A 5012 New Jersey General Assembly · 2024-2025 Regular Session

Revises "Tree Experts and Tree Care Operators Licensing Act" to provide enforcement and penalty provisions.

This bill revises New Jersey's Tree Experts and Tree Care Operators Licensing Act to add clear enforcement tools. It directly affects licensed tree care professionals by establishing specific penalties for violations, including $1,000 civil administrative fines per violation (or $2,500 for repeat offenses), with each day of violation counting as a separate offense. The law gives the Board of Tree Experts or the Department of Environmental Protection authority to issue compliance orders, pursue civil actions for damages or site restoration, or levy fines after providing violators with 20 days to request a hearing. The bill repeals the previous section that handled fines, creating a unified enforcement framework. These changes aim to strengthen oversight of licensed tree care operations without altering the core licensing requirements.

Issues: ✓ Environment

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Nov 2024

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Nov 14, 2024 Last action Jan 12, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Introduced Version → Reprint ACE 1/5/26 1R · 3 edits

MINOR

The Assembly Commerce, Economic Development and Agriculture Committee reported A5012 with two substantive amendments: it removed the provision that each continuing day of a violation constitutes a separate offense (in both the civil administrative penalty and court-ordered penalty sections), and it added an exemption for New Jersey Department of Transportation employees and contractors from the Tree Experts and Tree Care Operators Licensing Act while performing their duties.

Scope change

The bill's scope is narrowed by adding an exemption for NJDOT employees and contractors performing their duties, meaning the Tree Experts and Tree Care Operators Licensing Act will not apply to them in that context.

ENFORCEMENT

Removed the provision that each day a violation continues constitutes an additional, separate, and distinct offense. This appears in both the civil administrative penalty section (subsection d) and the court-ordered civil penalty section (subsection e). Without this language, continuing violations can no longer be stacked as multiple separate offenses for penalty purposes.

SCOPE

Added new subsection f exempting any person employed by or contracted with the New Jersey Department of Transportation from the provisions of P.L.2009, c.237 (the Tree Experts and Tree Care Operators Licensing Act) while engaged in the actual performance of their duties as an employee or contractor.

TECHNICAL

The bill was reported out of the Assembly Commerce, Economic Development and Agriculture Committee on January 5, 2026, with amendments. The explanatory statement section was removed from the reprint version.

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Full legislative history

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Key actions

Committee

Jan 8, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported out of Assembly Committee with Amendments, 2nd Reading

lower

Jan 5, 2026

Committee

Reported out of Assembly Committee with Amendments and Referred to Assembly Appropriations Committee

lower

Jan 5, 2026

Committee

Transferred to Assembly Commerce, Economic Development and Agriculture Committee

lower

Nov 14, 2024

Introduced

Introduced in the Assembly, Referred to Assembly Regulated Professions Committee

lower

3 primary · 0 co-sponsors