Terms Used In New Jersey Statutes 59:4-10

  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • person: includes corporations, companies, associations, societies, firms, partnerships and joint stock companies as well as individuals, unless restricted by the context to an individual as distinguished from a corporate entity or specifically restricted to one or some of the above enumerated synonyms and, when used to designate the owner of property which may be the subject of an offense, includes this State, the United States, any other State of the United States as defined infra and any foreign country or government lawfully owning or possessing property within this State. See New Jersey Statutes 1:1-2
16. a. Except as provided pursuant to N.J.S.59:3-14, a shade tree commission, or a member of a shade tree commission, or a volunteer participating in a community forestry program as provided for by P.L.1996, c.135 (C. 13:1L-17.1 et al.), is not liable for an injury or death caused directly or indirectly by a tree or shrub, or any part thereof, if:

(1) the tree or shrub, or pertinent part thereof, is on public property or on a public easement or right-of-way, or the tree or shrub, regardless of its location, is regulated, planted, cared for, controlled, or maintained by the shade tree commission; and

(2) the local government or the shade tree commission has participated in and successfully completed a training skills and accreditation program established pursuant to section 6 of P.L.1996, c.135 (C. 13:1L-17.6) and has a comprehensive community forestry plan approved pursuant to section 7 of that act.

b. The existence of a municipal shade tree commission established pursuant to R.S.40:64-1 et seq. or a county shade tree commission established pursuant to R.S.40:37-1 et seq., or the fact that a municipality or county has otherwise provided for the regulation, planting, care, control, or maintenance of trees or shrubs within its jurisdiction, shall not be cause to immunize a private person from liability for an injury caused directly or indirectly by a tree or shrub, or any part thereof, who otherwise would be liable for that injury.

L.1996,c.135,s.16.