N.J. Admin. Code § 7:26A-9.3

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

Section 7:26A-9.3 - Procedures to request an adjudicatory hearing to contest an administrative order and/or a notice of civil administrative penalty assessment, and procedures for conducting adjudicatory hearings

(a) To request an adjudicatory hearing to contest an administrative order and/or a notice of civil administrative penalty assessment issued pursuant to the Act, the violator shall submit the following information, in writing, to the Department at New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Administrative Hearings and Dispute Resolution, ATTENTION: Adjudicatory Hearing Requests, 401 E. State Street, PO Box 420, Mail Code 401-07A, Trenton, NJ 08625-0420.

1. The name, address, telephone number of the violator and its authorized representative;

2. The violator's defenses, to each of the Department's findings of fact in the findings section of the administrative order or notice of civil administrative penalty assessment, stated in short and plain terms;

3. An admission or denial of each of the Department's findings of fact in the findings section of the administrative order or notice of civil administrative penalty assessment. If the violator is without knowledge or information sufficient to form a belief as to the truth of a finding, the violator shall so state and this shall have the effect of a denial. A denial shall fairly meet the substance of the findings denied. When the violator intends in good faith to deny only a part or a qualification of a finding, the violator shall specify so much of it as it true and material and deny only the remainder. The violator may not generally deny all of the findings but shall make all denials as specific denials of designated findings. For each finding that the violator denies, the violator shall allege the fact or facts as the violator believes such fact or facts to be;

4. Information supporting the request and specific reference to or copies of all written documents relied upon to support the request;

5. An estimate of the time required for the hearing (in days and/or hours);

6. A request, if necessary, for a barrier-free hearing location for physically disabled persons; and

7. A clear indication of any willingness to negotiate a settlement with the Department prior to the Department's processing of the hearing request to the Office of Administrative Law.

(b) A copy of the hearing request shall be sent to Solid Waste Compliance and Enforcement, P.O. Box 420, Mail Code 09-01, Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0420.

(c) If the Department does not receive the written request for a hearing within 20 days after receipt by the violator of the notice of a civil administrative penalty assessment and/or an administrative order being challenged, the Department shall deny the hearing request.

(d) If the violator fails to include all the information required by (a) above, the Department may deny the hearing request.

(e) All adjudicatory hearings shall be conducted 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.

N.J. Admin. Code § 7:26A-9.3

Notice of readoption with technical change.
See: 48 N.J.R. 76(a).

Administrative Change, 55 N.J.R. 528(a), effective 2/23/2023