By Renee Sosnowski The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has requested that the Environmental Control Board (ECB) amend the Air Asbestos and Air Code Penalty Schedules. Some of these proposed changes have been requested to address evolving industry practices that raise safety concerns, while other changes are being introduced in response… View more
By Penny Laughlin The Flood Zone requirements in a Post-Sandy world have been a bit of a moving target. Now, the DOB has finally posted a consolidated guide to development and rebuilding of projects in the Flood Zone after Sandy. The first question all developers must ask is if their location… View more
By Frank Fortino After months of consideration and deliberation, Mayor de Blasio officially announced his appointment for the next leader of the DOB – Commissioner Rick Chandler. I had the great pleasure of meeting Commissioner Chandler back in the 80’s when he first started as a plan examiner, and young engineer… View more
By Penny Laughlin After a long wait, the DOB has unveiled Code Notes, a new reference tool to assist the industry and property owners navigate through the Building Code, permit approval process and Zoning Resolution. During the project approval process, plan examiners typically raise objections when plans fail to comply with… View more
By Mario Aurioso Until recently, the only agency that could withdraw a Fire Alarm application that required an inspection was the FDNY. With a new procedure the DOB now also has this authority. Withdrawal of Fire Alarm applications usually points to two scenarios. First, the application may have been superseded by another application… View more
By Frank Fortino Developers of new buildings and those conducting major alterations are hearing more from FEMA than they’re used to. Since Hurricane Sandy, FEMA has taken an active role in understanding, measuring and upgrading the City’s floodplains and elevations. Base flood elevations are used to determine the required elevation of… View more
By Renee Sosnowski Rule RCNY 104-24, which went into effect on April 14, 2013, contained a typographical error which was misleading in terms of establishing the requirements necessary for individuals applying for Class 2 filing representative status. Class 2 filing representatives have all of the rights of Class 1 representatives, with… View more