Buildings news update - August 19, 2024

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August 19, 2024

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Financial Impact Study on Sidewalk Sheds

Buildings Commissioner Jimmy Oddo was in Midtown
Manhattan last week to stand with Mayor Adams and elected officials and
members of the 34th Street Partnership to release the results of a new
study conducted by Mastercard exploring how sidewalk sheds and
scaffolding negatively impact Manhattan businesses.

Evaluating aggregated and anonymized spending
averages from Mastercard, the study shows that cardholders spend between
$3,900 and $9,500 less each month at businesses located in buildings
that are shrouded by sidewalk sheds.

This study helps underscore that getting sheds down is
not just important to improving quality of life in our city, but is
also imperative to help small businesses throughout the five boroughs.

The Department is partnering with the City Council to
advance new legislation that would give the agency more enforcement
tools, in order to compel owners to make repairs in a reasonable amount
of time, and get their sidewalk sheds down.

Read Our Press Release About The New Study

Read More About the "Get Sheds Down" Plan

Pilot Program
Launched For Next Day Reviews

DOB has just launched a new pilot program to offer
quicker and more efficient service to New Yorkers, and we already have
started signing up volunteers! Our brand new Next Day Review (NDR) pilot
program is looking for more design professionals in Manhattan to
volunteer for this new accelerated review program for simple alteration
projects.

Projects filed under this pilot program will be
reviewed by a dedicated Plan Examination team in DOB's Central
Development Unit that will approve plans or issue objections on the
following business day. Current average service levels for first review
of applications filed with the Department is five days. This program
requires applicants to utilize a standard drawing template, which will
help get them an answer on their projects even faster.

Read
our Service Notice For More Information

Staffing Up
Our New Proactive Enforcement Unit

Proper building maintenance is one of the most
important responsibilities for owners in our City. By keeping properties
in good shape, they are preventing their buildings from becoming a
serious life-safety hazard.

Thanks to a new law passed by the City Council, and a
significant investment of $4.7 million dollars from Mayor Eric Adams,
the Department of Buildings is setting up a new proactive enforcement
unit focused on buildings that have been allowed to fall into disrepair
by negligent owners.

We will begin staffing up this new unit in the coming
months, and empowering them to use predictive analytics to find derelict
buildings, and take appropriate interventions in the interest of public
safety before a major collapse occurs.

Read Local Law 79 of 2024

Get Summonses
Corrected on The Rock

DOB's Administrative Enforcement Unit (AEU) has taken
the "Get Summonses Corrected" campaign to Staten Island for the month of
August, offering residents and business owners with unresolved
DOB-issued violations at their properties the opportunity to
receive expert advice on how to resolve these issues.

Correcting and closing out these open violations is important to ensure
that a property is in a safe condition, and has a clean record with the
City. Closing out these violations can help property owners avoid major
headaches when applying for a mortgage, home insurance or when
attempting to sell the property.

Representatives from AEU will be stationed at the Borough Office located
inside of Staten Island Borough Hall located at 10 Richmond Terrace, all
day each Wednesday this month from 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Read More About the Campaign in the Staten Island Advance

Find Out About More Upcoming DOB Events

Parking
Structure Inspection Deadline

Earlier this month, a deadline passed for parking
structure owners located in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, Upper
Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island to submit their
required initial observation reports to DOB.

These reports are critical to helping property owners
identify potential safety issues at parking structures before they
develop into a serious problem. Property owners are legally required to
hire an engineer to perform these inspections, and submit the resulting
report to DOB.

As of the deadline, over 2,000 property owners have still not submitted
this required report, and are now facing violations from the Department.
DOB is strongly urging property owners to submit these legally required
reports, and is alerting building owners that continued noncompliance
may lead to enhanced enforcement actions, including potential criminal
charges.

Watch the CBS 2 New York Story About the Deadline

Read our Service Notice About Initial Observation Reports

Learn More About Periodic Inspection for Parking Structures

A Record
Month for Site Safety Training

During the month of July, DOB's approved construction safety training providers have officially issued the 400,000th Site Safety Training (SST) ID Card here in NYC – a major milestone that means there are currently more than 400,000 construction workers who possess an active SST card.

These ID cards are legally required for construction workers who want to work on one of NYC's larger or more complex work sites, and represent an individual construction worker who has successfully completed at least 40 hours of construction safety training – that means 16 million hours in site safety training!

To date, these cards have been "tapped" more than 21 million times, helping to confirm that only properly trained workers are allowed on these larger work sites.

