Edison, NJ Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

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.