Sponsored by:
Assemblyman RONALD S. DANCER
District 12 (Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Waives uniform fire safety code permit fees for places of worship with hospitality rooms for the homeless; provides grandfather exemption for certain places of worship with these rooms from newer code requirements.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning uniform fire safety code requirements for places of worship with hospitality rooms and supplementing P.L.1983, c.383 (C.52:27D-192 et seq.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. As used in this section:
“Hospitality room” means a room or space that is incidental to a religious use wherein 14 or fewer persons are provided shelter for 14 or fewer consecutive days for no more than 49 days in a year;
“Satisfactory inspection record” means, for a religious use with a hospitality room, having been determined by an enforcing agency to be in compliance with all the requirements of the uniform fire safety code in effect at the time of the most recent inspection preceding the effective date of this section, and having no penalties assessed under the uniform fire safety code within the five-year period preceding that effective date.
b. The owner of a religious use with a hospitality room shall be exempt from any fees for permits that are required pursuant to the uniform fire safety code.
c. A hospitality room with a satisfactory inspection record shall be exempt from any new requirements of the uniform fire safety code adopted on or after the effective date of this section.
2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall be retroactive to January 1, 2018.
STATEMENT
This bill would waive uniform fire safety code permit fees for places of worship with hospitality rooms for the homeless, and provide a grandfather exemption for these places from newer code requirements if they have a satisfactory fire safety inspection record. A satisfactory inspection record under the bill means a place of worship was determined to be in compliance with all uniform fire safety code requirements in effect at the time of the most recent fire safety inspection conducted prior to the bill’s effective date of January 1, 2018, and had no penalties under the code assessed against it during the five-year period preceding that date. Places of worship with a satisfactory inspection record would not be subject to any new uniform fire safety code requirements adopted on or after that date.
Places of worship with hospitality rooms play a critically important role in our communities by providing temporary shelter to the homeless. Undue fees and regulations can make it difficult for these places of worship to continue providing this valuable service, especially in light of the limited funding available to these places. It is the intent of the sponsor to help places of worship be able to continue this mission, while maintaining adequate fire safety protections, by waiving fire safety permit fees for these places, and by exempting those places with good fire safety track records from newer code requirements.