SENATE, No. 1444
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator TROY SINGLETON
District 7 (Burlington)
Senator BENJIE E. WIMBERLY
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senator Stack
SYNOPSIS
Prohibits sewerage authority from imposing connection fee in certain circumstances.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As reported by the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee on November 10, 2025, with amendments.
An Act concerning certain sewerage authority connection fees and supplementing P.L.1946, c.138 (C.40:14A-1 et seq.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 8 of P.L.1946, c.138 (C.40:14A-8) or any other provision of law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, a sewerage authority shall not impose a new connection fee or tapping fee upon the owner or occupant of property that is being redeveloped if the property has been connected to the sewerage system for 20 or more years.
1(1)1 This exclusion shall apply regardless of whether 1[:
(1)]1 the property has 1[not]1 been in active use for a period of time since initial connection to the sewerage system 1[; or] .1
(2) 1[redevelopment of the property proposes an] Notwithstanding paragraph (1) of this subsection, this exclusion shall not apply, and a sewerage authority shall be permitted to impose a new connection fee or tapping fee upon the owner or occupant, if the fee is imposed for the purpose of a proposed1 addition, alteration, or change of use to the property, 1[even if the] including a1 proposed addition, alteration, or change of use 1that1 requires a modification and relocation of an existing connection to the sewerage system.
b. As used in this section, the terms "redeveloped" and "redevelopment" shall not be limited to redevelopment projects authorized under the "Local Redevelopment and Housing Law," P.L.1992, c.79 (C.40A:12A-1 et seq.).
c. If prior to the date of enactment of this act a sewerage authority imposed a new connection fee or tapping fee that is not authorized under this section, and the owner or occupant of the property paid the fee under protest, the authority shall reimburse the amount paid to the owner or occupant.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.