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History
- Referred to cities
- Referred to cities
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to prohibiting self-certification of building plans by engineers and architects where there are vertical enlargements of buildings
Purpose or general idea of bill
This bill would prohibit the practice of self-certification of building plans in construction projects involving vertical enlargements of buildings.
Summary of specific provisions
Section 1 amends the administrative code of the city of New York by prohibiting the commissioner of the department of buildings from allowing limited supervisory check of building plan examinations in the case of plans involving vertical enlargements of buildings, including those vertical enlargements considered to be buildings separate from the existing construction.
Section 2 sets forth an immediate effective date.
Justification
Beginning in the 1990s, New York City has allowed architects and engineers to certify that their plans comply with the city's building codes and zoning rules, without oversight from plan examiners from the Department of Buildings. While this practice expedites the construction process, it has raised serious public safety issues, particularly with the rash of new construction going up in New York City. with undeveloped land at an unmatched scarcity in the city, and nearly non-existent in Manhattan, developers are rapidly erecting vertical enlargements on existing low-rise buildings. In many of these cases, the existing buildings are old and may be structurally compromised. More often than not, these buildings are also inhabited, with construction being planned above the heads of residents, significantly increasing the potential for harm. This legislation would ensure that a DOB professional examines plans involving vertical enlargements of buildings, by eliminating the practice of self-certification in these instances.
Prior legislative history
New bill.
Fiscal implications
Undetermined.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.