Commissioner Chandler Retires
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Rick D. Chandler, PE, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Buildings, is retiring from city service. The Commissioner served 31 years with the City, including nearly 20 with the Department, four of which were as Commissioner. Commissioner Chandler led a sweeping modernization effort touching every part of the Buildings Department, including the launch of DOB NOW, which will allow New Yorkers to do all business with DOB more than 230 new inspectors and 150 technical staff, resulting in significantly faster permit reviews and inspections of construction |
sites and 311 complaints; and regulating the city's real estate and construction industries during the largest building boom in at least 50 years.
Thomas Fariello, RA, the agency's First Deputy Commissioner, will serve as Acting Buildings Commissioner, effective February 1, 2019.
Read more in the Mayor’s announcement.
DOB Permit Data Shows NYC Construction Has Leveled Off After Historic Boom
DOB recently released a report on construction in New York City in 2018. The results are included in the agency's NYC Construction Dashboard, a data-rich interactive website with information on construction and real estate development in every neighborhood in the city.
Click here to see DOB’s dashboard.
The report shows that construction activity has leveled off following New York's historic real estate and development boom. DOB issued a total of 165,988 construction permits in 2018, down from 168,243 in 2017, the first decline in total permits issued year-over-year since 2009. However, there is still an extraordinarily high level of construction activity in neighborhoods around the city - indeed, 2018’s permit totals are the second-highest on record. See our press release for additional insights.
The 2018 dashboard was built by DOB's data analytics team - a key part of the agency's Building One City modernization plan. The team has created a number of interactive real time reports, including the NYC Active Major Construction Map, NYC Sidewalk Shed Map, and more.
New Construction Safety Units
The BEST Squad, Excavation/Interior Demolition, and Scaffold Safety Units have been reorganized into two new units: the Construction Safety Enforcement Unit and the Construction Safety Compliance Unit. Both units work to significantly increase safety compliance monitoring at construction sites throughout the city, including the requirements of Local Law 196 of 2017.
Construction Safety Compliance Unit
The Construction Safety Compliance (CSC) Unit performs proactive periodic inspections on all active sites, as well as plan examination of site safety plans and full demolition plans, processing site safety-related waiver requests, scaffold safety inspections and interior-and full-demolition inspections.
Construction Safety Enforcement Unit
The Construction Safety Enforcement (CSE) Unit conducts emergency inspections and responds to construction incidents and accidents in addition to inspecting construction-related complaints, violations, and Stop Work Orders, including those issued by the CSC Unit. The unit also performs technical reviews and audits of construction documents to verify code compliance.
As a result of the reorganization, effective February 11, 2019, all BEST Squad forms have been replaced with new Construction Safety Compliance (CSC) forms. In addition, applicants are required to use the CSC Appointment Request Form for pre-demolition inspection, demolition sign-off, Site Safety Manager and Site Safety Coordinator Program removal, sidewalk shed removal, and suspended scaffold pre-use inspection. Information on the new forms can be found in our Industry Notice. New and replacement forms can be accessed here.
Reminder: New Crane Safety Regulations in Effect
As of January 1, 2019, two new important crane-safety regulations are now in effect:
Crane Age Limitation
Only cranes having an age of less than 25 years from the manufacture
date may be used in New York City, pursuant to Local Law 3 of 2018.
Event Recorder Required for Cranes
No crane shall be issued or have renewed a certificate of operation
unless the crane is equipped with an event recorder, pursuant to Local
Law 79 of 2017. The event recorder must be installed to collect: the
crane configuration, overload conditions, the status of limit switches,
and operator overrides.
See the service notices linked above for more information on the new requirements.
Notification of Unsafe Buildings
Building owners and registered design professionals must alert the Department to unsafe conditions related to buildings or structures, such as structural instability, open roofs, partial collapses, or abandoned properties, by submitting the Structurally Compromised Building Program Notification of Unsafe Conditions form. Once the form is submitted, per Article 217 of the 2014 Building Code, a TR15 and accompanying inspection report are required to be submitted to the Department. The TR15 can be found on the forms page of DOB's website.
For any hazardous conditions please first call 311 or 911.
Volunteer to Serve on a DOB Licensing Board
The Department is currently seeking electrical and plumbing experts to serve on the 2019 Master Plumbers & Master Fire Suppression Piping Contractors License Board, the 2019 Master and Special Electrician License Board, and the Plumbing Operations Committees. The application deadline is February 8, 2019.
