building, the extent and kind of use made of the building and whether such use appears to conform to the provisions of this chapter.
D.
The Zoning Officer may issue a conditional certificate of occupancy for a use of land or a building which is related to the development of a permitted use of property. Such permits may be issued for a period of one month, and no more than one one-month extension may be granted. The reasons for the issuance of such conditional certificate shall be stated on the face of the said certificate of occupancy.
E.
Upon the serving of notice of any violation of any of the provisions or requirements of this chapter, with respect to any building or use thereof or of land, as provided in Article XII of this chapter, the certificate of occupancy for such use shall thereupon, without further action, be null and void, and a new certificate of occupancy shall be required for any further use of such building or land.
F.
A monthly report of the certificates of occupancy shall be filed with the Tax Assessor. A record of all building permits and certificates of occupancy shall be kept in the office of the Zoning Officer, and copies shall be furnished upon request to any person having a proprietary or tenancy interest in the building or land affected. The charge for each copy shall be $10, except that there shall be no charge to a municipal agency.
G.
The provisions contained in these subsections are in no way intended to conflict with the obligations of the Zoning Officer as same are more particularly set forth in the Uniform Construction Code and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.[2]
H.
Certificate of continued occupancy fees shall be as follows:
[Added 10-16-1995 by Ord. No. 95-15; amended 8-8-2000 by Ord. No. 2000-18; 2-26-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-1; 12-4-2012 by Ord. No. 2012-15]