Code Violation List Request
Dear Clark 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 use the requested government records for a commercial purpose (Real Estate).
I AM NOT seeking records in connection with a legal proceeding.
Records requested:
Code Violation List Request for 12/11/2024 to 01/20/2025. I kindly request a list of all UNRESOLVED or OPEN code violations (please do not include closed violations) for all properties in the city during this time period, specifically related to property maintenance, structural issues, and weeds. Please include descriptions of the violations, property addresses, and violation dates. I also prefer for the document to be sent here in OPRA not in my email (sometimes it does not appear in my inbox). Thank you so much!
Please confirm you have received this request. 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.
Yours faithfully,
Elizabeth
To: Elizabeth <[OPRA #70894 email]>
From: Edith L. Merkel, Township Clerk, Township of Clark
Re: OPRA request - Code Violation List
Date: January 21, 2025
The Township of Clark received your Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request on Monday, January 20, 2025 9:14 AM (MLK Holiday). The official Records Custodian, Edith Merkel, received your OPRA request on January 21, 2025. As such, the seven (7) business day deadline to respond to your request is January 30, 2025. This response to your request is being provided to you on the same business day as the custodian’s receipt of said request.
Your OPRA request sought access to:
"Code Violation List Request for 12/11/2024 to 01/20/2025. I kindly request a list of all UNRESOLVED or OPEN code violations (please do not include closed violations) for all properties in the city during this time period, specifically related to property maintenance, structural issues, and weeds. Please include descriptions of the violations, property addresses, and violation dates. I also prefer for the document to be sent here in OPRA not in my email (sometimes it does not appear in my inbox). Thank you so much!"
Response:
Good afternoon,
This office does not have a list of unresolved or open code violations for 12/11/2024 to 01/20/2025.
Have a great day,
Elaina Lambert
Technical Assistant to the
Construction Official
(732) 428-8401
If you have any questions, please contact the Construction Department at 732-428-8401
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 Clark 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 [email address], or at their web site at 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.