Find Out More About Site Safety Training

Innovators
Needed for the Building Tech Lab

Last week, hundreds of entrepreneurs and industry
professionals joined DOB for an information session about the
new Buildings Tech Lab, a public-private initiative between the
Department of Buildings and the Partnership Fund for New York City. The
initiative will help to test new technologies to help the DOB improve
how it regulates construction and development throughout the five
boroughs.

Don't worry if you missed out, as we are still
accepting applications for inclusion in the inaugural Buildings Tech Lab
through Spetmebr 20th.

Find Out More
About The Buildings Tech Lab

Read the Full Press Release

August is
Summer Sun Safety Month

August is Summer Sun Safety Month and DOB is
reminding construction workers to stay hydrated, take plenty of breaks
in the shade, and follow best safety practices to avoid heat-related
illness.

Hot weather has a major impact on the construction industry, where much
of the activity takes place outside, away from air conditioning and
protection from the sun.

Contractors and workers who are outside should take every precaution,
and follow all OSHA guidelines to prevent heat-related injuries. That
includes ensuring everyone on the work site stays properly hydrated,
avoids prolonged sun exposure, and are taking necessary breaks.

OSHA Guidelines to Prevent Heat Illness on the Job

Read About OSHA's
Heat Illness Prevention Campaign

Find Out
More Ways to Beat The Heat

DOB is Hiring

It's a big city out there – which is why DOB is
looking for New Yorkers to join our team and further our missions of
enhancing public safety, quality of life, and sustainability in every
neighborhood across the five boroughs.

DOB inspectors, attorneys, plan examiners, design
professionals, and administrative staff all play a critical role in
promoting safety and quality of life here in the greatest city in the
world. As a member of DOB, you can help make New York City an even
better place for everyone that lives, works, visits and builds here.

Join our team to help regulate the more than 1.1
million buildings and 40,000 active construction sites throughout New
York City!

Check Out Our Website to Learn More About Careers at DOB

Apply Today to
One of Our Open Positions

Service
Updates

Gas Work Qualification Written Examination

CrowdStrike and Microsoft Outage: DOB to Waive Certain Civil Penalties
for Failure to File Reports or Failure to Correct Unsafe Conditions
During Outage

Hoisting Machine Operator License will be Required to Operate an
Articulating Boom Crane, Mini Crane, or Rotating Telehandler in New York
City

License Examination Fee Updates

Civil Penalties for Failure to File Affirmation of Correction for 2022
and 2023 Elevator Inspection and Test Cycles

Violations for Failure to File Report and Failure to File Affirmation of
Correction for 2023 Elevator Inspection and Test Cycles

Local Law 147 of 2021: New Definition of Major Building – 7 or More
Stories or 75 Feet in Height

All Department Service Updates

Hearings +
Rules

All
Department Rules

Buildings
Bulletins

2024-005: This Bulletin provides guidance for the Dining Out NYC
program.

All Buildings Bulletins

Local Laws

Proactive Inspection Program

Local Law 79 of 2024 (Intro No. 79-A) amends the administrative code
of the city of New York, in relation to establishing a proactive
inspection program for buildings.

Parking Structure Inspection Cycle

Local Law 71 of 2024 (Intro No. 231-A) amends the administrative
code of the city of New York, in relation to increasing the frequency of
parking structure inspections.

Parking Structure Penalties

Local Law 70 of 2024 (Intro. No. 170-A) amends the administrative
code of the city of New York, in relation to increased penalties for
department of buildings violations issued to parking structures.

Parking Structure Capacity Study

Local Law 69 of 2024 (Intro. No. 135-A) in relation to a study on
structural loadbearing capacity of parking garages.

Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment

Local Law 55 of 2024 amends the administrative code of the city of
New York and the New York city building code, in relation to electric
vehicle supply equipment in open parking lots and parking garages.

All
DOB-Related Local Laws

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.

Upcoming
Events

Every week, DOB holds online and in-person events for
industry professionals and members of the public.

Have questions and need answers? Join us of for a
live online Q&A session, or one of our in-person industry meetings.

See Our Schedule for All Upcoming Events

Stop Work
Orders

DOB will issue a Stop Work Order at a work site if it
is necessary to protect public safety, so make sure to keep your work
sites in safe condition to avoid any unnecessary project delays.

We have a new, interactive map where the public can
see all active and rescinded Stop Work Orders across the city.

See the
new Stop Work Order Map

Top Ten Reasons For Stop Work Orders

Learn More About Stop Work Orders

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

When severe weather strikes, it pays to be in the
know.

The Department of Buildings emails out weather
advisories when NYC is expected to face high wind events and other types
of severe weather.

Sign-Up For Weather Advisories

Jimmy Oddo, Commissioner

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