| Buildings news |
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February 27, 2025 |
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Local Law 97 Compliance Portal
Sign Up For our Free Local Law 97 Webinar Reach Out to NYC Accelerator For Additional Assistance Stepped Up Enforcement for Parking Structures
In 2022, the Department of Buildings implemented the city's first ever parking structure inspection program for building owners, requiring them to hire a Qualified Parking Structure Inspector (QPSI) and file either a full PIPS Compliance report or an Initial Observation Report with the Department, that includes information about the structural condition of these buildings. While the large majority of owners of the approximately 5,600 parking structures around the city have met their legal requirements, as of today, over 300 properties in Lower Manhattan, Midtown and the Upper West Side still haven't submitted their PIPS compliance report, and over 1,600 properties in all other areas of the city that still haven't submitted their Initial Observation Report. In an effort to compel additional compliance and promote public safety, DOB will be stepping up enforcement against these properties in the coming weeks. Our inspectors will be conducting unannounced field inspections at these locations, and if appropriate, issuing additional violations and Vacate Orders as necessary. Delinquent property owners who have not already done so, are strongly encouraged to have their parking structures inspected by a QPSI and to submit these important safety reports as soon as possible, to avoid these additional enforcement actions. Read About Periodic Inspection of Parking Structures (PIPS) Check Out Our Compliance Maps For PIPS Compliance Reports and Initial Observation Reports New Cycle Starts For Local Law 11 Inspections
Last week, the Department officially kicked off Cycle 10 for the City's Facade Inspection and Safety Program (FISP), signaling the start of a new five-year round of compliance reporting for buildings over six stories tall in the five boroughs. A requirement of Local Law 11 of 1998, this program helps to protect the public by identifying dangerous overhead building conditions that pose a hazard to pedestrians below. The FISP filing window has opened for all covered buildings in Sub-Cycle 10A, which are properties located in all five boroughs on blocks that end with the number 4, 5, 6, or 9. Buildings in this sub-cycle have until 2/21/27 to submit these required facade safety reports. Over the past year, the Department has been working with engineering consulting firm Thornton Tomasetti to conduct a comprehensive review of FISP and the Local Law 11 regulations. The resulting report from this review will include recommendations on potential changes to these regulations, to be used by the New York City Council as they consider reforms to the existing law. The Department will be releasing this report for the public in the coming months. Find Out More About Facade Compliance Facade Inspection and Safety Program (FISP) - Cycle 10 Diagram Check Out Our Local Law 11 Compliance Map Read About our Ongoing Local Law 11 Study Update on Get Sheds Down
Get Sheds Down is the Department's multi-pronged effort to tackle the issue of long standing sidewalk sheds in our city. We are continuing to make progress on multiple initiatives to compel building owners to properly maintain their buildings so that sidewalk sheds can be safely removed more quickly. This includes bringing more than 100 separate properties into litigation with the city to compel them to finally start long-delayed building repairs. As part of the Get Sheds Down plan, we are also working to improve pedestrian protection designs in our city, so that when sheds need to be up in the interest of public safety, they are no longer creating dark, uninviting tunnels that detract from the neighborhood. In 2024, the Department announced plans to redesign the standard plywood-and -pipe sidewalk shed, and come up with six new better-looking, more cost-efficient designs. These new designs are expected to be announced in the coming months, and could to be seen on city sidewalks as soon as late 2025. Since Get Sheds Down was launched in the Summer of 2023, the Department has overseen the removal of 7,767 sidewalk sheds from neighborhoods across the city, including the critical removal of 327 long standing sidewalk sheds, defined as any shed that has been up for over 5 years. Check Out Our Sidewalk Shed Map Read About the Get Sheds Down Plan Read About Our Work to Redesign Sidewalk Sheds Upcoming Building and Housing Events
Need help understanding building regulations as a homeowner in NYC? Have questions about your rights as a tenant? Want to talk directly to city government experts about your building or housing related concerns? Then join your fellow New Yorkers attending one of the upcoming live online events held by the Department of Buildings and our partners at Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). HPD is hosting a comprehensive series of webinars in partnership with NYC Public Schools' Parent University targeted at homeowners, aspiring homeowners and tenants. Currently scheduled to run through the months of March and April, these free multilingual classes are a great opportunity to hear directly from HPD experts on a variety of housing topics. Register for one of HPD's Upcoming Housing Information Classes DOB is also continuing its year-round schedule for borough specific Q&A sessions and industry meetings. These live online events allow members of the public and industry professionals to talk directly with DOB professionals about their buildings and construction related issues. Registration is free. Check Out DOB's Schedule for Upcoming Events Join Our Team
