NJ A1174

Municipalities must maintain an annual registry of all abandoned properties including tax block/lot numbers, addresses, owners, and rehabilitation efforts, and submit this registry to the Division of Local Government Services for inclusion in a searchable statewide database

Property is considered "abandoned" if unoccupied for six months and exhibits at least two conditions such as overgrown vegetation, disconnected utilities, accumulated debris, boarded windows, or building code violations

Municipalities must send quarterly notices to abandoned property owners requiring them to document rehabilitation efforts from the prior 12 months; failure to respond or provide accurate information can trigger a special tax sale

Municipalities may impose annual fees on abandoned property owners to cover registry and notification costs, with unpaid fees becoming liens collectible like property taxes

Municipalities that fail to comply with registry maintenance and owner notification requirements will be ineligible for Energy Tax Receipts Property Tax Relief Aid, Consolidated Municipal Property Tax Relief Aid, and Transitional Aid to Localities