This month, the Department distributed thousands of flyers across the City to educate New Yorkers about the dangers of illegal conversions. Following the tragic Bensonhurst, Brooklyn fire on January 31 that killed five people, inspectors and community liaisons visited transit hubs to promote ways to stay safe in your home, such as the use of a smoke alarm and identifying two paths to escape in an emergency.  The Department determined the building where the fatal fire occurred had been illegally subdivided and issued three ECB violations to the property owner. 

Illegally altered buildings and apartments violate the City's construction codes and can pose serious risks to tenants, neighbors and first responders in the event of a fire or other emergency. In 2008, the Department of Buildings issued more than 1,100 vacate orders for unsafe conditions related to illegal occupancies.  Since November, the Department has distributed more than 65,000 flyers in 11 different languages.  Learn more.

Facade Safety Program

New York City law requires a periodic inspection of the exterior walls and appurtenances of buildings greater than six stories in height every five years. Cycle 7 of the Department's Facade Safety Program is now underway. Report submissions will be staggered into three filing sub-cycles. Each building must file within its designated sub-cycle. Learn more about filing reports. Applicants must use the 2/10 version of the TR6 when filing Cycle 7 reports. Buildings Bulletins Temporary Sales Offices & Model Apartments Buildings Bulletin 2010-002 establishes a protocol for the use of temporary sales offices and model apartments in buildings under construction. Threaded High-Strength Steel Reinforcing Bars Buildings Bulletin 2010-003 establishes acceptance criteria for threaded high-strength steel reinforcing bars as alternative materials.