The NYC Department of Buildings has recently released further details on its parking garage inspection requirements.

Infrastructure is a thing that is easy to overlook… until we can’t. We rely more than we realize on the structures that connect and sustain our communities, and parking garages are no exception.

Since January 1, 2022, as part of Local Law 126 of 2021 and the rollout of the 2022 NYC Building Codes owners of parking garages and similar parking structures are now required to hire a New York State-licensed engineer who is a Qualified Parking Structure Inspector to survey the structure once every six years.

Similar to façade inspections under Local Law 11 of 1998, parking structures will be judged on a scale of Safe, Safe with repair and/or engineering monitoring, or Unsafe. Unsafe grades require action within 90 days of filing a condition assessment report, plus an amended report within two weeks after repairs are complete.

The announcement details the date ranges for the first ever inspection cycle, staggered by districts (Manhattan Districts 1-7 are currently in their first cycle):

Exceptions to the inspection requirements are as follows:

• Autobody and automotive repair shops, automotive showrooms, and automotive service Stations.
• Garages with occupancy of fewer than three cars.
• Unenclosed, unattached outdoor parking lots.
• Private garages serving one- and two-family homes.

While owners should be able to submit reports through DOB Now: Safety by early 2023, those who want to file a report before then should start by emailing the Parking Structures Unit at ParkingStructures@buildings.nyc.gov with the subject line, “Request for Invoice for BIN/Address/Report Type” (Report Type would include Initial, Amended, Subsequent, or Extension).

The new sanction is based on a wider New York State law passed in 2018, which had exempted NYC parking structures so that the New York City Council could tailor the law to its specific needs.

While the state law came into being after incidents of parking garage collapses upstate, parking structure safety became a hot topic nationwide in June 2021 after the Surfside Condo collapse in Florida, which investigators believe originated in weaknesses from the parking garage beneath it. In this sense, In addition, on a larger level, general infrastructure has also been getting more focus since the passing of the U.S. Infrastructure Bill, which we covered in December 2021.

In this sense, New York City is riding the curve of increased care and safety for infrastructure across the country, which owners will need to keep on top of to stay ahead of the law.

For assistance with inspections and navigating upcoming building code changes, contact our specialists at Outsource Consultants.

Resources

• Service Update – July 2022
• Service Update – November 2021
• Decoder – “New Year, New Codes: Major Construction Code Updates for 2022”
• Decoder – “Bridges & Tunnels: Infrastructure’s Impact on NYC Construction”