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S 3710 New Jersey Senate · 2024-2025 Regular Session

Authorizes enforcement of landscape irrigation law by local enforcing agency and increases penalties.

This bill amends New Jersey's Landscape Irrigation Contractor Certification Act to authorize local municipal or county construction officials (rather than solely the Department of Community Affairs) to enforce the law and inspect job sites for violations. It increases penalties for violations to $5,000 for first offenses, $10,000 for second offenses, and $15,000 for subsequent offenses. Revenue from these penalties will be split, with 30% going to the State General Fund and 70% remaining with the local municipality or county where the violation occurred. The bill aims to improve enforcement of licensing requirements for landscape irrigation contractors by expanding enforcement authority to local agencies.
Issues: ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & Taxes30% of penalty revenue funds State General Fund, directly increasing state budget revenue without tax changes.90% confidence ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeThe bill increases penalties for violations and expands local agencies' authority to enforce the law, which strengthens the punitive aspects of the justice system.80% confidence ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentStrengthens enforcement and increases penalties for landscape irrigation violations, promoting better water management and conservation of natural resources.85% confidence
Sub-Topics: State Budget
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Oct 2024
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Oct 7, 2024 Last action Dec 22, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Reprint SCU 5/12/25 1R → Reprint Senate 12/18/25 2R · 4 edits
MODERATE
The Senate amended S3710 to double the first and second offense civil penalties for landscape irrigation contracting violations (from $2,500/$5,000 to $5,000/$10,000) and restructured how penalty revenue is distributed. The state-level Landscape Irrigation Penalty Enforcement Fund is eliminated entirely, and instead the board retains 100% of penalties it collects itself, while local enforcing agencies keep 70% and send 30% to the board.
ENFORCEMENT

First offense civil penalty increased from $2,500 to $5,000; second offense increased from $5,000 to $10,000. Third offense remains at $15,000.

FISCAL

The Landscape Irrigation Penalty Enforcement Fund (a nonlapsing revolving fund in the Department of Community Affairs) is struck entirely from the bill.

Penalty revenue distribution is restructured: if the board institutes the action, 100% of penalty revenue goes to the board. If a local enforcing agency institutes the action, 30% goes to the board and 70% is retained by the municipality or pilot county. Previously, 30% went to a state fund regardless of who enforced.

TECHNICAL

Various line-break and punctuation adjustments with no substantive policy effect.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
6
Key actions
3
Committee
3
Amendments
1
Dec 18, 2025
Upper · Passed
Senate Amendment (Voice) (Ruiz)
upper
Dec 15, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported out of Senate Committee, 2nd Reading
upper
May 12, 2025
Committee
Referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee
upper
May 12, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported out of Senate Committee with Amendments, 2nd Reading
upper
Oct 7, 2024
Introduced
Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of John McKeon
John McKeon
DDemocratic
NJ
27