Building Permits & Blueprints for 24 Highview Terrace, Wharton, NJ, 07885 (Block 299, Lot 83)
Dear Jefferson Township,
Please accept this electronic request for public records made under OPRA and the common law right of access. I am not required to fill out an official form or use a particular software platform to submit my request per NJSA 47:1A-6(f), which states that an email from a requestor including all of the information required on the adopted form shall suffice in place of a completed form as a valid government record request.
I HAVE NOT been convicted of any indictable offense under the laws of New Jersey, any other state, or the United States.
I WILL NOT use the requested government records for a commercial purpose.
I AM NOT seeking records in connection with a legal proceeding.
Records requested:
Address: 24 Highview Terrace, Wharton, NJ 07885
Block: 299
Lot: 83
Please provide the following records, if they exist:
1._All approved building permit applications, permits, and associated construction plans/blueprints/as-built drawings for the original construction and any additions, alterations, renovations, or major repairs to the property.
2._Any site plans, property surveys, foundation plans, floor plans, elevations, or architectural/engineering drawings submitted with building permits.
3._Building permit history/log, including permit numbers, issuance dates, types of work, and final approvals/certificates of occupancy.
4._Any related records from the Building Department, such as inspection reports or certificates tied to the above plans (if they reference or include plans).
From January 1, 1960, to the present (or the full available range if records are more limited; the property was built circa 1969 per public records).
I am the owner and legal occupant of the property. Please provide the records in electronic format (PDF scans or digital files) if available, to minimize costs and for convenience. If physical copies are required, please advise on any fees for research, copying, or large-format printing in advance.
If any portion of this request is denied or redacted, please provide a written explanation citing the specific exemption under OPRA.
If you are not the custodian of records, please forward my request to that person and provide their email address to me for future reference.
Thank you for your assistance. I look forward to your response within the statutory timeframe.
Sincerely,
Johan Quinde
24 Highview Terraces
Wharton, NJ, 07885
646-599-1361
Dear Daytona Turton:
The Jefferson Township Clerk’s Office received your request (the
“Request”) under the New Jersey Open Public Records Act, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1
et seq. (“OPRA”) and Common Law Right of Access. In your request, you
sought access to the following:
Records requested:
Address: 24 Highview Terrace, Wharton, NJ 07885
Block: 299
Lot: 83
Please provide the following records, if they exist:
1._All approved building permit applications, permits, and associated
construction plans/blueprints/as-built drawings for the original
construction and any additions, alterations, renovations, or major repairs
to the property.
2._Any site plans, property surveys, foundation plans, floor plans,
elevations, or architectural/engineering drawings submitted with building
permits.
3._Building permit history/log, including permit numbers, issuance dates,
types of work, and final approvals/certificates of occupancy.
4._Any related records from the Building Department, such as inspection
reports or certificates tied to the above plans (if they reference or
include plans).
From January 1, 1960, to the present (or the full available range if
records are more limited; the property was built circa 1969 per public
records).
I am the owner and legal occupant of the property. Please provide the
records in electronic format (PDF scans or digital files) if available, to
minimize costs and for convenience. If physical copies are required,
please advise on any fees for research, copying, or large-format printing
in advance.
Response: Due to the voluminous nature of the potentially
responsive records and the need for attorney review, we must extend the
anticipated response date for the request to on or before April 1, 2026
pursuant to N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5(g).
Please consider your request closed.
If your request for access to a government record has been denied or
unfilled within the seven (7) business days required by law, you have a
right to challenge the decision by the Township of Jefferson to deny
access. At your option, you may either institute a proceeding in the
Superior Court of New Jersey or file a complaint with the Government
Records Council (GRC) by completing the Denial of Access Complaint Form.
You may contact the GRC by toll-free telephone at 866-850-0511, by mail at
P.O. Box 819, Trenton, NJ, 08625, by e-mail at [1][email address], or
at their web site at [2]www.state.nj.us/grc. The GRC can also answer other
questions about the law. All questions regarding complaints filed in
Superior Court should be directed to the Court Clerk in your County.
If you have any questions, please contact me either via email at
[3][email address] or by telephone at 973-208-6132.
