Edison Township adopted a vacant and abandoned property registration ordinance requiring owners to register currently vacant properties within 60 days and new vacancies within 30 days. Registration fees escalate from $1,000 (year 1) to $2,000 (year 2) to $3,000 (year 3+). Failure to comply carries fines of $500 to $2,500 per day.
Edison's vacant-property registration ordinance was adopted to combat blight associated with foreclosed, abandoned, and long-vacant houses and commercial buildings. The ordinance requires the owner (or mortgagee in possession) of any property meeting the township's vacancy criteria to register the property with the township, pay the annual registration fee, provide a local property manager with 24-hour contact information, and maintain the property to township standards. The escalating fee schedule - $1,000 for the first year, $2,000 for the second year, and $3,000 for the third and subsequent years - is designed to push owners toward sale, rehabilitation, or demolition rather than indefinite vacancy. The 60-day grace period applies to properties that were already vacant when the ordinance was adopted; new vacancies must be registered within 30 days. Maintenance obligations layer on top of Chapter 15 Property Maintenance - lawn must be mown, snow shoveled, openings secured, and exterior maintained in a condition consistent with the surrounding neighborhood. Failure to comply triggers daily fines of $500 - $2,500, which are assessed as liens against the property and become collectible on tax sale. Edison joins a growing number of New Jersey municipalities using N.J.S.A. 55:19-78 et seq. authority to create local vacant-property registries.
Non-registration: $500 - $2,500 per day, each day a separate violation. Fines become liens on the property. Continuing failure can trigger summary abatement (Edison can mow, board, and clean at owner expense) and ultimately tax foreclosure or N.J.S.A. 55:19-83 abandoned-property litigation.
Edison, NJ
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See how Edison's property blight rules stack up against other locations.
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