N.J. Stat. tit. 24, ch. 9

in effect

N.J. Stat. § 24:9-21 Definitions

As used in this act: a. "Article" means any food or drink used for man or animals; b. "Refrigerated warehouse" shall mean any place artificially or mechanically cooled to or below a temperature of forty-five degrees Fahrenheit in which articles, other than fresh unprocessed fruits and vegetables, are placed and held for thirty days or more, except a restaurant, store, home, or eating club utilizing its refrigerated warehouse space exclusively for its own use. c. "Locker plant" shall mean any refrigerated storage warehouse or the portion thereof which provides separate individual lockers, cabinets, boxes, baskets, or other receptacles, for the storage of food products for home or personal use only and not for purpose of sale. d. "State department," "department of health" and "department" mean the State Department of Health. e. "Commissioner" means the State Commissioner of Health who is the chief administrative officer of the State Department of Health. L.1951, c. 342, p. 1231, s. 1, eff. July 19, 1951.

N.J. Stat. § 24:9-22 Application for license for refrigerated warehouse or locker plant

Any person desiring to operate or to continue to operate a refrigerated warehouse or locker plant shall make application in writing to the State department, upon forms supplied by the said State department stating the location of his plant or plants. Upon such application accompanied by the proper fee, the department shall examine into the sanitary condition of the plant or plants, and if found to be in a sanitary condition and otherwise properly equipped for the business of a refrigerated warehouse or locker plant, the department shall issue a license authorizing the applicant to operate such refrigerated warehouse or locker plant, which license shall expire June thirtieth of each year. L.1951, c. 342, p. 1232, s. 2.

N.J. Stat. § 24:9-23 License fees; suspension or revocation of license

The State department shall collect from each applicant for each license granted under the provisions of this act for each refrigerated warehouse or locker plant the following fees: for each refrigerated warehouse or locker plant with gross refrigerated space not in excess of one hundred thousand cubic feet, $50.00; for each refrigerated warehouse or locker plant with gross refrigerated space in excess of one hundred thousand cubic feet but not in excess of one million cubic feet, $150.00; for each refrigerated warehouse or locker plant with gross refrigerated space in excess of one million cubic feet, $300.00. If a locker plant is operated as part of a refrigerated warehouse and upon the same premises, no additional license shall be required. Any license issued pursuant to this section may be suspended, or revoked, upon hearing, for any violation of this act or of any rule or regulation of the State department. L.1951, c. 342, p. 1232, s. 3. Amended by L.1983, c. 275, s. 7, eff. July 18, 1983.

N.J. Stat. § 24:9-24 Reports to commissioner

Licensed refrigerated warehouses shall upon request submit reports to the commissioner setting forth the quantity of each and every food product stored in the refrigerated warehouse of the licensee. L.1951, c. 342, p. 1233, s. 4.

N.J. Stat. § 24:9-25 Notice of insanitary condition of warehouse or locker plant

The department shall notify any licensee when his refrigerated warehouse or locker plant or any part thereof shall be deemed to be in an insanitary condition, and if the licensee fails to put such warehouse or locker plant or the specified part thereof in a sanitary condition within the time designated by the department, it shall prohibit the use of such warehouse or locker plant or part thereof until such time as it may be put in a sanitary condition. L.1951, c. 342, p. 1233, s. 5.

N.J. Stat. § 24:9-26 Duration of storage period; extension

No person or corporation shall keep or permit to remain in any refrigerated warehouse or locker plant any article beyond the time when it is sound and wholesome and fit to remain in storage. If any article is found to be fit for immediate consumption, but unfit for further storage, such article shall at once be removed from storage and not again stored. No article shall be kept or permitted to remain in any refrigerated warehouse for a longer aggregate period than twenty-four calendar months, except by order of the commissioner. Upon evidence satisfactory to him that the article is sound and wholesome and fit for further storage, the commissioner may, in his discretion, grant an extension of the storage period. L.1951, c. 342, p. 1233, s. 6.

