N.J. Admin. Code § 7:1C-9.5

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 24, December 18, 2024

Section 7:1C-9.5 - Procedure to request an adjudicatory hearing; decision on the request; effect of request

(a) This section sets forth the process by which a person may request an adjudicatory hearing to contest a Department decision pursuant to this chapter.

(b) To contest a Department decision pursuant to this chapter, a person shall submit an adjudicatory hearing request within 30 calendar days of issuance. If a person submits the adjudicatory hearing request after this time, the Department shall deny the request.

(c) A person requesting an adjudicatory hearing shall provide the following information on an adjudicatory hearing request form, available from the Department:

1. The name, address, daytime telephone number, fax number, and email address of the person requesting the hearing, and of the person's authorized representative;

2. A copy of the Department decision on which a hearing is being requested;

3. The date that the Department decision on which a hearing is being requested was received by the person requesting the hearing;

4. A specific admission, denial, or explanation of each fact appearing in the Department decision, or a statement that the person is without knowledge thereof;

5. A concise statement of the facts or principles of law asserted to constitute any factual or legal defense; and

6. Where the person submitting the hearing request is not the person to whom the decision that is being contested was issued, evidence that a copy of the hearing request has been mailed or delivered to the person to whom the decision was issued.

(d) A person requesting an adjudicatory hearing shall:

1. Submit the original hearing request to:

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

Office of Administrative Hearings and Dispute Resolution

Attention: Adjudicatory Hearing Requests

Mail Code 401-07A

PO Box 402

401 East State Street, 7th Floor

Trenton, NJ 08625-0402; and

2. Submit a copy of the hearing request to the Director of the Office of Permit and Project Navigation.

(e) Nothing in this subchapter shall be construed to provide a right to an adjudicatory hearing in contravention of the Administrative Procedure Act, at N.J.S.A. 52:14B-3.1, 3.2, and 3.3.

(f) The Department shall notify the requester that the request for hearing is granted or denied. If the hearing request is denied, the denial shall provide the reason(s) for the denial. If the hearing request is granted, the Department shall refer the matter to the Office of Administrative Law for a contested case hearing, in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act, N.J.S.A. 52:14B-1 et seq., and the Uniform Administrative Procedure Rules, N.J.A.C. 1:1.

(g) A final decision issued by the Commissioner after the hearing in the Office of Administrative Law shall be considered a final agency action for purposes of the Administrative Procedure Act and

shall be subject to judicial review in the Appellate Division of the Superior Court, as provided in the Rules of Court.

(h) When an applicant requests an adjudicatory hearing to contest a Department decision pursuant to this chapter, the decision shall be automatically stayed in its entirety.

N.J. Admin. Code § 7:1C-9.5

Adopted by 55 N.J.R. 661(b), effective 4/17/2023