Dear Alicia Jones, 
The Open Public Records Act deals with requests for readily identifiable
public records.  The custodian of records is not supposed to perform
research to determine which records exist rather to retrieve specific
named documents by the requestor.  
Yes, an email message with reference t o OPRA does count as a valid OPRA
Request however, your request for the following is not a valid request: 
"I would like to know if there are open construction permits or liens for
these properties. Also, I would like to know information regarding the
presence of an underground oil tank, if applicable, including permits,
remediation reports, environmental reports, and surveys showing
underground oil tank location.
176 N Livingston NJ 07039   BLOCK 1600   LOT 65" 
  It is unclear if you are looking for the building permit form, the
building permit application folder, or lists of building permits or other
types of permits.    
The "Construction Permit Summary Report" from our current building permit
tracking software SDL which shows only the permits listed under the
current block and lot number.   The "List of Applications" is from our
former software, Mitchell Humphreys Construction Project Manager and shows
the permits from 1997-June 2013.  Any permits that were closed out after
June 2013 will be closed in SDL and will show up on this report as open. 
The third report is the"Extract of Permits" which is a listing of all
building permits by street from 1946-1996. These three reports will list
all of the construction permits that we have on record. These three
records will also show if a permit was issued to remove, install or
remediate an oil tank.  Usually the surveys do not show if an oil tank is
present, as surveys show the property boundaries and location of
structures.
As for liens on the property you may request the "Lien Redemption
Calculation".  As a courtesy, I have asked the Tax Collector's office for
this document and they have advised that there are no liens on this
property. 
Please clarify your request to identify the specific records you seek.
Sincerely,
Renee Resky
Township Clerk's Office
Township of Livingston
357 S Livingston Ave
Livingston, NJ  07039
phone (973) 992-5000 ext 5405
fax (973) 535-7967
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