Best Regards,
Amanda L. Nevins, RMC, CMR
Deputy Township Clerk
Township of Jefferson
1033 Weldon Rd
Lake Hopatcong, NJ 07849
973-208-6132
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Dear Johan Quinde:
The Jefferson Township Clerk’s Office received your request (the
“Request”) under the New Jersey Open Public Records Act, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1
et seq. (“OPRA”) and Common Law Right of Access. In your request, you
sought access to the following:
Records requested:
Address: 24 Highview Terrace, Wharton, NJ 07885
Block: 299
Lot: 83
Please provide the following records, if they exist:
1._All approved building permit applications, permits, and associated
construction plans/blueprints/as-built drawings for the original
construction and any additions, alterations, renovations, or major repairs
to the property.
2._Any site plans, property surveys, foundation plans, floor plans,
elevations, or architectural/engineering drawings submitted with building
permits.
3._Building permit history/log, including permit numbers, issuance dates,
types of work, and final approvals/certificates of occupancy.
4._Any related records from the Building Department, such as inspection
reports or certificates tied to the above plans (if they reference or
include plans).
From January 1, 1960, to the present (or the full available range if
records are more limited; the property was built circa 1969 per public
records).
I am the owner and legal occupant of the property. Please provide the
records in electronic format (PDF scans or digital files) if available, to
minimize costs and for convenience. If physical copies are required,
please advise on any fees for research, copying, or large-format printing
in advance.
Response: Please note that OPRA is a request for specific,
identifiable documents and that requests for “information” or “any/all”
is not a proper request. A proper request under OPRA must identify with
reasonable clarity those documents that are desired, and a party cannot
satisfy this requirement by simply requesting all of an agency's
documents. See Bent v. Stafford Police Department, 381 N.J.Super. 30, 37
(App. Div. 2005). Custodians are not required to conduct research or
create new records in response to an OPRA request.
In an attempt to be helpful, a copy of the “building permit applications,
permits… additions”, “property surveys”, “Building permit log”,
“certificates of occupancy” and an inspection activity report are being
provided, redacted to remove personal identifying information pursuant to
N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 (privacy) and N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1.1 (confidential
information).
There are no documents responsive to your request for, “construction
plans/blueprints/as-built drawings for the original construction” or
“site plans… foundation plans… elevations”.
Floor plans are withheld under OPRA because they constitute “emergency or
security information or procedures for any buildings or facility which, if
disclosed, would jeopardize security of the building or facility or
persons therein. See N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1.1; see also N.J.A.C. 5:3-2.2(a)(1).
As such, please consider your OPRA request closed.
To access public records under the Common Law, requestors must make a
greater showing than required under OPRA: (1) the person seeking access
must establish an interest in the subject matter of the material and (2)
the citizen's right to access must be balanced against the State's
interest in preventing disclosure. Mason v. City of Hoboken, 196 N.J. 51,
67–68 (2008).
In light of the above, we must verify your identity and your interest in
the floor plans. Please contact the Clerk’s office to schedule a time to
appear and present a valid form of photo identification and the recorded
deed for the subject real property.
Failure to provide a response for the Common Law Right of Access portion
of your request within five (5) business days will result in the closure
of this request.
If your request for access to a government record has been denied or
unfilled within the seven (7) business days required by law, you have a
right to challenge the decision by the Township of Jefferson to deny
access. At your option, you may either institute a proceeding in the
Superior Court of New Jersey or file a complaint with the Government
Records Council (GRC) by completing the Denial of Access Complaint Form.
You may contact the GRC by toll-free telephone at 866-850-0511, by mail at
P.O. Box 819, Trenton, NJ, 08625, by e-mail at [1][email address], or
at their web site at [2]www.state.nj.us/grc. The GRC can also answer other
questions about the law. All questions regarding complaints filed in
Superior Court should be directed to the Court Clerk in your County.
If you have any questions, please contact me either via email at
[3][email address] or by telephone at 973-208-6132.
Best Regards,
Amanda L. Nevins, RMC, CMR
Deputy Township Clerk
Township of Jefferson
1033 Weldon Rd
Lake Hopatcong, NJ 07849
973-208-6132
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