What's happening
This bill requires the New York City Department of Sanitation to remove snow and ice from in front of fire hydrants instead of property owners.
Why it matters
Shifts responsibility for clearing snow and ice from property owners to the Department of Sanitation. , which could reduce fines and legal burdens for residents and businesses, especially during harsh winters.
May improve fire safety and emergency response. by making it a city-managed duty to ensure hydrants are always accessible, potentially reducing the risk of delays in firefighting operations caused by blocked hydrants.
Could require increased resources or budget for the Department of Sanitation. , as the city will now be responsible for regularly monitoring and clearing thousands of hydrants after each snowfall, possibly impacting other sanitation services.
Alters accountability and enforcement. , making the city directly responsible for violations related to hydrant obstruction and snow removal, which might influence how and where resources are allocated for compliance and enforcement.
Albany, before your first meeting.
Every bill that moved yesterday, summarized in a sentence and ranked by impact. The Albany Scorecard follows on Sundays.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click. Want alerts on specific bills? Create an account.
Who cares
Headline styles
Sanitation Clears Hydrant Snow
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Senator · Senate District 14
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred to cities
- Referred to cities
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
City Must Clear Hydrant Snow
In Assembly Committee · Cities · Sponsor Michael DenDekker
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
5373
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
April 29, 2019
Introduced by Sen. COMRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Cities
AN ACT to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring the department of sanitation to remove any snow or ice accumulation in front of fire hydrants
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 15-205 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as amended by local law number 149 of the city of New York for the year 2016, is amended to read as follows:
§ 15-205 Obstruction of fire hydrants. a. For the purposes of this section, the term "fire hydrant street area" means, with respect to a fire hydrant, any space that is located:
1. In a street; and
2. Between the center of such street and a line that (i) is 20 feet in length, (ii) has such hydrant at its center point and (iii) runs parallel to the curb nearest such hydrant.
b. 1. It shall be unlawful in any manner to obstruct the use of any fire hydrant, or to throw or pile, or allow any snow or ice or other material or thing to be thrown or piled (i) upon a fire hydrant, (ii) within two feet of a fire hydrant or (iii) within a fire hydrant street area. All material or things found obstructing any fire hydrant [may be forthwith] shall be removed by the officers or employees of the department, at the risk, cost and expense, of the [owner, lessee or tenant of the premises fronting such hydrant] department of sanitation.
2. No newsstand may be located within ten feet from either side of a fire hydrant, except that this prohibition shall not apply to any newsstand which was first licensed by the department of consumer affairs before August 1, 1979, where the person who held the license for such newsstand on August 1, 1991 continues to be the licensee for such newsstand; provided, however, that where a newsstand which was first
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07996-01-9
S. 5373 2
licensed before August 1, 1979 is reconstructed in its entirety or in substantial part, which reconstruction was commenced on or after August 1, 1991, such newsstand shall be subject to such prohibition.
c. All snow and ice accumulating within a space identified in paragraph 1 of subdivision b of this section shall be removed by the [owner, lessee or tenant of the premises fronting such space within four hours after the snow ceases to fall, except that (i) such owner, lessee or tenant shall not be required to remove snow and ice from the fire hydrant street area or from the property of such owner, lessee or tenant and (ii) the time between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. shall not be included in the aforementioned period of four hours] department of sanitation.
d. Notwithstanding section 15-216, a violation or knowing violation of this section shall be punishable in the same manner as a violation of subdivision a of section 16-123, except that a knowing violation of subdivision b of this section may in addition be punishable by imprisonment not to exceed one day.
e. In addition to the department, the department of sanitation may enforce the provisions of this section.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring the department of sanitation to remove any snow or ice accumulation in front of fire hydrants
Purpose or general idea of bill
The purpose of this bill is to require the New York city department of sanitation to remove any snow or ice accumulation in front of any fire hydrants.
Summary of provisions
Section one amends section 15-205 of the administrative code of the city of New York law by requiring the department of sanitation to clear snow and ice accumulation in front of fire hydrants.
Section two sets forth the effective date.
Justification
During the winter of 2013-2014, the city of New York experienced an unusually active snow season with numerous storms and record breaking amount of snowfalls, presenting unprecedented challenges as a result. Among these challenges, snow covered fire hydrants presented a major public safety concern.
Sanitation plow trucks that clear snow on the city streets often deposit snow onto the curbside and sidewalk, resulting in an accumulation of snow on and around the fire hydrants. For firefighters responding to emergencies where time is of the essence, snow and ice covered fire hydrants can present an extremely hazardous obstacle.
Currently, section 15-205 of the New York city administrative code requires property owners, lessees or tenants to clear snow or ice from the fire hydrant in front of their property. However, locating and clearing snow covered fire hydrants can be an extremely difficult and costly task for some individuals and potentially hazardous for senior citizens and persons with disabilities.
Any snow and ice covered fire hydrant severely limits firefighters' ability to put out a fire and presents a major threat to public safety, a risk that we cannot afford to take. This legislation would address such safety concerns by shifting the responsibility for clearing snow and ice accumulation in front of fire hydrants to the department of sanitation, which can utilize equipment and manpower to effectively remove the snow and ice from city owned fire hydrants.
Prior legislative history
A7571 of 2017-18: Referred to Cities. S4556 of 2017-18: Referred to Cities.
Fiscal implications for state and local governments
Yet to be determined.
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.