See the Service Notice for more information on requirements and links to the applications.
Major Disciplinary Cases
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$106,000 in penalties issued to Nelson A. Gonzalez, owner of 50-16 96th Street, Queens, for the illegal conversion of a legal two-family home to nine SROs with locking devices for transient use.
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$52,500 in penalties issued to Safety Registrant King Demolition Services for various site-safety related violations on a construction site at 2365 Hoffman Street in the Bronx, including lacking a required construction fence, failure to implement proper housekeeping, failure to protect neighboring properties from construction operations, and failure to safeguard the site.
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$20,000 in penalties issued to Patrick Breen and Nick's Towing Service, Inc. for several violations related to the illegal use of a tow truck as a crane on a construction site at 2670 Hyland Boulevard, Staten Island.
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$11,875 in penalties issued to S Maor, LLC, owner of 2 Bay 25th Street, Brooklyn, after DOB discovered that the second floor office in the building had been illegally converted into a spa and massage parlor.
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
Follow-up #1: HPD Pilot Program Update
2018 Benchmarking Compliance Deadline Extended
2014 Construction Code Updates
Update Page # 68 reflects changes made by Local Law 79 of 2017 (effective 01/01/2019), in relation to maintaining crane event records.
Update Page # 69 reflects changes made by Local Law 3 of 2018 (effective 01/01/2019), in relation to crane modernization.
Update Page # 70 reflects changes made by Local Law 65 of 2018 (effective 1/19/2019), in relation to notification of proposed soil or foundation work.
Update pages are printable inserts to keep your hard copy Construction Codes up to date.
All update pages for the 2014 NYC Construction Codes.
Local Law 195 of 2018 (Int. No. 836-A) A Local Law to amend the Administrative Code of the City of New York, the New York City Building Code, the New York City Mechanical Code and the New York City Fire Code, in relation to approval processes for alternative automatic fire extinguishing systems, fire alarm systems, emergency alarm systems, fire department in-building auxiliary radio communication systems and fire protection plans.
Local Law 191 of 2018 (Int. No. 644-A) A Local Law to amend the Administrative Code of the City of New York and the New York City Building Code, in relation to requiring carbon monoxide detectors in commercial spaces.
Local Law 190 of 2018 (Int. No. 465-A) A Local Law to amend the Administrative Code of the City of New York, in relation conducting education and outreach regarding single-occupant toilet room requirements.
Hearings + Rules
1 RCNY 102-04 Increased Penalties for Unpermitted Work (Civil Penalties for Work Without a Permit and for
Violation of Stop Work Orders Amendment)
Promulgated Effective Date 02/15/19
1 RNCY 104-12 Qualifications for Performing Gas Work
Public Hearing: 02/14/19 @10:00 AM, Spector Hall, 22 Reade Street, 1st
Floor
Buildings Bulletins
2019-001: Establishes the design requirements of refuse and recyclable storage rooms and provides an acceptable alternative design option.
2019-002: Establishes filing and submittal requirements, and outlines the approval process for lithium-ion, flow batteries, lead acid, and valve regulated lead-acid battery energy storage systems listed to UL 9540.
Website Updates
December 2018 Construction Related Accidents Report
Place of Assembly Step-By-Step Guide
CD6 Crane/Derrick & Work Platform Plumbness & Torque Notification/Anchor Bolt Pull Out Test
Office of Internal Affairs and Discipline
D14 Frequently Asked Questions
DOB NOW: Build Withdrawal Letter
Cranes & Derricks Unit 2019 Holiday and Weekend Inspection Schedule
Licensing
Department Approved Course Providers
Registration Renewal: Concrete Safety Manager
LIC41 Written Examination Application
LIC42 Practical Examination Application
Obtain a: Journeyman Plumber / Fire Suppression Piping Installer Registration Gas Work Qualification
Offer Site Safety Training Courses
Did You Know?
The NYC Department of City Planning is partnering with Advocates for Privately Owned Public Spaces and the Municipal Arts Society of New York for an international design competition for a new logo to be displayed on NYC's 500+ plazas, arcades, and other Privately Owned Public Spaces. Check out their press release for more information.
Rick D. Chandler, P.E., Commissioner
