ASSEMBLY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND WOMEN'S AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 3555

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  May 05, 2025

      The Assembly Community Development and Women's Affairs Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Assembly Bill No. 3555.

      This bill requires pest inspections prior to certain building demolitions in order to prevent the infestations from migrating to adjacent buildings.

      The bill requires a local health officer or employee of a local health agency, or a commercial pesticide applicator certified by the State Department of Environmental Protection for general and household pest control, to inspect certain buildings for pest infestation before the demolition. The local health officer, local health agency employee, or pesticide applicator is required to issue a certification indicating whether the building contains a pest infestation within or on the perimeter of the building that places any closely-situated building at risk for infestation. 

      If a severe pest presence exists in the building to be demolished, the local health officer, local health agency employee, or pesticide applicator is required to ensure that extermination takes place prior to issuing the certification.

      The bill as amended requires the inspection to be conducted no earlier than 60 days prior to the issuance of the construction permit for demolition.  The certification is to be filed with the construction official before a construction permit can be issued.  Any certification that is issued by a pesticide applicator is to be filed with the local health officer and the construction official, no later than five days before the construction permit is issued.  At any time before construction permit is issued, the local health officer may disapprove of the pesticide applicator’s certification, and require a new inspection and new extermination to be conducted before a construction permit is issued.

      Under the bill, no certification is required prior to demolition if: (1) no other building exists that is located within 10 feet of the building to be demolished, and is on a different property; or (2) the construction official determines that an immediate danger is posed by a structurally unsafe building.   

      The construction permit applicant is responsible for the cost of any inspection and certification, and the cost of any extermination or mitigation measures required under the bill.  

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amended the bill to:

      (1) define “local health officer” and “local health agency”;

      (2) clarify that a certification and associated inspection, and any required extermination, is not required under the bill for the demolition of a building for which no closely-situated building exists within 10 feet of the building to be demolished; or if the construction official determines that an immediate danger is posed by the potential collapse of a structurally unsafe building;

      (3) clarify that the inspection is required 60 days, rather than two months, prior to the issuance of a construction permit; and

      (4) make other clarifying and technical changes to the bill.