As we well know, the DOB has been ramping up and upgrading their system for the Building One City Campaign. The latest addition to the DOB Now System is the online portal for submission of compliance filings with the department. Since September 12, 2016, pertinent personnel like architects, engineers, licensees, and owners are now required to make use of DOB Now: Safety in submitting their compliance filings for Facades.
Facade Compliance
Buildings higher than 6 floors, for building safety purposes are required to have exterior walls and appurtenances (e.g. balconies), they need to be inspected every 5 years and are required to file a technical facade report with the department. In compliance with NYC Construction Codes §28-302.1 and RCNY §103-04.
Should dangerous conditions be present, property owners are required to repair such within ninety days of the technical report filing and when the repair is done, they need to file an amended report within two weeks of completing all repairs. Facade compliance filings are now to be submitted in the DOB Now: Safety portal.
DOB Now: Safety
With the activation of the DOB Now: Safety portal you can now do the following within the system:
- Submit facade compliance filings including unsafe facade activity
- Pay your corresponding fees
- Upload relevant documents
- Search for and view information in relation to your facade compliance filings
- View the status of your filings
- Receive email updates for your filing, all throughout the process
Inspection And Report Deadlines
Facade reports as well as maintenance and repair deadlines are divided into cycles: The 8th cycle started last February 21, 2015 and will run until February 21, 2020. To make it easier for homeowners to hire experienced contractors sub-cycles were added and the last digit of the building’s block number determines which sub-cycle the property falls under.
Sub-cycle A covers numbers 4,5,6 and 9 and the filing period is from Feb. 21, 2015 to Feb. 21, 2017 while sub-cycle B covers 0,7 and 8 and their filing period falls on February 21, 2016 to February 21, 2018 and the last sub-cycle C cover numbers 1, 2 and 3 and the filing period is set on February 21, 2017 to February 21, 2019.
General Facade Report Reminders
Here are some general reminders when completing your reports and filings:
- Buildings that have an on-going construction cannot be designated as safe
- Your filings should have a location diagram and color photos
- A statement on water-tightness should also be included
- A Certification on previous repairs in the previous cycle that has been completed should be submitted
- Cause and description of any deterioration should be cited
- QEWI’s projection on the month/year that the defects will be hazardous should also be included
- Cite what repairs/maintenance works will need a work permit from the Department
- Details regarding appurtenances should also be provided
In the end, it is important to always be in compliance with the DOB to avoid further challenges in the future. Should you require any assistance, P. Wolfe Consultants is always ready to assist, don’t hesitate to contact us.