The Department of Buildings is actively recruiting for vacancies within the agency, looking to fill positions within our inspection units and administrative offices. Through outreach to professional organizations, tabling at job fairs, social media posts, and hosting in-house interview events, we have been quickly staffing up, but there are still opportunities available for new applicants. If you want to join a team dedicated to promoting development in our city while keeping New Yorkers safe, check out available career opportunities with the Department of Buildings by searching here. |
Service Updates Central Development HUB to Process Temporary Use Permits 2025 Cranes & Derricks Holiday Weekend Inspection Schedule Green Roof Property Tax Abatement Request in DOB NOW: Build All Department Service Updates Hearings + Rules
1 RCNY 103-09 Amendment of Rules relating to Retaining Walls
(Retaining Wall Inspections, Filing Requirements, Penalties, and
Waivers) Buildings Bulletins 2025-001: This Bulletin provides clarification of the scope of the periodic boiler inspection. 2024-008: This Bulletin clarifies when to apply the 2025 NYC Electrical Code or the 2011 NYC Electrical Code for work associated with new buildings, alterations. Local Laws Art on Construction Equipment Local Law 111 of 2024 (Intro No. 956-C) amendsthe New York city building code, in relation to the display of artwork on temporary protective structures on construction sites. Basement and Cellar Apartments Pilot Local Law 126 of 2024 (Intro No. 1127-A) amends the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to establishing a pilot program to convert existing basement or cellar apartments to habitable dwelling units. Ancillary Dwelling Units Local Law 127 of 2024 (Intro No. 1128-A) A Local Law to amend the building code of the city of New York and the New York city fire code, in relation to construction of ancillary dwelling units. NYC Electrical Code
Local Law 128 of 2024 (Intro No. 436-A of 2024 DOB NOW DOB NOW is continuously being updated to address regulatory changes and in response to industry feedback. In recent months we have added new functionality for DOB violations, solar and electric energy storage equipment work types, benchmarking and energy efficiency reports, green roof property tax abatement requests. For a comprehensive list of recent changes to the DOB NOW: Build module, check out our regularly updated Release Notes. This guide gets into the nitty-gritty of interface and process changes related to DOB NOW: Build, helping industry professionals better navigate the public portal. FAQs and Resources for DOB NOW: Build NYC Mass Timber Studio Earlier this week, the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) announced that they are now accepting applications for the second round of the NYC Mass Timber Studio, a technical assistance program to support active mass timber development projects in New York City. Participating development teams work closely with NYCEDC, DOB, and our partner agencies, receiving technical guidance and support on their mass timber projects. Learn More About Mass Timber Projects and Apply Today Small Businesses Small business owners and entrepreneurs in New York City can receive one-on-one guidance and helpful consultations for their projects by reaching out to DOB's Small Business Team (SBT). Whether opening a new place of business or renovating an existing one, SBT gives the City's small business owners and entrepreneurs the dedicated support they need. The first step for your small business is filling out a SBT support request form on our website. Code Notes DOB Code Notes covers an array of construction projects for both residential and commercial properties. Each Code Note explains the necessary filings, applicable codes and zoning, relevant bulletins, directives and memos for some of the most applied for construction projects in New York City. Parapets Property owners with building parapets fronting the public right-of-way are required to complete an annual observation report of these rooftop parapets. Read Our Construction Advisory Enforcement Bulletins DOB publishes monthly bulletins detailing the agency's efforts to sanction and deter bad actors in the construction industry. You can find this information posted on the Enforcement Action Bulletin page of our website. Additional Disciplinary Actions & Voluntary Surrenders Weather Advisories January means snowfall, freezing temps, and storm weather. Don't get caught unprepared. The Department of Buildings emails out weather advisories when NYC is expected to face high wind events and other types of severe weather. |
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Jimmy Oddo, Commissioner
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