N.J. Admin. Code § 7:26-4.8

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 19, October 7, 2024

Section 7:26-4.8 - County enforcement activity fees for solid waste control program

(a) General provisions are as follows:

1. Scope: Unless otherwise provided by state or statute, the following shall constitute the rules of the Department of Environmental Protection concerning fees to be charged for enforcement activities undertaken by county health departments pursuant to the Solid Waste Management Act, 13:1E-1 et seq., and the County Environmental Health Standards of Administrative Procedure and Performance, N.J.A.C. 7:1H.

2. Construction: This section shall be liberally construed to permit the Department and its component divisions to effectuate the purposes of the above referenced laws.

3. Purpose: This section is promulgated for the following purposes:

i. To aid counties in the development and implementation of a solid waste control program; and

ii. To provide a basis for the Department to review county department fees for enforcement activities related to their solid waste control program based upon the objectives in N.J.S.A. 13:1E et seq. and N.J.A.C. 7:26-1.

4. Definitions: The following words and terms, when used in this section, shall have the following meanings. Where words and terms are used which are not defined herein, the definitions of those words and terms will be the same as the definitions at 7:26-1.4.

"County department" means a county department of health established pursuant to P.L. 1975, c.329 (N.J.S.A. 26:3A2-1 et seq.) as amended and supplemented, with the purpose of providing environmental health programs throughout the county and other local health programs in any municipality which contracts therefor with the county board (N.J.S.A. 26:3A2-21 et seq.)

"Owner or operator" means and includes, in addition to the usual meanings thereof, every owner of record of any interest in land whereon a sanitary landfill facility is located, and any person or corporation which owns a majority interest in any other corporation which owns a majority interest in any sanitary landfill facility.

"Program" means a solid waste control program prepared by the county department pursuant to this section and the procedures and standards authorized by the County Environmental Health Standards of Administrative Procedure and Performance, N.J.A.C. 7:1H, and which has been submitted to the Department for review.

(b) Enforcement activity fee schedule established: In accordance with 13:1E-9, there is hereby established a fee schedule which shall apply to all sanitary landfill facilities required to be registered with the Department and subject to a county department program.

1. Duties and powers of the county department are as follows:

i. Any county department may charge and collect from the owner or operator of any sanitary landfill facility fees established by ordinance or resolution adopted by the county governing body. Such fees shall be established in accordance with this section for the purpose of enforcing the rules and regulations adopted by the Department related to solid waste collection and disposal, and in conformance with all applicable County Environmental Health Standards of Administrative Procedure and Performance, N.J.A.C. 7:1H, adopted pursuant to the County Environmental Health Act, N.J.S.A. 26:3A2-21 et seq.

ii. Within six months of the effective date of this section and by September 1 of each succeeding year as part of its annual work program, pursuant to the County Environmental Health Act, N.J.S.A. 26:3A2-21 et seq., a county department shall submit to the Department a Solid Waste Control Program (Program). The Program shall be submitted to each municipality located in the county for review and comment prior to its submittal to the Department and shall contain monitoring and enforcement activities at least equivalent to those set forth in 7:1H-3.4(a) through (u) and shall also include the following:

(1) Identification and number of operating facilities to be inspected;

(2) Projection of the number of inspections to be conducted by facility name (minimum twice per month);

(3) Purpose of inspections;

(4) A description of the procedures for:

(A) Determining inspection frequency;

(B) Accounting for activities performed;

(C) Actions to be taken after inspections have been performed; and

(D) Taking legal action.

(5) In each succeeding year, a report on the previous year's activities, including a detailed financial statement of the previous year's expenditures, actual amount of fees collected and any surplus which can be credited to the next year's costs.

iii. The Program shall include certain county budgetary costs as follows, provided they are both reasonable and necessary. The Department may consider additional costs based upon particular local needs and abilities provided the Department is satisfied that those additional costs are both reasonable and necessary.

(1) Personnel: Identify type, number, and salary required, including benefits therefor;

(2) Local training: In addition to county department training costs, personnel performing solid waste inspections shall also be trained by the Department through the arrangement of joint inspections with departmental inspectors experienced in facility inspections. It shall be the responsibility of the county department to arrange such joint training inspections;

(3) Protective equipment;

(4) Vehicles and maintenance;

(5) Test equipment;

(6) Laboratory and analysis;

(7) Office equipment and supplies;

(8) Secretarial, office and general administrative support; and

(9) Costs based on (b)1ii(1) through (5) above.

2. Fees for the Program are as follows:

i. After review by the Department of its Program, and pursuant to a resolution or ordinance adopted by the county governing body, any county department may charge and collect fees from the owner or operator of any sanitary landfill facility within its jurisdiction, as follows:

(1) At the maximum rate of $ 0.01 per cubic yard of solid waste accepted for disposal at a facility;

(2) In the event that any solid waste is measured, upon acceptance for disposal, by other than cubic yards, the fee shall be assessed on the equivalents utilized pursuant to the Sanitary Landfill Closure and Contingency Fund Act, P.L. 1981, c.306, and the Recycling Act, P.L. 1981, c.278;

(3) Fees shall be assessed and collected by a county department each month in the manner provided for in (b)2 of this section;

(4) Except as otherwise provided for herein, the owner or operator of every sanitary landfill facility subject to a county department program shall submit to the appropriate county department, on or before the 20th of each month, a fee equal to $ 0.01 per cubic yard of solid waste accepted for disposal during the preceding month, together with a completed copy of Department form No. SFA-001 which is submitted for that month to the Department in accordance with the escrow account reporting requirements pursuant to the Sanitary Landfill Facility Closure and Contingency Fund Act, P.L. 1981, c.306.

ii. Subject to the approval of the Department, a higher fee may be assessed in the event that the county department documents the need for a greater amount in a succeeding year's program.

3. Utilization of fees: Fees provided for in this section shall be utilized exclusively to fund county solid waste monitoring and enforcement activities as identified in the Program.

N.J. Admin. Code § 7:26-4.8

R.1974 d.234, effective 8/21/1974.
See: 6 N.J.R. 343(c): The rule originally at this cite was entitled "Exemptions".
Deleted and Reserved by R.1975 d.110, effective 4/29/1975.
See: 7 N.J.R. 101(a), 7 N.J.R. 259(a).
R.1983 d.50, effective 3/7/1983.
See: 14 N.J.R. 1328(a), 15 N.J.R. 330(d).
Recodified by R.1989 d.216, effective 4/17/1989.
See: 20 N.J.R. 2668(a), 21 N.J.R. 1002(b).
Amended by R.1996 d.578, effective 12/16/1996.
See: 28 N.J.R. 2114(a), 28 N.J.R. 5248(a).
In (a)4, deleted "department".
Recodified from N.J.A.C. 7:26-4.5 by R.2008 d.16, effective 1/7/2008.
See: 38 N.J.R. 5227(a), 40 N.J.R. 133(a).
Former N.J.A.C. 7:26-4.8, Confidentiality claims, recodified to N.J.A.C. 7:26-4.10.