Toms River, NJ Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcer
- Code Enforcement Officer
- Hearing body
- Township Council
- Petition threshold
- 5 residents or public authority
- Remedy
- Repair, vacate, or demolish order
- Cost recovery
- Municipal lien on property
Summary
Toms River Township can order the repair, vacating, or demolition of any building so dilapidated, unsafe, or unsanitary that it's unfit for human habitation, under Chapter 228.
It is hereby found and declared that the existence or occupation of any building or buildings or parts thereof in this municipality which are so old, dilapidated or have become so out of repair as to be dangerous, unsafe, unsanitary or otherwise unfit for human habitation or occupancy or use is inimical to the welfare and dangerous and injurious to the health and safety of the people of this municipality and this state and that a public necessity exists for the repair, closing or demolition of such building or buildings or parts thereof.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4954830; v33 updated 2026-04-22; through 04-22-2026).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 228 lets the Code Enforcement Officer investigate complaints, from a public authority or at least five residents, about a dilapidated, structurally defective, or unsanitary building. After notice and a Township Council hearing, the Council can order the owner to repair, alter, or vacate the building, or, if it's dangerous to health and safety, to remove or demolish it. If the owner doesn't comply, the Township may do the work itself and place a municipal lien on the property for the cost, recorded with the Ocean County Clerk.
Violations & Fines
Owners who ignore a repair or demolition order face township-performed remediation billed back as a municipal lien on the property; Chapter 228 itself sets no separate fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Toms River Township force me to fix or tear down a dangerous building?
What if I don't comply with a demolition order?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Toms River
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Property Blight in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle property blight.