“Abatement” means an exemption from real property taxes provided for the purposes of encouraging residential construction, conversion, improvement and redevelopment pursuant to this act;

“Assessor” means the municipal tax assessor appointed pursuant to the provisions of chapter 9 of Title 40A of the New Jersey Statutes;

“Average ratio” means the certified average ratio, used for determining the common level range for each taxing district pursuant to P.L.1973, c.123 (C. 54:1-35a et al.) as prepared by the Director of the Division of Taxation for the preceding tax year;

“Completed,” with respect to a parcel of qualified property, or the “completion” of that property, means substantially ready for the use for which it is intended and its occupancy as a principal residence;

“Condominium” means the form of real property ownership provided for under the “Condominium Act,” P.L.1969, c.257 (C. 46:8B-1 et seq.);

“Cooperative” means a housing corporation or association, wherein the holder of a share or membership interest thereof is entitled to possess and occupy for dwelling purposes a house, apartment, or other unit of housing owned by the corporation or association, or to purchase a unit of housing constructed or erected by the corporation or association;

“Cost,” when used with respect to construction, or to an improvement or conversion alteration, means only the cost or fair market value of labor and materials used in constructing or improving qualified residential property, or in converting another building or structure to qualified residential property, including any architectural, engineering, and contractors’ fees associated with the construction, improvement or conversion, as the owner of the property shall cause to be certified to the governing body by an independent and qualified architect, following the completion of the project;

“Equalized taxes otherwise due” means the tax amount derived by levying on a structure for which a five-year tax abatement has been granted, a property tax imposed in the same manner as other property taxes are levied pursuant to chapter 4 of Title 54 of the Revised Statutes, except that for all tax years subsequent to the last tax abatement year including and ending in the tax year prior to a municipal-wide revaluation, the total property tax prior to any tax deduction shall be equalized by the tax collector by multiplying that amount times the average ratio of the taxing district, but in no event shall the payment for equalized taxes otherwise due be less than the total property tax payment on the structure prior to any tax deduction due and payable during the third tax year following completion of construction, improvements or conversion alterations pursuant to section 7 of P.L.1989, c.207 (C. 54:4-3.145). No appeal shall be taken by the property owner from the determination by the tax collector of equalized taxes otherwise due, except for mathematical or typographical errors;

“Horizontal property regime” means the form of real property ownership provided for under the “Horizontal Property Act,” P.L.1963, c.168 (C. 46:8A-1 et seq.);

“Qualified municipality” means a municipality in which an urban enterprise zone or part of an urban enterprise zone has been designated pursuant to the “New Jersey Urban Enterprise Zones Act,” P.L.1983, c.303 (C. 52:27H-60 et seq.), and shall include the entire area within the corporate boundaries of that municipality, whether or not that area is included within an urban enterprise zone; and

“Qualified residential property” means any building used or to be used or held for use as a home or residence, including accessory buildings located on the same premises and including condominiums, cooperatives and horizontal property regimes. No building shall be considered a qualified residential property if the certificate of occupancy for the construction, conversion, rehabilitation or renovation was issued on or before the date falling 30 months prior to the effective date of this act.

L.1989,c.207,s.2; amended 1991,c.469,s.1.