N.J. Stat. § 24:9-27 Disposition and sale of articles in refrigerated warehouse longer than two years without extension

In the event that any article is held in a refrigerated warehouse for a period of longer than twenty-four calendar months without extension having been applied for and granted by the commissioner, and neither the operator of the refrigerated warehouse nor the commissioner can locate the owner of the said article, after ten days' notice by registered mail directed to the last known address of such owner, by the officials of the refrigerated warehouse and a copy of the said notice to the commissioner, then and in that event, the commissioner shall have the power to order the disposition and sale of the said article for the purpose of payment of charges for storage or other valid liens against same. If a sale as herein provided is ordered by the commissioner, the proceeds of such sale shall be applied, first, to the payment of any and all charges for storage and service in connection with said property, and second, for any other valid liens against the said property. Any balance then remaining from the proceeds of the sale shall be paid to the owner of the said property, if such owner can be located; and, in the event the owner cannot be located within one year of the date of notification, then any balance shall be paid into the treasury of the State of New Jersey. In carrying out any order of the commissioner for sale or disposition of any property under the provisions of this section, the owners or operators of the refrigerated warehouse are hereby relieved from any liability to the original owner or any other person or persons for the custody of said property, and from any legal liability under any warehouse receipt issued and outstanding covering the said property. L.1951, c. 342, p. 1233, s. 7.

N.J. Stat. § 24:9-28 Restorage after release from storage prohibited

No article which has once been released from storage in a refrigerated warehouse and placed on the market for sale to consumers, shall again be placed in a refrigerated warehouse. L.1951, c. 342, p. 1234, s. 8.

N.J. Stat. § 24:9-29 Transfer between refrigerators

An article may be transferred from one refrigerated warehouse to another if all prior stamping, marking, and tagging remain thereon, and such transfer is not made for the purpose of evading any provision of this act. L.1951, c. 342, p. 1234, s. 9.

N.J. Stat. § 24:9-30 Requirements for storage

No article shall be placed, received or kept in a refrigerated warehouse or locker plant unless the same is in an apparently pure and wholesome condition. L.1951, c. 342, p. 1234, s. 10.

N.J. Stat. § 24:9-31 Lot numbers for identification

The refrigerated warehouse licensee shall assign to each lot of food and drink, when received for storage in a refrigerated warehouse, a distinguishing lot number for the purpose of identification, and shall keep an accurate record of such lot number, and shall also make and keep a record of the date of the receipt and of the date of removal of each lot of food and drink. L.1951, c. 342, p. 1234, s. 11.

N.J. Stat. § 24:9-32 Marking and tagging of articles placed in storage

No person or corporation shall place, receive or keep in a refrigerated warehouse any article, unless plainly marked or tagged, either upon the container in which it is stored or upon the article itself, with the identification lot number assigned and recorded pursuant to the foregoing section; except that where products are bulk piled, palletized or piled in unit loads, it will be in order to have the outside of the bins in which the bulk is piled or the outside containers of the palletized or unit piled loads properly marked pursuant to the foregoing section. L.1951, c. 342, p. 1235, s. 12.

N.J. Stat. § 24:9-33 Alteration, mutilation or destruction of tags or marks prohibited

No person shall alter, obliterate, mutilate, destroy, remove or eradicate any stamp, tag, or mark placed upon any package, container, or article to indicate that the article was received for refrigerated storage either from within or from out of State in order to evade any of the provisions of this act. L.1951, c. 342, p. 1235, s. 13.

N.J. Stat. § 24:9-34 Penalties for violations

Any person who shall violate any provision of this act, or any rule or regulation of the State department made pursuant thereto, or who shall refuse to comply with any lawful order or direction of the department, shall be liable to the following penalties: a. One hundred dollars ($100.00) for the first offense; b. Two hundred dollars ($200.00) for the second offense; and c. Five hundred dollars ($500.00) for the third and each subsequent offense, which shall be sued for and recovered in a civil action by, and in the name of, the State Department of Health or by and in the name of the local board of health, as the case may be, as plaintiff. L.1951, c. 342, p. 1235, s. 14.

N.J. Stat. § 24:9-35 Enforcement of provisions

The local board of health shall enforce the provisions of this act within its jurisdiction. The State Department of Health and the local board, and any officer or employee thereof shall, in the performance of any duty imposed by this act, at all times have full access to any refrigerated warehouse or locker plant for purposes of inspection and enforcement of the provisions of this act, and may examine and open any package or container which is believed to contain any article in violation of this act. L.1951, c. 342, p. 1235, s. 15.

N.J. Stat. § 24:9-36 Plaintiff entitled to penalties

Any penalty recovered in an action brought under the provisions of this act shall be paid to the plaintiff therein. When the plaintiff is the State Department of Health, the penalty shall be paid by the department into the treasury of the State. When the plaintiff is a local board of health, the penalty shall be paid by the local board into the treasury of the municipality within which the local board has jurisdiction. L.1951, c. 342, p. 1236, s. 16.

N.J. Stat. § 24:9-37 Repeal

Chapter nine of Title 24 of the Revised Statutes is repealed. L.1951, c. 342, p. 1236, s. 17.

Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/legislative-activity/statutesFetched: 10/17/2026