Establishes Office of Interagency Cooperation in DCA to enhance local level code enforcement.

S4004

SENATE, No. 4004

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MARCH 19, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� ANGELA V. MCKNIGHT

District 31 (Hudson)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes Office of Interagency Cooperation in DCA
to enhance local level code enforcement.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act

establishing an Office of Interagency Cooperation
to enhance local level code enforcement 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.� As used in P.L.��� ,
c.��� (C.������� ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill):

���� �Bureau� means the Bureau of
State and Local Code Inspections in the Department of Community Affairs.�

���� �Commissioner� means the
Commissioner of Community Affairs.��

���� �Office� means the Office of
Interagency Cooperation.�

���� �Oversight board� or �board�
means the board that directs the work of the Office of Interagency Cooperation.�

���� �Strike team� means a group of
officials
identifying and addressing acute and
pervasive code enforcement issues.�

���� 2.��� a.� There is established
an Office of Interagency Cooperation under the Bureau of State and Local Code
Inspections in the Department of Community Affairs
to
identify and address acute and pervasive code enforcement issues under
the
State Uniform Construction Code or any other State or local housing or health
code or regulation
.

���� b
.��� The
work of the office,
established pursuant to
subsection a. of this section,
shall be directed by an oversight board,
which shall consist of: (1) one member appointed by the Governor; (2) one
member appointed by the Senate President; (3) one member appointed by the
Speaker of the General Assembly; and (4) two members appointed by the
commissioner from the bureau.�

���� Members of the oversight board
shall serve a term of four years, except for the initial legislative
appointees, who shall serve for two years.� Each member shall serve for the
term of appointment and until a successor is appointed.� A member may be reappointed
to the board.� A member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring in the membership
of the advisory board for any reason other than the expiration of the term
shall serve a term of appointment for the unexpired term only.� All vacancies
shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments.� Any appointed
member of the board may be removed from the board by the Governor, for cause,
after a hearing, and may be suspended by the Governor pending the completion of
the hearing.� Motions and resolutions may be adopted by the board at a board
meeting by an affirmative vote of not less than three members.

���� Members of the board shall
serve without compensation but shall be entitled to reimbursement for actual
expenses of serving on the board, to the extent that funds are available for
this purpose.

���� The board shall organize as
soon as possible after the appointment of its members.� The members shall
select a chair from among their number.

���� c.����
The oversight board may authorize the office
to establish strike
teams in any municipality in which the office identifies acute or
pervasive code enforcement issues.�

���� 3.��� a.� The office may enter
into data sharing agreements or memorandums of understanding with
municipalities to share pertinent information regarding acute or repeat
violators of the State Uniform Construction Code or any other State or local
housing or health code or regulation.�

���� b.��� The office shall
establish a data-sharing dashboard containing the contact information of repeat
violators of the State Uniform Construction Code or any other State or local
housing or health code or regulation and the addresses of buildings that have
repeatedly violated the State Uniform Construction Code or any other State or
local housing or health code or regulation.

���� c.���� The office shall
identify municipalities that require the formation of strike teams, and
recommend that the oversight board authorize the establishment of a strike team
to operate in that municipality.

���� 4.��� a.� A strike team
established by the office, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.��� , c.��� (C.�������
) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), shall coordinate with the office
as necessary to aid a municipality in its enforcement activities.�
�

���� b.���
Each
strike team established by the office shall consist of: (1) staff from the
Department of Community Affairs, (2) municipal code enforcement officials,
and (3) local public health enforcement officials, as determined
appropriate by the office.�

���� c.���� A strike team shall
conduct priority sweeps of any building in the municipality for which it was
formed that has been the subject of acute or repeat complaints.�

���� 5.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.�

STATEMENT

���� This bill establishes an
Office of Interagency Cooperation (office) under the Bureau of State and Local
Code Inspections in the Department of Community Affairs
to identify and address acute and pervasive code enforcement issues
under
the State Uniform Construction Code or any other State or local
housing or health code or regulation
.�
The
work of the office is
to be
directed by an
oversight board.� The oversight board is permitted to
authorize
the office
to establish strike teams in any municipality in which
the office identifies acute or pervasive code enforcement issues.�

���� The bill permits the office to
enter into data sharing agreements or memorandums of understanding with
municipalities to share pertinent information regarding acute or repeat
violators of the State Uniform Construction Code or any other State or local
housing or health code or regulation.� The bill requires the office to
establish a data-sharing dashboard containing information regarding repeat
violators and the related buildings.�

���� The bill requires the office to
identify municipalities that require the formation of strike teams, and
recommend that the oversight board authorize the establishment of a strike team
to operate in that municipality.� The bill requires a strike team to coordinate
with the office as necessary to aid a municipality in its enforcement
activities.� The bill requires a strike team to conduct priority sweeps of any
building in the municipality for which it was formed that has been the subject
of acute or repeat complaints.