As part of our ongoing effort to ensure qualified people are managing construction sites and upholding safety standards, on June 2, 2008 the Department will begin certifying Site Safety Coordinators. Site Safety Coordinators will be responsible for supervising construction and demolition of buildings that are 10 to 14 stories, and we are in the process of developing Site Safety Coordinator education, training, inspection and notification requirements. On May 29, the Buildings Department will hold a public hearing on the proposed Site Safety Coordinator and Site Safety Manager qualifications rule. The hearing will be held at 2pm at the Buildings Department headquarters at 280 Broadway in Manhattan, in the 3rd floor conference room. Please see Chapter 33 of the New NYC Construction Codes for specific Site Safety Coordinator duties and qualifications. For more information about Site Safety Coordinator Certification, view the:

Our annual Private Retaining Wall Inspection Program will come to an end May 16. Property owners who would like to request an inspection for their retaining wall without receiving violations please call 3-1-1.

Want to know more about the implementation of Code related changes? Come to one of our seminars and obtain a helpful overview of the New Codes, highlight upcoming operational changes and answer questions. Buildings Department experts will be leading seminars in each borough office.

The New NYC Construction Codes are an important achievement for the Buildings Department and New York City: they mark the first comprehensive overhaul of the City’s Building Code in nearly 40 years. These Codes respond to many of our 21st century safety, construction and environmental concerns, and are more user-friendly for the professionals building our City’s very foundation. Certain administrative provisions, enforcement provisions and construction safeguards under the New NYC Construction Codes will go into effect on July 1, 2008. As a result, the Buildings Department has a number of corresponding rules and operational changes. In order to effectively transition to the New Codes, we will be providing information and updates on these upcoming changes in a phased approach.

On April 1, the Buildings Department launched a new registration program for general contractors. All general contractors seeking permits to erect one-, two-, or three-family homes are now required to register with the Department by October 31, 2008. After that date, only general contractors registered with the Buildings Department will be issued building permits for these types of buildings. Unregistered individuals or entities found building such homes after October 31, 2008 will be subject to violations, Stop Work Orders, criminal charges, and the seizure of vehicles and construction tools.

Since its launch on February 19, we've already implemented the first enhancement to this expanded eFiling system. eFiling has been upgraded to include a "copy and send" function that allows you to duplicate an existing application and send a copy of the prepared application to other registered eFiling users. This expanded system enables applicants to use eFiling and its electronic interview-style process to prepare the new PW-1 Form online for initial and subsequent filings. The eFiling - PW-1 application uses Pop-Ups and therefore requires Pop-Up blockers to be configured to "Allow Access" to this site. If you receive a Pop-Up blocker message, or you cannot view the Job Filing Package PDF there is a good chance you have Pop-Up blocker software installed. View the flyer (1,527 kb) on how to remove the pop-up blocker.

To enforce City Council’s citywide street tree zoning text amendment adopted April 30, 2008, the Buildings Department has created two new required items that automatically apply to New Building, Alteration 1 and Alteration 2 (enlargement) applications.

To better ensure construction professionals are meeting Building Code requirements for safe and proper water drainage, we are expanding the Drywell Audit Program to Queens. Beginning April 21, all Queens site engineers must notify the Buildings Department 48 hours prior to digging a sand column and installing a drywell. Site engineers must call (212) 227-4416 to inform the Department of this pending work. To learn more:

On Tuesday, March 25, the Buildings Department announced changes to the Department's protocol regarding the erection and dismantling (including jumping) of tower cranes. A Buildings inspector is now required to be present on a construction site whenever a tower crane is being raised or lowered, until further notice. This interim change and other protocol changes come as the Department continues its inspection sweep of cranes installed throughout New York City.

On February 20, the Buildings Department launched a 30-day citywide crackdown on unsafe supported scaffolds and sidewalk sheds - more than 1,500 of which will be inspected. The inspections are the first step in the Department's new Safety Analysis and Field Evaluation (SAFE) Scaffold & Shed Initiative, a comprehensive package of increased enforcement, operational and regulatory initiatives, and design improvements to increase scaffold and sidewalk shed safety. Read the Press Release and a Regulatory Notice (60 kb-pdf) the Department re-issued to remind design professionals, contractors, and scaffold companies of the technical requirements that they must follow to ensure the safety of supported scaffolds and sidewalk sheds.

The Buildings Department released a public list of the Top Ten Worst Elevator Offenders as part of a shame campaign and aggressive enforcement agenda to ensure safe and reliable elevator service -- and to force residential building owners with chronically defective elevators to fix them. The worst offenders are being pursued under the Department’s proactive Elevator Enforcement Program, which ensures safe and reliable elevator service. The Program also includes legislation to impose significant daily penalties for elevator violations.

The Buildings Department launched of Phase II of the Department's Special Enforcement Plan to raise the bar for construction standards citywide. Building upon the foundation laid during Phase I of the Plan, Phase II includes a $1 million investment to dedicate 21 staff lines to advance operational and enforcement tactics developed and tested over the past year to increase oversight and accountability throughout the construction process. The Buildings Department will utilize the additional staff lines and new funding to crack down on illegal after-hours construction, ensure contractors adhere to safety standards during interior demolitions, and increase proactive inspections of low-rise construction sites.

Beginning January 2, 2008, all permit applications for New Building and Demolitions for buildings up to and including 14 stories will require a registered Construction Superintendent to be listed on the new PW-2 form. Announced in May, 2006, this new safety requirement (89 kb-pdf) will further ensure construction sites are supervised by qualified individuals with the appropriate knowledge of construction and risk prevention. This registration requirement will not go into effect for permit applications for one-, two- and three-family homes until July 2008.

On Tuesday, April 17, 2007, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg signed three bills  aimed at enhancing safety for suspended scaffold workers. The new legislation is the result of the recommendations made by the Scaffold Safety Worker Task Force, a group created by the Administration to develop concrete steps to minimize suspended scaffold-related injuries and develop outreach strategies to inform workers of safe practices.

On December 3, 2007, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced new regulations (68 kb-pdf) for the installation of microturbine systems in residential and commercial buildings, making New York City the first US city to establish safety standards for the use of microturbines in these building types. Microturbines are highly efficient turbine generators that recover and reuse the wasted heat of their own combustion process, after producing electricity and heat for a building, to provide energy for other building operations. These new standards enable building owners to take advantage of microturbine technology and will help the City achieve its energy efficiency goals.

To create a cleaner and more energy-efficient New York City, the Buildings Department now requires all New Building and Alteration Type-1 applications to demonstrate compliance with the Energy Conservation Construction Code of New York State (ECCCNYS). Applicants must provide a professional statement of compliance and an Energy Analysis and demonstrate in the drawing set how the information outlined in the Energy Analysis will be used.

On July 3, 2007, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg signed the new NYC Construction Codes into law! The New Codes, which go into effect July 1, 2008, incorporate national standards and rules and achieve a delicate balance of safety, savings and innovation (903 kb-pdf). Read our special Buildings News edition, dedicated to the hundreds of professionals and Buildings staff, without whom the new NYC Construction Codes would not have been possible.

To ensure the safety of the public and the workers who use suspended scaffolds, 24 to 48 hours' prior notice to the Buildings Department is required before using or installing c-hook and outrigger beam scaffolds. To learn more view the:

Are you looking to renovate your home? If you intend to do work on your home or are in the process of renovating, we invite you to come to our Homeowner's Night. Every Tuesday, the Buildings Department opens its doors exclusively for homeowners in all five boroughs from 4pm to 5:30pm. During this time, staff is available to provide homeowners with one-on-one assistance.