Establishes standards for housing of seasonal farm workers.

A2417

ASSEMBLY, No. 2417

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman TENNILLE R. MCCOY

District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes standards for housing of seasonal farm
workers.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.

��

An Act
concerning seasonal farm housing and supplementing
P.L.1975, c.217 (C.52:27D-119 et seq.).�

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� a.� The commissioner
shall adopt, pursuant to section 5 of the �State Uniform Construction Code
Act,� P.L.1975, c.217 (C.52:27D-123) and the �Administrative Procedure Act,�
P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), rules and regulations establishing
standards applicable exclusively to seasonal farm labor housing, in accordance
with the provisions of this section.�

���� (1)� Seasonal farm labor
housing shall not be occupied for more than 180 days in a year unless the
housing meets standards established in the State Uniform Construction Code for
non-seasonal, permanent housing.�

���� (2)� Each sleeping place in
seasonal farm labor housing shall be located on the first floor.�

���� (3)� Seasonal farm labor
housing shall have an occupant load limit of 50 people, which may be increased
to 100 people if egress doors are positioned, not more than 75 feet apart,
around the building perimeter.�

���� (4)� Seasonal farm labor
housing shall have not less than two means of egress from the building.�

���� (5)� Seasonal farm labor
housing shall be equipped with hard-wired, interconnected smoke alarms.�

���� (6)� Hard-wired carbon
monoxide alarms shall be installed if a fuel-burning appliance is within the
seasonal farm labor housing, or if garage facilities are attached to the
building.�

���� (7)� A fire extinguisher shall
be located within 50 feet of any point within seasonal farm labor housing.�

���� (8)� Cooking operations shall
not be conducted within seasonal farm labor housing unless the cooking
operations are protected by a hood that is in compliance with the mechanical
subcode of the State Uniform Construction Code.�

���� (9)� Temporary or permanent
bathroom facilities shall be located within 200 feet of seasonal farm labor
housing.�

���� (10)� The owner or operator of
seasonal farm labor housing shall obtain a certificate of occupancy, pursuant
to section 15 of P.L.1975, c.217 (C.52:27D-133), for the building on an annual
basis.�

���� b.��� As used in this section:

���� �Seasonal farm labor housing�
means a building consisting of housing or sleeping places provided to seasonal
workers as part of a �farm labor camp,� as defined in section 2 of P.L.1945,
c.71 (C.34:9A-2).�

���� �Seasonal worker� means the
same as that term is defined in section 2 of P.L.1945, c.71 (C.34:9A-2).

���� 2.��� On or before the first
day of the sixth month next following the enactment of P.L.��� , c.���
(C.������� ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), the Commissioner of
Community Affairs shall adopt rules and regulations, pursuant to the
�Administrative Procedure Act,� P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), to modify
the State Uniform Construction Code in accordance with P.L.��� , c.���
(C.������� ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).�

���� 3.��� This act shall take
effect on the first day of the sixth month next following enactment, except
that the Commissioner of Community Affairs may take such anticipatory action as
may be necessary to implement the provisions of P.L.��� , c.��� (C.������� ) (pending
before the Legislature as this bill).

STATEMENT

���� This bill would require the
Commissioner of Community Affairs (commissioner) to revise the State Uniform
Construction Code to establish certain standards applicable exclusively to
seasonal farm labor housing.� As used in the bill, �seasonal farm labor
housing� refers to a building consisting of housing or sleeping places provided
to seasonal workers as part of a farm labor camp, regulated pursuant to the
Seasonal Farm Labor Act, P.L.1945, c.71 (C.34:9A-1 et seq.).�

���� The bill requires the
standards established by the commissioner to be adopted by rule and regulation,
and requires that seasonal farm labor housing would:

1)

not be occupied for more than 180
days in a year unless the housing meets standards established in the State
Uniform Construction Code for non-seasonal, permanent housing;

2)

contain sleeping places exclusively
on the first floor;

3)

have an occupant load limit of 50
people, which may be increased to 100 people depending on the positioning of
egress doors;�

4)

have not less than two means of
egress;�

5)

be equipped with hard-wired,
interconnected smoke alarms;

6)

have hard-wired carbon monoxide
alarms installed if a fuel-burning appliance is within the building or if
garage facilities are attached;�

7)

have a fire extinguisher located
within 50 feet of any point in the building;�

8)

prohibit cooking operations unless
a hood fixture complies with the mechanical subcode;�

9)

have temporary or permanent
bathroom facilities located within 200 feet of the building; and

10)

��be required to obtain a
certificate of occupancy on an annual basis.�

���� The bill would take effect on
the first day of the sixth month next following enactment, except that the
commissioner would be permitted to take such anticipatory action as may be
necessary to implement the provisions of the bill.