Section 52:27D-131.5 - [Effective 12/1/2024] Design professional, self-certification form, established; contents, websitea. The commissioner shall establish and promulgate a design professional of record self-certification form and provide online access to the form through the department's Internet website. A qualified design professional of record shall complete and submit the form to the enforcing agency, together with submission of a self-certified construction permit application and accompanying plans and specifications. The form shall include:(1) a design professional of record self-certification statement, pursuant to subsection b. of this section; and(2) the qualified design professional of record's certification and attestation that:(a) the qualified design professional of record shall take all measures necessary to correct a false or inaccurate statement provided to the enforcing agency in the permit application or plans and specifications submitted therewith immediately after the qualified design professional of record becomes aware of the false or inaccurate statement, regardless of whether the false or inaccurate statement was made by the qualified design professional of record or the design professional's agent or employee;(b) the qualified design professional of record acknowledges that the enforcing agency's issuance of a permit under the self-certification program is reliant upon the truth and accuracy of the design professional's certifications set forth in the design professional of record self-certification;(c) the qualified design professional of record agrees that if the enforcing agency determines that a submitted permit application, plans, and specifications do not conform to the requirements of the State Uniform Construction Code or other applicable law, the qualified design professional of record, in a timely manner, shall bring the submitted permit, plans, specifications, and all construction undertaken thereunder into conformance with the requirements of the State Uniform Construction Code and other applicable law and shall take all remedial measures within the qualified design professional of record's control;(d) the qualified design professional of record acknowledges that failure, prior to the final inspection of the project, of the design professional to bring the submitted permit, plans, specifications, and all construction undertaken pursuant thereto into conformity with the requirements of the State Uniform Construction Code and other applicable law and failure to take all reasonably necessary remedial measures, within the design professional's control, to bring the submitted permit, plans, specifications, and all construction undertaken pursuant thereto into compliance with the State Uniform Construction Code and other applicable law may result in revocation of the qualified design professional of record's privileges under the self-certification program and may result in notification of the revocation to the appropriate State professional licensing board; and(e) the qualified design professional agrees to comply with additional certification requirements imposed pursuant to rule or regulation adopted by the commissioner.b. In order to support issuance of a construction permit under the self-certification program, at the time of submission of a design professional of record self-certification form and a self-certified construction permit application, plans, and specifications to the enforcing agency, the qualified design professional of record shall submit a design professional of record self-certification statement certifying that:(1) the qualified design professional has been a licensed architect or professional engineer for at least three years and is licensed and certified in the State of New Jersey;(2) within the preceding five-year period, the qualified design professional has not been convicted or found liable of:(a) knowingly making a false statement of material fact on, or in connection with, a construction permit application;(b) knowingly submitting, in support of a construction permit application, a document containing false or fraudulent information; or(c) knowingly affixing a false signature to a construction permit application;(3) submission to an enforcing agency of a permit application, plans, and specifications, upon which the stamp of the qualified design professional has been affixed, indicates that each page of the application:(a) was prepared by, under the direct supervision of, or reviewed by, the qualified design professional of record;(c) as of the date of submission, the permit application, plans, and specifications comply with the requirements of the State Uniform Construction Code and other applicable law;(4) the permit application, plans, specifications, and all technical submissions made by the qualified design professional of record in connection with the self-certified project were prepared in accordance with and meet the standard of care required of the profession; and(5) all information and assertions made in support of a permit application by the qualified design professional of record in the permit application, plans, and specifications are true and correct.c. The commissioner shall establish and promulgate on the department's Internet website an owner certification statement, which, for each project, the owner responsible for the work identified in the permit application shall certify that the owner:(1) authorized the work of all professionals and consultants named in the permit application and accompanying plans; and(2) shares joint responsibility for ensuring compliance with the State Uniform Construction Code.d. The commissioner shall establish and promulgate on the department's Internet website, an owner hold harmless letter, which, for each project, the owner shall sign, date, agree to, and furnish to the qualified design professional of record, who shall submit the letter to the enforcing agency, and which shall provide that the owner agrees:(1) to protect, defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the municipality and the State of New Jersey, and their officers, representatives, managers, agents, and employees, against any and all claims, liabilities, judgments, costs, expenses, delays, demands, or injuries arising out of or in any way connected with the design, construction, State Uniform Construction Code compliance review, or issuance of a permit for the project identified in the permit application; and(2) that if any component of construction is found to not conform to the requirements of the State Uniform Construction Code, any other applicable law, or any permit issued under the self-certification program, the owner shall, without undue delay, remove or modify, at the owner's own expense, the nonconforming component or components of construction.Added by L. 2024, c. 58,s. 4, eff. 12/1/2024.