Brick Pauses Trailer Ordinance Enforcement

BRICK, NJ — Brick Township officials have paused enforcement of an ordinance that bans covered storage trailers on residential properties, officials said Tuesday night.

Mayor Lisa Crate said the pause comes in the wake of complaints at the Feb. 25 Brick Township Council meeting about violation notices that were issued to a number of residents in January.

In addition to pausing enforcement, the township is not moving forward with action on violation notices that already have been issued for residential properties, Crate said.

The pause on enforcement was announced after a resident asked the council to consider a moratorium so the town can take the time to revise its ordinance, which has been largely untouched since it was first adopted in 1974.

The ordinance governing trailers on residential property — which residents have said they use to store property such as motorcycles or classic cars, or other items that would be damaged by constant exposure to the elements — is primarily covered in Chapter 445, Article II of the township's codes. It bars parking of covered trailers used for storage on residential property.

Storage trailer parking for commercial properties is addressed in Chapter 288, but Crate said that issue is governed by New Jersey state laws, and the township doesn't have much say in the rules that businesses must adhere to for storage containers.

Brick Township had considered a proposal to amend the ordinance in December, but the revision was pulled before it could be introduced after a public outcry over its restrictions.

Crate said enforcement will be paused while the town's Land Use Committee meets to discuss ways to revise the ordinance to better serve residents.

A date has not been set, but Crate said it is something that will take multiple meetings to address.

"This isn't a one-and-done" committee meeting, Crate said after the meeting.

Commercial properties that have received violation notices also will find enforcement paused while the town works to bring them into compliance with state law, Crate said.