STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 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
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
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) This exclusion shall apply regardless of whether the property has been in active use for a period of time since initial connection to the sewerage system.
(2) 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 proposed addition, alteration, or change of use to the property, including a proposed addition, alteration, or change of use that 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.
STATEMENT
This bill would encourage redevelopment of obsolete or vacant property by prohibiting a sewerage authority from imposing a new connection fee if the property being redeveloped was previously connected to the sewerage system for 20 or more years. This exclusion applies although the property has not been in active use for a period of time since initial connection to the sewerage system.
The bill provides that the exclusion does not apply, and a sewerage authority is 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 proposed addition, alteration, or change of use to the property, including a proposed addition, alteration, or change of use that requires a modification and relocation of an existing connection to the sewerage system.
The bill requires a sewage authority to reimburse the fee for a new connection, paid in protest by the owner or occupant of the property, which was imposed by the authority prior to the effective date of the bill.