Local Law 196 Safety Training Requirements Now in Effect
As of Sunday, December 1, 2019, Local Law 196 site safety training requirements for all construction sites that require a Site Safety Plan are now in effect. Workers are required to have OSHA 30 cards or temporary SST cards as proof that they have completed the required 30 hours of training, and supervisors must have full SST cards certifying they have completed the mandated 62 hours of training.
Contractors and property owners are on notice: DOB inspectors recently conducted site-safety enforcement inspections in a sweep of 6,000 active construction sites citywide, and these unannounced inspections will be conducted on a regular basis in the coming year.
Message from Commissioner La Rocca
Site-Safety Enforcement Sweep Press Release
Construction Accidents in NYC Down for First Time in Nearly a Decade
In case you missed it: DOB's Construction Safety Compliance Unit, and the game-changing unannounced, proactive inspections they perform, were recently highlighted in the New York Times. And their hard work is paying off: although the building boom continues, construction accidents are down in 2019, by 26%, for the first time in nearly a decade.
Green and Solar Roof Requirements for New Buildings and Complete Roof Replacements
Effective November 15, 2019, Local Law 92 of 2019 and Local Law 94 of 2019 require all new buildings - and alterations of existing buildings where the entire existing roof deck or roof assembly is being replaced - to have a sustainable roofing zone covering 100 percent of the roof.
Local Law 92/94 Buildings News Bulletin
Local Law 92/94 Service Notice
Goodbye Homeowners Night... Hello Customer Service Night
As part of DOB's annual Customer Service Week, we held an employee contest to choose a new name for our walk-in clinic, formerly known as Homeowners Night, to better communicate to the public that this service is available to anyone, regardless of whether they are a homeowner. While the name has changed, the details remain the same: Customer Service Night is held every Tuesday from 4-7pm at each of DOB's borough offices, no appointment required!
Major Disciplinary Cases
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$268,625 in total penalties issued to Pedro A. Mateo, the owner of 27-01 Butler Street, Queens, for illegal occupancy for transient use and safety violations due to the illegal conversion of a legal single-family home with the illegal addition of four single-room occupancy (SRO) units, which were found to have been advertised on Airbnb.
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$37,500 in total penalties issued to General Contractor Thind Builders NY, Inc., for six construction-safety violations issued due to a variety of unsafe conditions on a construction site located at 259-16 79th Avenue, Queens. The violating conditions included workers on site without required OSHA cards, missing fall protection, unsafe operations on a scaffold, and working in violation of a stop-work order.
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$5,000 in penalties issued to Gregory Jones, the owner of 941 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn, for filing a false statement on a permit application for the property. The owner falsely noted that the building would be unoccupied during construction.
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The Department issued a Commissioner's Order to revoke the registration of General Contractor Efstratios H. Benardis, effective October 28, 2019. Benardis was disciplined after the Department found that he failed to pay prevailing wages, which included falsification of payroll records, and failed to cooperate with the investigation into his misconduct.
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Master Plumber James Pepe was disciplined by the Department for performing plumbing work without a permit, for performing work in violation of an active stop-work order, and for failing to be properly established. Pepe agreed to pay a $5,000 fine and to have his license put on probation for a period of one year, effective October 1, 2019.
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
Industry Code of Conduct for Construction Professionals
Sign up for Weather Advisories
Service Updates
Updates to User Interface in DOB NOW: Inspections
Construction Safety Compliance and Construction Safety Enforcement Relocate to 280 Broadway
2014 Construction Code Updates
Update Page # 77 reflects changes made by Local Law 93 of 2019 (effective 09/16/2019), Local Law 59 of 2019 (effective 09/27/2019), and Local Law 105 of 2019 (effective 10/06/2019), amending the Administrative Code of the City of New York, in relation to posting information regarding green roofs on the website of the Department of Buildings, e-mail notifications for construction project status updates, and sanctions for submitting incorrect professionally certified applications for construction document approval.
Update Page # 78 reflects changes made by Local Law 62 of 2019 (effective 09/27/2019), amends the Administrative Code of the City of New York, in relation to allowing the Department of Buildings to issue stop work orders along with notices to revoke work permits.
Update Page # 79 reflects changes made by Local Law 111 of 2019 (effective 10/06/2019), amends the Administrative Code of the City of New York, in relation to inspections of construction sites for which the Department of Buildings has issued a permit.
Update Page # 80 reflects changes made by Local Law 76 of 2019 (effective 10/25/2019), amends the Administrative Code of the City of New York, in relation to documentation, submission and public availability of cooling tower inspections and certifications.
Update Page # 81 reflects changes made by Local Law 92 of 2019 & Local Law 94 of 2019 (effective 11/15/2019), amending the Administrative Code of the City of New York and the New York City Building Code, in relation to requiring that the roofs of certain buildings be partially covered in green roof or solar photovoltaic electricity generating systems.
Update Page # 82 reflects changes made by Local Law 97 of 2019, Local Law 98 of 2019, & Local Law 147 of 2019 (effective 11/15/2019), amending the Administrative Code of the City of New York, in relation to greenhouse gas emissions and large wind turbines.
Update pages are printable inserts to keep your hard copy Construction Codes up to date.
All update pages for the 2014 NYC Construction Codes.
Hearings + Rules
1 RCNY 101-07 Amendment of Rules Governing Exterior Wall Inspections
and Repairs (Approved Agencies Amendment)
Hearing date: 12/30/19 at 10:00 AM @ 280 Broadway, 4th Floor Reade
Street Conference Room
1 RCNY 103-04 Amendment of Rules Governing Exterior Wall Inspections
and Repairs (Periodic Inspection of Exterior Walls and Appurtenances of
Buildings Amendment)
Hearing date: 12/30/19 at 10:00 AM @ 280 Broadway, 4th Floor Reade
Street Conference Room
1 RCNY 104-12 Qualifications for Performing Gas Work
Promulgated Effective Date 12/07/19
Buildings Bulletins
Website Updates
DOB NOW: Inspections Resources
Permit Type & Job Status Codes
Licensing
Department Approved Course Providers
Department Approved Course Provider Application
Filing Representative Training Courses
Obtain a: NYC Class 2 Code and Zoning Representative Registration
Did You Know?
Local Law 33 of 2018 mandates that buildings over 25,000 sq ft will need to post energy-efficiency grade signs, similar to the DOHMH restaurant-safety grades, in public view. The signs won't be required until mid-2020, but you can get a sneak peak of the sign design, and read more about the requirements in the recent New York Times article.
Melanie E. La Rocca Commissioner
