4:20-12. Placing and apportioning partition fence when line is private road or watercourse

When lands belonging to or occupied by different persons and subject to be fenced, are bounded upon or divided from each other by a private road, or by any creek, brook, stream, pond or run of water which is not navigable for boats or flats and is not of itself a sufficient fence, and the owner or possessor of the land on 1 side, who is required by this article to make or amend and maintain a sufficient fence or to contribute to the making, amending and maintaining thereof, shall refuse to do so or to join with the owner or possessor of the land on the other side in making a partition fence on 1 side or the other, or cannot agree respecting the fence, then either of the owners or possessors may apply to any 2 of the township committee of the township where the lands lie, who are disinterested. If such committee on examination is of the opinion that the private road or creek, brook, stream, pond or run of water does not constitute a sufficient fence and that it is impracticable or inconvenient without unreasonable expense for the partition fence to be made in the middle or other part of the private road or water which is the true division line between the parties, such committee, in the presence of the parties, if they will attend, shall determine, fix and ascertain, as to it shall appear just and reasonable, how or on which side thereof the fence shall be set up and maintained, or whether partly on 1 side and partly on the other, and the part or share of the fence, if any, which each person shall make and maintain, and reduce its decision to writing delivering a part thereof to each party.

If either party shall fail to make and maintain his part or proportion of the fence as determined by the committee, the other party may make and maintain the same wholly in which event the other party shall be liable as provided in section 4:20-8 of this Title.

Amended by L.1958, c. 45, p. 150, s. 4.