52:27D-124e. Violations; penalties; enforcement

a. Any person who violates any of the provisions of this section shall be liable for a civil penalty not to exceed $1,000.00 for each violation; to be payable to the commissioner. Each violation shall constitute a separate violation with respect to each manufactured home, except that the maximum penalty shall not exceed $1,000,000.00 for any related series of violations occurring within 1 year from the date of the first violation. Any person purposely or knowingly violating the provisions of this section in any manner which threatens the health or safety of any purchaser, shall be guilty of a crime of the fourth degree and shall, in addition to a civil penalty, be subject to a fine not to exceed $1,000.00 or imprisonment for a term not to exceed 1 year, or both. No person shall:

(1) Manufacture for sale, lease, sell, offer for sale, or lease, or introduce or deliver, or import into this State, any manufactured home manufactured on or after the effective date of any applicable federal manufactured home construction and safety standard which does not comply with such standard.

(2) Fail or refuse to permit access to or copying of records, or entry or inspection to ascertain compliance with federal standards as required by section 3 of this act or to make reports or provide information as required by section 4 of this act, or any rules or regulations adopted by the commissioner pursuant thereto.

(3) Fail to furnish notification of any defect as required by Pub.L. 93-383, s. 615 (42 U.S.C. s. 5414).

(4) Fail to issue a certification required by Pub.L. 93-383, s. 616 (42 U.S.C. s. 5415); or issue such a certification if such person in the exercise of due care had reason to know that such certification is false or misleading in a material respect.

(5) Fail to establish and maintain such records, make such reports, and provide such information as the commissioner may reasonably require to enable him to determine whether there is compliance with the "National Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974" , or fail to permit, upon request of a person duly authorized by the commissioner, inspection of appropriate books, papers, records and documents relative to determining whether a manufacturer, distributor or dealer has acted or is acting in compliance with the "National Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974."

(6) Issue a certification pursuant to Pub.L. 95-128, s. 902(a) (42 U.S.C. s. 5403(h)), if such person in the exercise of due care has reason to know that such certification is false or misleading in a material respect.

b. When a civil penalty levied by the commissioner pursuant to subsection a. of this section, has not been satisfied within 30 days of its levy, the penalty may be sued for, and recovered by and in the name of the commissioner, by a summary proceeding under "the penalty enforcement law" (N.J.S. 2A:58-1 et seq.) in the Superior Court.

c. Paragraph (1) of subsection a. hereof shall not apply to the sale or the offer for sale of any manufactured or mobile home after the first good faith purchase for purposes other than resale, or to any person who establishes that he did not have reason to know, in the exercise of due care, that the manufactured or mobile home is not in conformity with applicable federal standards, or to any person who holds a certificate issued by the manufacturer or importer of the manufactured or mobile home to the effect that the manufactured or mobile home conforms to all applicable federal standards, unless the person knows that the home does not so conform.

L.1981, c. 494, s. 5, eff. Jan. 12, 1982.