Effective January 28, 2011 Rule 103.04 of the City of New York will replace the previously issued rule 32-03. While several of the differences between these two rules are trivial; two significant changes involve the increase in fines for late and\or unsafe filing and the introduction of an initial filing fee.
Fines
The civil penalties associated with late and\or unsafe filing have increased significantly. The penalty for failure to file is $1,000 per year. The late filing penalty is now $250 per month and failure to correct an unsafe condition is $1,000 per month.
The substantial increase in these fines underscores the DOB’s emphasis on facade safety and is a clear sign of their intent to continue to penalize building Owners that do not abide by the requirements of New York City’s facade ordinance.
Fees
The initial filing fee for the facade inspection report is $265. The fee for an amended/subsequent filing is $100 and the fee for an application for extension of time to complete repairs is $135.
While these fees will not have as much of a potential impact on budgets, they may lead to unnecessary filing delays if the payments to the Department of Buildings is not included with the necessary filing.
