20:4-4.1. Displacement by housing or construction code enforcement where owner liable for penalties; payment of relocation costs; lien; enforcement; appeal

a. In the case of any displacement of persons by housing or construction code enforcement, including any rehabilitation necessitated by that enforcement, in which the owner of the real property has, in any final court adjudication, been held liable for a civil or criminal penalty, all relocation costs incurred pursuant to sections 4 and 6 of P.L. 1971, c. 362 (C. 20:4-4 and 20:4-6) shall be paid by the owner of the real property to the public agency making relocation assistance payments upon presentation to the owner by the public agency of a statement of those relocation costs and of the date upon which the relocation costs are due and payable.

b. In the event that the relocation costs to be paid to a public agency with regard to any parcel of real property shall not be paid within 10 days after the date due, interest shall accrue and be due to the public agency on the unpaid balance at the rate of 18% per annum until the costs, and the interest thereon, shall be fully paid to the public agency.

c. In the event that the relocation costs to be paid to a public agency with regard to any parcel of real property shall not be paid within 10 days after the date due, the unpaid balance thereof and all interest accruing thereon shall be a lien on the parcel. To perfect the lien granted by this section, a statement showing the amount and due date of the unpaid balance and identifying the parcel, which identification may be sufficiently made by reference to the assessment map of the municipality, shall be recorded with the clerk or register of deeds and mortgages of the county in which the affected property is located, and upon recording, the lien shall have the priority of a mortgage lien. Whenever relocation costs with regard to the parcel and all interest accrued thereon shall have been fully paid to the public agency, the statement shall be promptly withdrawn or cancelled by the public agency.

d. The tax collector or other officer of every municipality charged by law with the duty of enforcing municipal liens on real property shall enforce, with and as any other municipal liens on real property in the municipality, all relocation costs and lien thereof shown in any statement filed with him by any public agency pursuant to subsection c. of this section, and shall deposit in the municipal treasury the sums realized upon enforcement or upon liquidation of any property acquired by the municipality by virtue of enforcement. If the public agency placing a lien is other than an agency of the municipality, the municipality shall forthwith pay over to that public agency the sums or a pro rata share of the sums realized upon enforcement or upon liquidation of any property acquired by the municipality by virtue of that enforcement.

e. The owner of any parcel of real property shall have the right to appeal the requirement that the owner pay the relocation costs incurred pursuant to section 4 and 6 of P.L. 1971, c. 362 (C. 20:4-4 and 20:4-6) on the grounds that the cause of the violations was outside his control and the abatement of code violations is economically unfeasible. Appeal shall be to the Superior Court, Law Division, in summary proceedings.

f. This section shall not require a municipality to enforce a lien for relocation costs with respect to any real property the title to which it has acquired and which has been transferred pursuant to a rehabilitation agreement.

L.1983, c. 536, s. 1, eff. Jan. 17, 1984.